College basketball rankings: Why 32-1 Gonzaga is No. 3 in Top 25 (and 1)
After winning the WCC title on Tuesday, the NCAA Tournament is next for the Zags
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
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Nothing is guaranteed, obviously. But Gonzaga will be 32-1 with five top-25 RPI wins on Selection Sunday. And I’ll be shocked if that’s not good enough for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Yes, I love UCLA.
And Oregon and Arizona too.
But Gonzaga has earned what Gonzaga has earned. Right now, the Zags have two more top-25 RPI wins than every Pac-12 school. That’s among the reasons why they’re third in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one) — ahead of UCLA, Oregon and Arizona with four days left until Selection Sunday.
The complete Top 25 (and one) is below.
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The Jayhawks won the Big 12 by four games. They'll take an eight-game winning streak into the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 11-4 |
| 2 |  | The Wildcats have won nine of their past 10 games. The won their fourth straight Big East championship. | -- | 12-3 |
| 3 |  | The Zags will be 32-1 with five top-25 RPI wins on Selection Sunday. That'll likely be enough for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. | -- | 16-1 |
| 4 |  | The Tar Heels are the outright ACC champions for the second straight year. They have five wins over schools also ranked in the Top 25 (and one). | -- | 13-2 |
| 5 |  | The Bruins will take a nine-game winning streak into the Pac-12 Tournament. Their resume features road victories at Arizona and Kentucky. | -- | 10-5 |
| 6 |  | The Ducks have won six straight games since losing at UCLA. They're 4-2 against top-50 RPI teams. | -- | 8-7 |
| 7 |  | The Wildcats have only lost twice with Allonzo Trier in the lineup. They're 4-4 against top-50 RPI teams. | -- | 15-0 |
| 8 |  | The Wildcats closed the regular season on an eight-game winning streak. UK has won five of the past eight SEC titles. | -- | 9-6 |
| 9 |  | The Bears have never won more games in the regular season than they won this season. Their 25-6 record features nine top-50 RPI wins and just two sub-30 losses. | -- | 10-4 |
| 10 |  | The Cardinals finished tied for second in the ACC. Their resume features seven top-50 RPI wins and zero sub-40 losses. | -- | 11-4 |
| 11 |  | The Blue Devils finished the regular season with 10 top-50 RPI wins. They're 20-5 with Mike Krzyzewski on the sideline. | -- | 14-1 |
| 12 |  | The Seminoles' resume features 10 top-50 RPI wins and only four sub-25 losses.They finished tied for second in the ACC standings. | -- | 7-8 |
| 13 |  | The Mountaineers closed the regular season by winning four of their final five games. They will be the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 10-5 |
| 14 |  | Caleb Swanigan's 25th double-double helped Purdue win at Northwestern on Sunday and secure the Big Ten title by two games. The Boilermakers have eight top-60 RPI wins. | -- | 14-1 |
| 15 |  | The Bulldogs have 10 top-50 RPI wins but seven losses to schools unranked in the Top 25 (and one). That gives them the nation's most inconsistent resume. | -- | 10-6 |
| 16 |  | The Irish have won six of their past seven games. They finished tied for second in the ACC standings. | -- | 10-5 |
| 17 |  | The Mustangs will take a 13-game winning streak into the AAC Tournament. They're the outright AAC champions for the second time in the past three years. | -- | 12-3 |
| 18 |  | The Gaels have wins over the MWC champ (Nevada) and the A-10 champ (Dayton). Three of their four losses are to Gonzaga. | -- | 15-2 |
| 19 |  | The Gators dropped two of their final three regular-season games. They still finished alone in second of the SEC standings. | -- | 10-5 |
| 20 |  | The Bearcats finished the regular season with five top-50 RPI wins and just one sub-45 loss. They finished alone in second in the AAC standings. | -- | 8-7 |
| 21 |  | The Cavaliers closed the regular season with three straight wins. They have six top-50 RPI victories and zero sub-80 losses. | -- | 13-2 |
| 22 |  | The Cyclones closed the regular season by winning six of their final seven games. Their resume features five top-40 RPI wins and just three sub-50 losses. | -- | 15-0 |
| 23 |  | The Cowboys closed the regular season by winning 10 of their final 13 games. Nine of their 11 losses are to teams also ranked in the Top 25 (and one). | -- | 13-2 |
| 24 |  | The Shockers beat Illinois State 71-51 in the MVC Tournament title game. They'll take a 15-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament. | -- | 9-7 |
| 25 |  | The Badgers snapped their three-game losing streak Sunday with a 66-49 win over Minnesota. Their resume features six top-60 RPI wins and zero sub-80 losses. | -- | 10-5 |
| 26 |  | The Terrapins' resume features five top-50 RPI wins and zero sub-100 losses. They finished 12-6 in the Big Ten. | -- | 7-8 |
