Men's college basketball rankings: Gonzaga moves up in the NET after win at San Diego
The Gonzaga Bulldogs gained some much-needed momentum after knocking off Pepperdine and San Diego in blowout fashion last week.
While still unranked in the AP Top 25 poll, the Bulldogs (13-5, 4-1 WCC) ascended to No. 30 in the NET Rankings, an evaluation tool used heavily by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee when determining the 68-team field. Gonzaga was ranked 46th before defeating the Waves, 86-61, and the Toreros, 105-63, on the road. The win at Pepperdine (235th) counted as a Quad 3 win while the San Diego (258th) game was a Quad 4 win.
Saint Mary's is the highest-ranked WCC team in the NET at 22nd. The Gaels (14-6, 5-0 WCC) remained undefeated in league play with a resounding Quad 1 win at San Francisco on Saturday. The Gaels are 3-4 in Quad 1 games after the 77-60 win on the road, led by Aidan Mahaney's 22 points.
The Bulldogs, Gaels and Dons all received votes in the AP Top 25 poll.
The top two teams in the top 25 remained the same with UConn and Purdue, as the Huskies received 44 of 61 first-place votes. The other 17 went to the Boilermakers.
Kansas dropped four spots to No. 7 following its 91-85 loss at West Virginia on Saturday, while North Carolina took the Jayhawks' place at No. 3. Houston and Tennessee rounded out the top five after sweeping two games each last week.
The Tar Heels, who started the preseason poll at No. 19, have won eight straight and all seven of their ACC games to take a two-game lead in the league standings over North Carolina State. North Carolina took down Louisville 86-70 and beat Boston College 76-66 on Saturday leading up to its matchup Monday with Wake Forest.
Auburn joined the top 10 at No. 8 amid its eight-game win streak. The Tigers routed then-No. 22 Ole Miss, 82-59, on Saturday to claim the top spot in the SEC standings. No. 6 Kentucky is one game back in the league standings, as the Wildcats moved up two spots with wins over Mississippi State and Georgia last week.
John Calipari's 7-foot-2 Croatian freshman Zvonimir Ivisic stole the show in the 105-96 win over the Bulldogs with 13 points and five rebounds in just 16 minutes off the bench. Ivisic, better known as "Big Z," was cleared by the NCAA to play hours before tip-off after waiting 17 games to receive his eligibility status.
Elsewhere, Memphis fell nine spots to No. 19 after losing to South Florida and Tulane. Baylor dropped to No. 15 after a pair of defeats to Kansas State and Texas, while No. 12 Duke tumbled five positions following an 80-76 loss at home to Pittsburgh.
No. 25 New Mexico joined the poll for the first time this season after beating No. 18 Utah State and Air Force.
Here is the complete AP Top 25 poll:
1. UConn (17-2, 7-1 Big East)
2. Purdue (17-2, 6-1 Big Ten)
3. North Carolina (15-3, 7-0 ACC)
4. Houston (16-2, 3-2 Big 12)
5. Tennessee (14-4, 4-1 SEC)
6. Kentucky (14-3, 4-1 SEC)
7. Kansas (15-3, 3-2 Big 12)
8. Auburn (16-2, 5-0 SEC)
9. Arizona (14-4, 5-2 Pac-12)
10. Illinois (14-4, 5-2 Big Ten)
11. Oklahoma (15-3, 3-2 Big 12)
12. Duke (13-4, 4-2 ACC)
13. Wisconsin (14-4, 6-1 Big Ten)
14. Marquette (13-5, 4-3 Big 12)
15. Baylor (14-4, 3-2 Big 12)
16. Dayton (15-2, 5-0 A-10)
17. Creighton (14-5, 5-3 Big 12)
18. Utah State (17-2, 5-1 MWC)
19. Memphis (15-4, 4-2 AAC)
20. Texas Tech (15-3, 4-1 Big 12)
21. BYU (14-4, 2-3 Big 12)
22. Florida Atlantic (15-4, 5-1 AAC)
23. Iowa State (14-4, 3-2 Big 12)
24. Colorado State (15-3, 3-2 MWC)
25. New Mexico (16-3, 4-2 MWC)
