Men's College Basketball Power Rankings: Arizona rides hot start to No. 1 - ESPN

It's hard to move a No. 1 team down if it doesn't lose — especially when that No. 1 team just went on the road and knocked off another top-five or top-six team. It takes, frankly, a special résumé.

But that's what Arizona has accomplished through the first five games of its season, following Wednesday's true road win over UConn. Tommy Lloyd's team now has wins over Florida, UCLA and UConn, all away from home. According to ESPN Research, the Wildcats are just the third team in AP Poll history to have multiple wins over top-three opponents in their first five games of the season — and the first since Kansas did it in the 1989-90 season.

The Wildcats have the most ranked wins in the country and the most impressive catalog of wins away from home, and they've shown the ability to beat teams playing different styles and with different players carrying the load.

Purdue will look to boost its own profile and regain its perch atop the sport in December when it faces Iowa State and Auburn, while Arizona has contests against Auburn and Alabama on back-to-back weekends. Houston could also make an argument for the top spot if it wins the Players Era Festival next week in Las Vegas.

For now, though, Arizona's impressive collection of early wins gives the Wildcats the edge for No. 1.

Previous ranking: 4

Jaden Bradley developing into one of the best point guards in the country has been arguably the biggest game changer in Arizona's terrific start to the season. He took over late in the wins over Florida and UCLA, scoring 10 straight and 7 straight points, respectively. Against UConn, Bradley had a layup with 16 seconds left to put Arizona up 3. «When you have a point guard who is selfless and also a baller and has big enough cojones to