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College basketball rankings: Big 12 teams in updated Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 on March 11 – The Topeka Capital-Journal
Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars capped off a successful foray into the Big 12, a year after joining from the American Athletic Conference, as they clinched the conference regular season title over the weekend with a 76-46 throttling win over Kansas.
No. 11 Baylor (22-9, 11-7 Big 12) began the week with an impressive come-from-behind victory over Texas, a game that Scott Drew’s squad came back from down 13 thanks to a 21-2 run in the second half. However, that be the lone win of the week for the Bears, who 3-seed in ESPN’s latest NCAA Tournament projection, as Baylor lost to Texas Tech on Saturday despite a late game comeback.
The No. 6 ranked Iowa State Cyclones and No. 23 ranked BYU Cougars both split the week at 1-1. Iowa State beat BYU before losing to Kansas State while the Cougars beat Oklahoma State over the weekend to even their week. Kanas beat in-state rival Kansas State earlier in the week before their aforementioned loss to Houston.
REQUIRED READING:Kansas basketball’s regular season ends with a rough Big 12 road loss against Houston
Of the conference’s three teams that received votes last week in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll, one — Texas Tech — won both of its games this week. The Red Raiders, who were the unofficial No. 27 team in the country last week in the Coaches’ poll, should continue to make headway in the top 25 polls with wins over Oklahoma State and Baylor.
As for the other two teams — TCU and Oklahoma — both split the week at 1-1, making a move into the top 25 unlikely and continuing a toll on their chances of receiving an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. Both will face each other in the second round of the Big 12 tournament on Wednesday in Kansas City.
REQUIRED READING:Kansas State basketball dials up effort to beat Iowa State in key hustle categories
Here are where Big 12 teams stand in the updated Coaches Poll and AP Top 25:
Big 12 teams are in bold. First-place votes are in parentheses.
1. Houston, 28-3 (29)
2. UConn, 28-3
3. Purdue, 28-3 (2)
4. North Carolina, 25-6
5. Tennessee, 24-7
6. Creighton, 23-8
7. Arizona, 24-7
8. Iowa State, 24-7
9. Kentucky, 23-8
10. Marquette, 23-8
11. Duke, 24-7
12. Auburn, 24-7
13. Baylor, 22-9
14. Illinois, 23-8
15. Gonzaga, 24-6
16. South Carolina, 25-6
17. Kansas, 22-9
18. Utah State, 26-5
19. Alabama, 21-10
20. Saint Mary’s, 24-7
21. BYU, 22-9
22. Nevada, 26-6
23. Texas Tech, 22-9
24. Dayton, 24-6
25. Washington State, 23-8
Others receiving votes: Boise State 30; San Diego State 19; James Madison 19; Florida 17; Drake 15; South Florida 11; Nebraska 7; Oklahoma 6; Florida Atlantic 6; Colorado 3; Princeton 1; Northwestern 1 and Indiana State 1
Big 12 teams are in bold. First-place votes are in parentheses.
1. Houston, 28-3 (52)
2. UConn, 28-3 (6)
3. Purdue, 28-3 (4)
4. North Carolina, 25-6
5. Tennessee, 24-7
6. Arizona, 24-7
7. Iowa State, 24-7
8. Creighton, 23-8
9. Kentucky, 23-8
10. Marquette, 23-8
11. Duke, 24-7
12. Auburn, 24-7
13. Illinois, 23-8
14. Baylor, 22-9
15. South Carolina, 25-6
16. Kansas, 22-9
17. Gonzaga, 24-6
18. Utah State, 26-5
19. Alabama, 21-10
20. BYU, 22-9
21. Saint Mary’s, 24-7
22. Washington State, 23-8
23. Nevada, 26-6
24. Dayton, 24-6
25. Texas Tech, 22-9
Others receiving votes: Boise State 46; South Florida 27; San Diego State 21; Drake 16; Texas 14; James Madison 14; FAU 11; Florida 8; Princeton 7; Nebraska 6; New Mexico 4; Colorado 2; McNeese State 2; Colorado State 1; Wake Forest 1 and Indiana State 1
