I have no problem with those voting Gonzaga No. 1; it's perfectly sensible. But it should be noted that Kansas started the season higher than the Zags and currently has a better resume than the Zags.
That's why I have KU above the Zags.
Kansas, which was No. 1 in the preseason AP poll, currently owns neutral-court wins over the teams ranked No. 9 (Michigan State), No. 13 (Tennessee) and No. 29 (Marquette) at KenPom whereas Gonzaga's second-best win is over the team ranked No. 31 (Creighton) -- and its third-best win is over the team ranked 47th (Arizona). Yes, I realize Gonzaga's win over Creighton came on the road. And that's super-impressive. But I still think the Jayhawks have the better resume. So if you're wondering why I have them No. 1 in Monday morning's updated Top 25 And 1, I just gave you the reason. And, no, I don't care that Kansas went to overtime this weekend with a Stanford team that's now 4-4 because I also didn't care two weeks ago when Gonzaga was in a single-digit game in the final 20 seconds with an Illinois team that's now 2-6.
Simply put, in basketball, those things sometimes happen.
For my purposes, wins are wins.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Kansas
| Dedric Lawson finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's OT win over Stanford. The Jayhawks own victories over Tennessee, Michigan State and Marquette. | -- | 23-11 |
2 |
Gonzaga
| Gonzaga's resume features three wins over top-50 KenPom teams. Mark Few's team is 8-0 for the second time in a three-year span. | -- | 27-8 |
3 |
Duke
| RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish and Zion Williamson combined for 66 points in Saturday's win over Stetson. The Blue Devils' lone loss is a two-point loss to Gonzaga on a neutral court. | -- | 27-9 |
4 |
Tennessee
| The Vols' lone loss is a neutral-court loss to Kansas in overtime. Grant Williams is averaging a team-high 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists for the reigning SEC champs. | -- | 27-9 |
5 |
Nevada
| Nevada's win at USC on Saturday provides the Wolf Pack with two double-digit road victories over top-75 KenPom teams. Caleb Martin is averaging a team-high 19.9 points and shooting 38.8 percent from 3-point range. | -- | 26-8 |
6 |
Virginia
| The Cavaliers are 7-0 for the third consecutive season. De'Andre Hunter is averaging a team-high 16.6 points and 6.1 rebounds. | -- | 23-11 |
7 |
Michigan
| The Wolverines made 13 of 26 3-point attempts in Saturday's blowout of Purdue. Jordan Poole took five, made five and finished with a game-high 21 points. | -- | 8-24 |
8 |
Kentucky
| The Wildcats trailed at the break Saturday before rallying to beat UNC Greensboro. Reid Travis finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds. | -- | 23-10 |
9 |
Auburn
| Anfernee McLemore and Bryce Brown combined for 38 points in Wednesday's win over Saint Peter's. The Tigers' lone loss is a single-digit loss to Duke. | -- | 27-8 |
10 |
Michigan St.
| Cassius Winston finished with 22 points and six assists in Friday's win over Rutgers. The Spartans are 1-0 in the Big Ten heading into Monday's game with Iowa. | -- | 20-15 |
11 |
N. Carolina
| The Tar Heels are 1-2 in their past three games. Two of their next three games are against Gonzaga and Kentucky. | -- | 29-8 |
12 |
Texas Tech
| The Red Raiders rallied Saturday to overcome a double-digit deficit and beat Memphis. Chris Beard is now 31-2 all-time at Texas Tech against sub-75 KenPom teams. | -- | 23-11 |
13 |
Florida St.
| The Seminoles own three wins over teams currently ranked in the top 50 at KenPom. They've done this without last season's leading scorer, Phil Cofer, who remains sidelined with a foot injury. | -- | 17-16 |
14 |
Va. Tech
| The Hokies shot 57.1 percent from the field in Saturday's win over Central Connecticut State. Ahmed Hill had a game-high 24 points. | -- | 19-15 |
15 |
Kansas St.
| The Wildcats missed 16 of 22 3-point attempts in Saturday's loss at Marquette. Their next three games are against sub-100 KenPom teams. | -- | 19-15 |
16 |
Maryland
| Bruno Fernando finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's win over Penn State. Maryland's lone loss is a single-digit loss to Virginia. | -- | 16-17 |
17 |
Wisconsin
| The Badgers' lone loss is a neutral-court loss by single digits to Virginia. Ethan Happ is averaging 17.4 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. | -- | 22-14 |
18 |
Ohio St.
| OSU shot 41.2 percent from 3-point range in Sunday's win over Minnesota. Kaleb Wesson scored 15 points and is now averaging 14.5 points and 6.1 rebounds. | -- | 22-14 |
19 |
Purdue
| The Boilermakers' three losses have all come to teams ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 And 1 - specifically Michigan, Florida State and Virginia Tech. Carsen Edwards is averaging 24.4 points. | -- | 34-5 |
20 |
Creighton
| The Bluejays led Gonzaga through 29 minutes Saturday before ultimately losing by double-digits. Creighton made 14 3-pointers in the loss. | -- | 25-10 |
21 |
Iowa
| The Hawkeyes missed 18 of 24 3-point attempts in Friday's loss to Wisconsin. Next up is Monday's game at Michigan State. | -- | 19-15 |
22 |
Nebraska
| The Huskers' lone loss is a neutral-court loss to Texas Tech. This week's games are against Minnesota and Creighton. | -- | 23-11 |
23 |
Arizona St.
| The Sun Devils have won 20 consecutive non-league games. They'll play Nevada on Friday at Staples Center in Los Angeles. | -- | 14-18 |
24 |
Miss. St.
| The Bulldogs overcame a double-digit deficit Friday to win at Dayton. Their lone loss is a neutral-court loss by single-digits to Arizona State. | -- | 21-14 |
25 |
Texas
| The Longhorns missed 22 of 27 3-point attempts in Friday's loss to Radford. Texas will take a two-game losing streak into Wednesday's game with VCU. | -- | 21-13 |
26 |
Buffalo
| Nick Perkins finished with 22 points and five rebounds off the bench in Saturday's win over San Francisco. The Bulls are 7-0 for the first time since the 1930-31 season. | -- | 4-27 |