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Men's college basketball rankings: Gonzaga just on the outside of AP Top 25 poll – Sports Illustrated
A team from Eastern Washington returned to the AP Top 25 poll, but it wasn’t the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
For the first time since the 2007-08 season, Washington State got into the Top 25 as it checked in at No. 21 on Monday. The Cougars have won seven straight after a 72-59 win over Stanford on Saturday and are projected to earn an at-large bid as the 31st team in the NET Rankings. WSU could boost its resume greatly on Thursday against No. 4 Arizona.
Colorado State, Texas Tech and Florida joined the Cougars near the end of the Top 25.
Gonzaga (20-6, 10-2 WCC) was left just outside the rankings with 99 votes, making it team No. 27 in the poll by that count. The Bulldogs have won 9 of their last 10 games since dropping out of the Top 25 following a road loss at Santa Clara on Jan. 11 and currently sit at No. 23 in the NET.
Elsewhere, UConn became the first unanimous No. 1 in the AP Poll of the season. The Huskies crushed then-No. 4 Marquette, 81-53, over the weekend to earn all 62 first-place votes from the panel and extend their 14-game winning streak, the longest in the country.
Purdue dropped to No. 3 after falling at Ohio State on Sunday and 24 hours after it was revealed as the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee’s early bracket preview. Houston jumped to No. 2 after it beat Texas, while Arizona jumped to No. 4 and Tennessee rose three spots to round out the top five.
Iowa State moved up four spots to No. 6, the program’s highest ranking since 2015, followed by Marquette, Duke, Kansas and North Carolina to round out the top 10.
Kentucky was the week’s biggest riser, as the Wildcats went from No. 22 to No. 17 after wins over Ole Miss and then-No. 13 Auburn. Meanwhile, South Carolina slid down nine spots to No. 20 after two losses in SEC play.
Saint Mary’s held true at No. 18 while remaining undefeated in WCC play, while San Diego State rejoined the poll at No. 19. BYU fell six spots to No. 25 due to a 10-point loss at Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Here’s the complete AP Top 25 poll:
1. UConn (24-2, 14-1 Big East)
2. Houston (22-3, 9-3 Big 12)
3. Purdue (23-3, 12-3 Big Ten)
4. Arizona (20-5, 11-3 Pac-12)
5. Tennessee (19-6, 9-3 SEC)
6. Iowa State (20-5, 9-3 Big 12)
7. Marquette (19-6, 10-4 Big East)
8. Duke (20-5, 11-3 ACC)
9. Kansas (20-6, 8-5 Big 12)
10. North Carolina (20-6, 12-3 ACC)
11. Baylor (19-6, 8-4 Big 12)
12. Illinois (19-6, 10-4 Big Ten)
13. Alabama (18-7, 10-2 SEC)
14. Auburn (20-6, 9-4 SEC)
15. Creighton (19-7, 10-5 Big East)
16. Dayton (21-4, 11-2 A10)
17. Kentucky (18-7, 8-4 SEC)
18. Saint Mary’s (21-6, 12-0 WCC)
19. San Diego State (20-6, 9-4 MWC)
20. South Carolina (21-5, 9-4 SEC)
21. Washington State (20-6, 11-4 Pac-12)
22. Colorado State (20-6, 8-5 MWC)
23. Texas Tech (18-7, 7-5 Big 12)
24. Florida (18-7, 8-4 SEC)
25. BYU (18-7, 6-6 Big 12)
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:
Virginia 103, Gonzaga 99, Wisconsin 88, Michigan St. 64, TCU 54, South Florida 45, New Mexico 27, FAU 27, Utah St. 22, Grand Canyon 16, Nevada 11, Pittsburgh 4, Clemson 3, Appalachian St 1, McNeese St. 1, Drake 1.