The top six and seven of the top nine teams in the AP Top 25 lost on the same day last week, an unprecedented day of chaos that led to some major changes in this week’s poll — everywhere but at the top.
Gonzaga and Arizona remained the top two teams in the poll released Monday, holding their own despite losing both of their most recent games.
The Zags received 43 first-place votes from the AP’s 61-strong media panel, after being unanimously elected last week. No. 3 Baylor had four first-place votes and No. 4 Duke took 11. Auburn rounded out the top five.
Gonzaga, Arizona, Auburn, Purdue, Kansas and Kentucky all lost on Saturday, marking the first time in the AP poll era (1948-49) that the top six teams lost on the same day. Number 9 Texas Tech also lost, setting a new record for most top-10 teams to lose in one day.
“It’s kind of a life in late February and early March, especially on the road,” said Gonzaga coach Mark Few after Zags lost 67-57 to No. 19 Saint Mary’s to conclude their regular season.
Baylor was the biggest beneficiary of Saturday’s win, moving up seven places after beating Kansas 80-70. The Jayhawks dropped one spot to number 6 with the loss.
Auburn lost three places from last week after losing to No. 13 Tennessee. Number 7 Kentucky dropped one spot after losing to number 14 Arkansas and Purdue dropped four spots to number 8 with his loss to the state of Michigan.
Do you have all that?
In all, every but four team shuffled in this week’s poll; only Gonzaga, Arizona, No. 14 Houston and No. 16 Southern California held up.
No teams dropped out or went to the polls, but things get very interesting with conference tournaments just around the corner.
FIGHTING BEARS
Baylor, the reigning league champions, looked like a good bet to return to the Final Four at the start of the season after opening 15-0 while holding the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 for five weeks.
Then it got a little shaky.
The Bears lost their first consecutive home games since 2015-16, after which injuries began to pile up, including a horrific leg injury to striker Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua.
After falling in the poll, Baylor may find his way. The Bears won a rematch over Oklahoma State in Stillwater and did the same against Kansas on Saturday, improving to 10-1 against top-10 teams over the past two seasons.
“I know our team looked a little different at the beginning of the year than it is now, but don’t count these guys,” said Baylor coach Scott Drew. “They hold on.”
RISE FALL
Baylor’s jump was the week’s biggest with seven places. Tennessee, Arkansas and Saint Mary’s all climbed four places.
no. 17 UCLA and No. 20 Illinois had the biggest drops (five spots). The Bruins lost to Oregon before beating Oregon State last week and the Illini lost to No. 23 Ohio State before beating Michigan.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Big Ten and Southeast Conferences led the way again this week, each with five ranked teams. The Big 12 had four ranked teams, with the Pac-12 and Big East getting three each. The West Coast Conference had two ranked teams for the second week in a row, with the Atlantic Coast, American Athletic and Ohio Valley Conferences having one each.
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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
