NCAA BB

Duke falls out of AP Top 25; Gonzaga, Baylor remain 1-2

Jan 18, 2021, 12:07 PM

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski shouts during the first half of the team's NCAA college basketball game ...

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski shouts during the first half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Virginia Tech on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Blacksburg, Va. (Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP, Pool)

(Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP, Pool)

Gonzaga and Baylor maintained their grip on the top two spots in The Associated Press men’s basketball poll Monday.

If third-ranked Villanova ever plays a game, perhaps it will make a run a them.

The Bulldogs again racked up all but the two first-place votes that went to the Bears, while the Wildcats remained firmly behind the preseason top two despite not playing a game since Dec. 23. They had a pair of COVID-19 pauses broken up by a single day, including one involving coach Jay Wright, effectively sidelining them for a month.

“Everyone has dealt with this,” said Wright, whose team finally gets back on the court Tuesday night against Seton Hall. “It’s not just the days you are out. It’s getting the guys going after a pause.”

The same teams made up the top 5 this week, though Iowa and Texas swapped places. Luka Garza and the Hawkeyes moved into fourth after ripping Northwestern by 23 points on the road Sunday, while the Longhorns fell back a spot after their six-game winning streak was stopped by No. 12 Texas Tech in a narrow defeat earlier in the week.

“Obviously the loss on Wednesday was devastating and really, really disappointing for our team and staff,” said Texas coach Shaka Smart, whose bunch rebounded to beat Kansas State on the road Saturday. “We knew we had to turn the page. The guys were really mature with their approach on Thursday in practice and their film session Friday.”

Texas doesn’t play again until Saturday after its game against Iowa State was postponed.

Tennessee climbed from 10th to sixth and was followed by Michigan, which remained No. 7 after losing its first game of the season to No. 17 Minnesota. Houston climbed three spots to eighth, Kansas fell three spots to ninth and Wisconsin rounded out the top 10 after following up a lopsided loss to the Wolverines with a gritty win at Rutgers.

Creighton was No. 11, followed by the Red Raiders and Virginia, which rose five spots after its blowout win over No. 20 Clemson. West Virginia and Ohio State were next, with Virginia Tech climbing four spots to No. 16 on the heels of a win over Duke, which knocked the Blue Devils from the Top 25 for the first time since Feb. 8, 2016.

The Golden Gophers were followed by Auburn, one of this week’s poll newcomers, Missouri and Clemson. The last five in were Oregon, Illinois, Connecticut, UCLA and Saint Louis.

BYE, BYE BLUE DEVILS

Duke dropped to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the ACC after losing to the Hokies last week. Their streak of 91 consecutive weeks in the Top 25 was second only to Kansas, which extended its record to 229 weeks. Gonzaga is now No. 2 at 87 weeks.

“We’re still finding out about our team,” said coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose team nearly rallied from an 18-point deficit against Virginia Tech. “We had not played in an ACC game like that. … You don’t get better without experience.”

IN AND OUT

The Bruins were the other newcomer to this week’s poll after improving to 11-2 and 7-0 in the Pac-12 with consecutive wins over Washington State and Washington. Alabama and UCLA replaced Duke and Louisville, which was first among the other teams receiving votes after the Cardinals lost their first ACC game at Miami.

NCAA BB

Guard Caitlin Clark...

Associated Press

Caitlin Clark of Iowa becomes all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader, besting Pete Maravich

Caitlin Clark of Iowa has become the all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader, breaking the late Pete Maravich’s 54-year-old record.

15 days ago

Shane Burcar and Oakland Fort, NAU...

Damon Allred

Northern Arizona pulls away from VMI in second half for win

The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks won their second game in the inaugural Arizona Tip-Off at Diamond Desert Arena, 78-69 over the VMI Keydets.

4 months ago

The Miami Hurricanes hoist the trophy after defeating the Texas Longhorns 88-81 in the Elite Eight ...

Associated Press

Final Four matchups set with 3 newcomers after Miami, San Diego State wins Sunday

Florida Atlantic, San Diego State and Miami will be making their first appearances at college basketball's grand finale.

12 months ago

(Twitter Screenshot/@psuviksMBB)...

Arizona Sports

NAU men’s hoops loses on absurd game-winning shot at buzzer by Portland State

Northern Arizona men's basketball lost in heartbreaking fashion on Saturday afternoon to Portland State in Flagstaff.

1 year ago

NBA great Bill Russell gets introduced to the crowd during the NBA Europe Live Tour presented by EA...

Associated Press

NBA legend, 11-time champion Bill Russell dies at age 88

Bill Russell, an 11-time NBA Champion and the first Black head coach in North American professional sports history, died on Sunday.

2 years ago

Associated Press

Carolina crushes Saint Peter’s, will meet Duke in Final Four

The Tar Heels ended all hope of a March Madness miracle in the early going Sunday in a wire-to-wire runaway over 15th-seeded Saint Peter's.

2 years ago

Duke falls out of AP Top 25; Gonzaga, Baylor remain 1-2