Michigan, Michigan State remain outside of Top 25 in AP college basketball poll
Michigan has won three straight games and five of its last six, but the Wolverines remain outside of the Associated Press college basketball Top 25, released Monday.
The Wolverines (16-9, 7-7 Big Ten) have beaten Michigan State, Northwestern and Indiana on their current win streak but are still not back in the Top 25. They finished four points behind Michigan State, which is also unranked in this week's poll.
The Spartans (17-9, 9-6), who fell out of the Top 25 last week, beat Illinois and lost to Maryland last week. MSU has lost four of its last five.
Baylor and Kansas just keep winning, setting up a monumental showdown Saturday between the top-ranked Bears and No. 3 Jayhawks that could help decide not only the Big 12 title but the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament.
The two teams were separated once again by Gonzaga in the AP poll. The Bears (23-1) had 48 first-place votes from the 63-member media panel, while the Bulldogs (26-1) had 14 first-place nods and the Jayhawks (22-3) had the only remaining first-place vote.
“The best we could be right now is being the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. We’re No. 2,” said Kansas coach Bill Self, whose team beat West Virginia and Oklahoma last week. “The reason we’re not No. 1 is Baylor beat us on our home floor. They deserve it. I’m not looking at it like we haven’t done as well as our record because we’re in second place. I’m looking at it like we played pretty good that day and got beat by a better team, and now we have a chance to get them back.”
The Bears and Jayhawks both have business to handle before they collide on Saturday, though. Kansas got a visit from Iowa State to Allen Fieldhouse on Monday night while Baylor will be visiting Oklahoma on Tuesday night.
If both win, it would set up one of the biggest games in the history of the Ferrell Center.
“I think it’s a tribute to the players, their belief,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “We’ve been operating under joy … (and) focusing one game at a time and we’ll keep doing that.”
San Diego State (26-0) remained the nation’s last unbeaten team and was No. 4 in the latest poll, while Dayton (23-2) climbed one spot to fifth after wins over Rhode Island and Massachusetts and a rough week for then-No. 5 Louisville.
AP Top 25
1. Baylor, 23-1 record, 1559 points (last week: 1)
2. Gonzaga, 26-1, 1518 (2)
3. Kansas, 22-3, 1434 (3)
4. San Diego State, 26-0, 1404 (4)
5. Dayton, 23-2, 1294 (6)
6. Duke, 22-3, 1285 (7)
7. Maryland, 21-4, 1194 (9)
8. Florida State, 21-4, 1088 (8)
9. Penn State, 20-5, 1024 (13)
10. Kentucky, 20-5, 1011 (12)
11. Louisville, 21-5, 837 (5)
12. Villanova, 19-6, 824 (15)
13. Auburn, 22-3, 818 (11)
14. Oregon, 20-6, 742 (17)
15. Creighton, 20-6, 718 (23)
16. Seton Hall, 18-7, 672 (10)
17. West Virginia, 18-7, 552 (14)
18. Colorado, 20-6, 501 (16)
19. Marquette, 17-7, 404 (18)
20. Iowa, 18-8, 254 (21)
21. Butler, 19-7, 242 (19)
22. Houston, 20-6, 237 (20)
23. BYU, 21-7, 188 (NR)
24. Arizona, 18-7, 102 (NR)
25. Ohio State, 17-8, 95 (NR)
►First-place votes: Baylor 48, Gonzaga 14, Kansas 1.
►Others receiving votes: Texas Tech 92, Michigan State 87, Michigan 83, LSU 55, Rhode Island 39, Virginia 32, Cincinnati 14, Stephen F. Austin 14, Illinois 12, Northern Iowa 9, Utah State 8, Florida 6, Rutgers 6, ETSU 5, Saint Mary's (Calif.) 4, Richmond 3, Tulsa 3, New Mexico State 2, SMU 2, Arizona State 1, Wright State 1.