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College basketball rankings: Big 12 teams in updated Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 on March 4 – The Topeka Capital-Journal
Baylor basketball continues to prove it has the talent and depth to make a deep run in March.
The No. 14-ranked Bears (21-8, 10-6 Big 12) picked up an important win in the conference standings as they took down rival No. 9 Kansas 82-74 on Saturday in Waco, Texas. In what was a back-and-forth game between two of the biggest brands in the Big 12 in recent years, Baylor locked down on defense down the stretch as it came up with five stops in the final four minutes.
On top of its loss to Baylor, Kansas’ (21-8, 9-7) NCAA Tournament resume had already taken a hit in the week as it fell to BYU. Despite its 0-2 week, the Jayhawks did Kevin McCullar Jr. back in their lineup on Saturday against Baylor.
REQUIRED READING:Kansas State women’s basketball claims No. 3 seed and double-bye in Big 12 Tournament
Elsewhere, No. 1 Houston and No. 6 Iowa State continued rolling as they both combined to go 4-0 on the week with wins over Cincinnati, Oklahoma (both) and UCF. The Cougars avoided a potential upset against the Sooners in Norman thanks to senior point guard Jamal Shead who hit a shot with 0.4 seconds left in the game.
Of the conference’s four teams that received votes last week in both the USA Today Coaches’ Poll and AP Poll, two — BYU and Texas Tech — won games this week. BYU, who was the unofficial No. 26 team in the country last week, should make its way back into the top 25 with its win over the Jayhawks. As for the other two teams — TCU and Oklahoma — both lost each of their two games, making a move into the top 25 unlikely and putting a toll on their chances of receiving an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament.
REQUIRED READING:Bill Self envisions there being ‘a much better’ Kevin McCullar Jr. showing up for Kansas
Here are the latest updated to the Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 poll:
Big 12 teams in bolded. First-place votes in parentheses.
1. Houston, 26-3 (28)
2. UConn, 26-3 (3)
3. Purdue, 26-3 (1)
4. Tennessee, 23-6
5. Arizona, 23-6
6. Iowa State, 23-6
7. North Carolina, 23-6
8. Duke, 23-6
9. Marquette, 22-7
10. Creighton, 22-8
11. Baylor, 21-8
12. Illinois, 22-7
13. Kentucky, 21-8
14. Auburn, 22-7
15. Kansas, 21-8
16. South Carolina, 24-5
17. Alabama, 20-9
18. Gonzaga, 24-6
19. San Diego State, 22-7
20. Washington State, 23-7
21. Saint Mary’s, 24-7
22. Utah State, 24-5
23. BYU, 21-8
24. South Florida, 22-5
25. Florida, 20-9
Others receiving votes: Dayton 31; Texas Tech 24; Nevada 24; Boise State 16; Appalachian State 13; James Madison 10; Oklahoma 8; Northwestern 7; Indiana State 5; Clemson 5; TCU 4; Wake Forest 3 and Nebraska 1
Big 12 teams in bolded. First-place votes in parentheses.
1. Houston, 26-3 (52)
2. UConn, 26-3 (6)
3. Purdue, 26-3 (4)
4. Tennessee, 23-6
5. Arizona, 23-6
6. Iowa State, 23-6
7. North Carolina, 23-6
8. Marquette, 22-7
9. Duke, 23-6
10. Creighton, 22-8
11. Baylor, 21-8
12. Illinois, 22-7
13. Auburn, 22-7
14. Kansas, 21-8
15. Kentucky, 21-8
16. Alabama, 20-9
17. South Carolina, 24-5
18. Washington State, 23-7
19. Gonzaga, 24-6
20. BYU, 21-8
21. San Diego State, 22-7
22. Utah State, 24-5
23. Saint Mary’s, 24-7
24. South Florida, 22-5
25. Dayton, 22-6
Other’s receiving votes: Nevada 42; Florida 39; Boise State 26; Texas 10; Indiana State 9; Appalachian State 6; New Mexico 5; FAU 4; James Madison 4; Princeton 3; Michigan State 2; Villanova 2; Colorado State 2; McNeese 2 and Richmond 1