Arizona continues to make history under head coach Adia Barnes. The latest feat came Monday when the Wildcats moved up two spots in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll into the fourth spot on the list. UA has never been ranked inside the top five in program history even when making its miraculous run to the NCAA Championship game last season.

The highest UA had ever been ranked prior to Monday was No. 6, which it first achieved last December. By January the Wildcats had dropped down to No. 7 and were never able to climb any higher than ninth the rest of the season.

Arizona currently remains unbeaten with a 9-0 record after picking up two more victories last week over North Dakota State and New Mexico. The Wildcats will visit Northern Arizona (4-4) this Friday on their way to Las Vegas where a matchup with No. 11 Texas (7-1) awaits UA as part of the Coast-to-Coast Challenge Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.

That will wrap up nonconference play ahead of what is sure to be another challenging Pac-12 season that will begin with matchups against UCLA and USC on the road.

Arizona began the season ranked 22nd in the AP poll with voters uncertain of how the loss of a star like Aari McDonald would impact the team. The Wildcats quickly erased those doubts by beating then-No. 6 Louisville in a neutral-court game in South Dakota. Though UA had to battle through some difficult challenges during its trip to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam, the Wildcats still won that event by earning three victories.

UA beat Vanderbilt, DePaul and Rutgers in that three-game event and DePaul is one team now receiving votes in the latest AP poll.

Barnes understands that her group is not at the level it will be once February and March rolls around, but she is also happy with the progress the Wildcats have made especially when compared to the expectations for the team at the outset of the season.

"I'm really proud of our team," she said Sunday after UA's 77-60 victory over UNM. "To be 9-0 with with the caliber teams that we've played, I think it's phenomenal. We've had to gut out and just find different ways to win.

"So, really proud of our team right now and what we're doing. We have to get better obviously, but it is December and we will get better. Just proud of us and what we're doing right now and where we're at."

No. 3 Stanford is the only team in the Pac-12 ranked ahead of the Wildcats, and those two are the only teams from the conference currently inside the top 25. Colorado is just outside the top group as it is tied with Oklahoma as the teams with the most votes to not be included. Oregon, Washington State, Oregon State and UCLA also received votes in this week's poll.

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