SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga, Arizona and reigning national champion Baylor remained atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll Monday while Tennessee cracked the top 10 for the first time this year and North Carolina returned to the Top 25 for the first time since November.
Mark Few’s Bulldogs claimed 52 of 61 first-place votes to hold the No. 1 ranking for the fourth straight week and eighth time this season going back to the preseason poll.
The Wildcats stayed at No. 2 for the third straight week under first-year coach Tommy Lloyd and claimed six first-place votes, while Scott Drew’s Bears – who held the top spot for five weeks earlier this season – took the other three.
Tennessee jumped into a tie for No. 9 for its first top-10 appearance this year. Colorado State joined UNC as the week's new additions. Ohio State and Alabama fell out from last week's poll.
The ranking comes ahead of the Zags first game in the West Coast Conference Tournament on Monday. Gonzaga will face San Francisco with a potential rematch against Saint Mary's in the finals.
- Gonzaga 24-3
- Arizona 28-3
- Baylor 26-5
- Auburn 27-4
- Kentucky 25-6
- Kansas 25-6
- Duke 26-5
- Villanova 23-7
- Purdue 25-6
- Tennessee 23-7
- Providence 24-4
- Wisconsin 24-6
- UCLA 23-6
- Texas Tech 23-8
- Arkansas 24-7
- Illinois 22-8
- Saint Mary's (Cal) 24-6
- Houston 26-5
- Murray St. 30-2
- UConn 22-8
- Southern Cal 25-6
- Texas 21-10
- Colorado St. 24-4
- Iowa 22-9
- North Carolina 23-8
Others receiving votes: Boise St. 49, South Dakota St. 32, Memphis 26, San Diego St. 24, LSU 22, Ohio St. 16, Loyola Chicago 16, Seton Hall 9, San Francisco 9, Rutgers 8, Alabama 7, Notre Dame 4, Vermont 3, Davidson 1, Longwood 1.