Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. is shown in a game against Maryland on Dec. 13 in College Park, Md. (AP file photo)

Arizona is still No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, but No. 2 Michigan is closing the gap.

The Wildcats topped the poll for the third straight week in the AP Top 25 released on Monday, receiving 38 first-place votes from a 58-person panel. The Wolverines had 19 first-place votes — four more than last week — and closed the gap in total points, pulling within 20.

Michigan is already No. 1 in the USA Today rankings, where it also was a week ago, but by an even narrower margin over Arizona — 10 total points and nine in first-place votes, 20 to 11.

AP No. 3 Iowa State had one first-place vote, with UConn and Purdue rounding out the top five in the final poll of the calendar year. The next Top 25 will be released Jan. 5.

Arizona (11-0) added another quality win to its resume last week, blowing out San Diego State 68-45 with a dominant defensive performance. The Wildcats also routed Abilene Christian 92-62 last week.

Arizona has won its last six games by at least 20 points, its longest streak since another six-game rout run in 1942-43.

Michigan (11-0) had one game last week, also a blowout. The 102-50 win over LaSalle on Sunday was the fifth time in six games the Wolverines scored at least 100 points and eighth straight win by 15 points or more.

No. 13 Nebraska continued its rise, climbing two places for its highest ranking since reaching No. 11 in 1991-92.

In and out

No. 24 USC is ranked for the second time this season following lopsided wins over UTSA and UC Santa Cruz. No. 25 Iowa (10-2) is ranked for the first time since early in the 2022-23 season with its best start since 2020.

Auburn dropped out from No. 21 after being blown out by Purdue, the Tigers’ third loss in five games. St. John’s fell out from No. 22 following a 78-66 loss to Kentucky.

Conference watch

The Big Ten Conference leads with seven ranked teams after USC and Iowa moved into the poll. The Southeastern Conference dropped to six ranked teams after Auburn fell out, matching the Big 12, which has four teams in the top 10.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball