Kansas Jayhawks move up one spot in Associated Press men’s college basketball poll
Kansas, which defeated Oklahoma State at home and West Virginia on the road last week, has moved from No. 6 to No. 5 in this week’s Associated Press men’s college basketball poll.
Gonzaga (23-2) kept the top spot in the poll. The Bulldogs received all 61 first-place votes and tallied 1,525 points. Arizona (24-2) moved from No. 3 to No. 2 in response to Auburn’s loss at Florida. The No. 3 Tigers are now 24-3.
Purdue (24-4) is ranked No. 4, followed by Kansas (22-4), Kentucky (22-5), Duke (23-4), Villanova (21-6), Texas Tech (21-6), Baylor (22-5), Providence (22-3), UCLA (19-5), Wisconsin (21-5), Houston (22-4), Illinois (19-7), USC (23-4), Tennessee (19-7), Arkansas (21-6), Murray State (26-2), Texas (19-8), UConn (19-7), Ohio State (16-7), Saint Mary’s (22-6), Alabama (17-10) and Iowa (18-8).
Others receiving votes: Michigan State, Rutgers, Wyoming, Boise State, Davidson, San Diego State, South Dakota State, LSU, Marquette, Wake Forest, Colorado State, Belmont, Notre Dame, SMU, Xavier, North Texas, Creighton, Vermont and Wagner.
The Zags, who were preseason No. 1 in the AP poll, last lost on Dec. 4. Wins over Pepperdine and Santa Clara last week clinched a 10th straight WCC regular-season title.
AP reports that “Gonzaga is winning its WCC games by an average of 27 points, one of the most dominant conference seasons in the past 25 years, according to KenPom.com. The Zags are on pace to match the 2019 team for largest margin of victory in conference games. They have four of the top five spots on that list in the last 25 years, joined by the 1999 Duke team.”
No. 2 Arizona, which is led by former Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd, was picked to finish tied for fourth in the Pac-12 Conference. The Wildcats are 14-1 in league play. Arizona beat Oregon State 83-69 last Thursday, then upended Oregon 84-81 on Saturday.
The Jayhawks will meet Kansas State at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Allen Fieldhouse.
