UCLA Fifth, USC No. 20 in AP Poll

UCLA and USC were ranked in the Associated Press men’s basketball preseason Top 25 poll released Monday.

The Bruins, who advanced to the Sweet 16 last season, were ranked fifth and the Trojans, who reached the Elite Eight, were ranked No. 20.

No. 13 Stanford was the only other Pacific 10 Conference school in the rankings.

Arizona, which lost to Duke in the final last season, had its streak of 108 consecutive weeks as a ranked team end. The Wildcats return one starter.

UCLA, which was 23-9 last season, last week was voted the media’s overwhelming favorite to win the conference title, followed by Stanford (31-3) and USC (24-10).

“Being picked to win the league is a sign of respect for our team and the program,” UCLA Coach Steve Lavin said. “It’s a goal that our players and coaching staff always has every year. But, where you start doesn’t matter. It’s where you finish [that counts].”

Said USC Coach Henry Bibby: “My expectations every year are to try and win the championship. I’m not concerned about what [the media’s] expectations are because they don’t mean anything.”

Duke was voted No. 1 in the preseason poll and was followed by Maryland, Illinois and Kentucky.