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Cal basketball just outside the top 25; 28th in AP Poll, 32nd in Coaches Poll

Go Bears!

Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

After five straight wins, Cal is now knocking on the door of the top 25. Cal received 34 votes in the Associated Press poll and 11 votes in the USA Today/Coaches Poll and are now very close to being ranked in both polls.

Three Pac-12 teams are currently ranked: The Arizona Wildcats (9th in AP, 10th in Coaches), the Oregon Ducks (13th in both polls), and the Utah Utes (22nd in AP, 23rd in Coaches) are very likely to finish in the top 25.  The most interesting thing to note? Cal has beaten all of them.

The Golden Bears are likely another home sweep away from returning to the college basketball rankings. If Cal can win three of their final four games decisively, they might finish in the top 25 in the regular season poll, which would be a huge step forward for the program--it's been a long time since Cal has finished a season in the top 25. Anyone know the last time?

Here's the college basketball rankings.

AP Top 25

Rank Team Record Points
1 Villanova Wildcats (45) 24-3 1,604
2 Kansas Jayhawks (20) 23-4 1,580
3 Virginia Cavaliers 21-5 1,393
3 Oklahoma Sooners 21-5 1,393
5 Xavier Musketeers 24-3 1,368
6 Michigan State Spartans 22-5 1,346
7 North Carolina Tar Heels 22-5 1,241
8 Iowa Hawkeyes 20-6 1,144
9 Arizona Wildcats 22-5 1,028
10 Maryland Terrapins 23-5 976
11 Louisville Cardinals 21-6 902
12 Miami-Florida Hurricanes 21-5 851
13 Oregon Ducks 21-6 842
14 West Virginia Mountaineers 20-7 772
15 Duke Blue Devils 20-7 674
16 Kentucky Wildcats 20-7 627
17 Iowa State Cyclones 19-8 616
18 Indiana Hoosiers 22-6 571
19 Baylor Bears 20-7 521
20 Purdue Boilermakers 21-7 357
21 Texas A&M Aggies 20-7 283
22 Utah Utes 21-7 253
23 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 18-8 185
24 SMU Mustangs 22-4 154
25 Texas Longhorns 17-10 104
Others Receiving Votes: Dayton 80, Providence 48, California 34, Wichita St 33, Texas Tech 31, Wisconsin 27, Saint Joseph's 20, VCU 19, South Carolina 12, Hawaii 12, Saint Mary's 10, Valparaiso 3, Cincinnati 3, USC 2, San Diego State 2, UAB 1, Connecticut 1, Arkansas-Little Rock 1, Stephen F. Austin 1
Dropped: Dayton 15, Providence 23

USA TODAY Coaches Poll

RANK TEAM RECORD POINTS 1st
1 Villanova 24-3 792 25
2 Kansas 23-4 751 7
3 Virginia 21-5 679 0
4 Oklahoma 21-5 668 0
5 Xavier 24-3 652 0
6 North Carolina 22-5 639 0
7 Michigan St 22-5 626 0
8 Iowa 20-6 561 0
9 Maryland 23-5 527 0
10 Arizona 22-5 512 0
11 Miami-Florida 21-5 466 0
12 West Virginia 20-7 366 0
13 Oregon 21-6 365 0
14 Kentucky 20-7 333 0
15 Indiana 22-6 317 0
16 Baylor 20-7 305 0
17 Iowa St. 19-8 304 0
18 Duke 20-7 303 0
19 Purdue 21-7 245 0
20 Notre Dame 18-8 176 0
21 Texas A&M 20-7 172 0
22 Dayton 21-5 121 0
23 Utah 21-7 120 0
24 Providence 19-8 102 0
25 Texas 17-10 66 0
Others Receiving Votes: South Carolina 47; Saint Mary's 42; Wichita State 32; Texas Tech 30; Pittsburgh 18; Wisconsin 15; California 11; St. Joseph?s 10; Seton Hall 6; Southern California 6; Virginia Commonwealth 6; Hawaii 3; LSU 3; Michigan 1; St. Bonaventure 1; San Diego State 1.
Dropped: South Carolina 23