Gonzaga had a positive COVID-19 test in its program last week. Baylor's coach tested positive for COVID-19 last week. So there was no guarantee both teams would be healthy enough to play each other this weekend — and, even if they were, who knew if they would still be undefeated and ranked No. 1 and No. 2?
Such is basketball in 2020.
But Gonzaga spent Wednesday beating West Virginia 87-82. And Baylor spent Wednesday beating Illinois 82-69. So the Zags and Bears are both healthy and undefeated. And as long as there's no outbreak in the next 48 hours, the schools ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings — not to mention the Associated Press Top 25 poll, and KenPom — will play each other Saturday at 1 p.m. ET in Indianapolis on CBS.
It should be great.
Gonzaga had more problems Wednesday than Baylor had — in part because Jalen Suggs went down in the first half with what was described as a left ankle injury. Given the way he was moving, and the expressions on his face, and the fact that he left the court and went to the locker room, the five-star freshman seemed unlikely to return. But, somewhat surprisingly, he did return in the second half and finished with four points, five assists and six rebounds while helping the Zags win after outscoring West Virginia 53-43 in the final 20 minutes.
"Him coming back in the game was big for us," said Andrew Nembhard, a transfer from Florida who had 19 points, six assists and five rebounds in 35 minutes. "He played football [in high school] so you know he's tough. And we're pretty versatile so we could do some different things in the second [half] to help him out. It worked out well for us."
The most notable surprise of Wednesday's schedule was Oregon losing 83-75 to Missouri. As a result of that result, the Ducks were removed from the Top 25 And 1 and replaced by Michigan, which is 3-0 after Wednesday's 84-65 victory over Ball State.
Itching for more college hoops analysis? Listen below and subscribe to the Eye on College Basketball podcast where we take you beyond the hardwood with insider information and instant reactions.
Thursday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Corey Kispert finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 87-82 victory over West Virginia. Andrew Nembhard added 19 points and six assists off the bench. | -- | 27-8 |
| 2 |  | Adam Flagler got 18 points off the bench in Wednesday's 82-69 victory over Illinois. Davion Mitchell added 15 points, seven assists and four rebounds. | -- | 24-11 |
| 3 |  | Luka Garza finished with 41 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 103-76 victory over Southern. The CBS Sports Preseason National Player of the Year was 14-of-15 from the field, 3-of-3 from 3-point range, and 10-of-12 from the free throw line. | -- | 19-15 |
| 4 |  | Jalen Wilson finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 65-62 victory over Kentucky. The Jayhawks' lone loss is a neutral-court loss to top-ranked Gonzaga. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 5 |  | Aaron Henry finished with 14 points, five assists and five rebounds in Tuesday's 75-69 victory at Duke. Rocket Watts added 20 points and three rebounds. | 1 | 20-15 |
| 6 |  | Christian Bishop finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 94-67 victory over Omaha. Marcus Zegarowski added 11 points and 11 assists. | 1 | 25-10 |
| 7 |  | Micah Potter finished with 14 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 82-42 victory over Green Bay. Tyler Wahl added 11 points and 15 rebounds off the bench. | 1 | 22-14 |
| 8 |  | The Illini allowed Baylor to shoot 45.5% from the field in Wednesday's 82-69 loss in Indianapolis. Illinois gave up 51 points in the second half. | 4 | 29-9 |
| 9 |  | Wendell Moore missed all nine of his field-goal attempts in Tuesday's 75-69 loss to Michigan State. The Blue Devils shot just 32.3% from the field. | -- | 27-9 |
| 10 |  | The start of the Vols' season has been delayed because of COVID-19 issues. Tennessee is now scheduled to open Wednesday against UT Martin. | -- | 27-9 |
| 11 |  | Tyrece Radford finished with 21 points on 12 shots in Sunday's 76-58 victory over South Florida. The Hokies' 3-0 record features a win over Villanova. | -- | 19-15 |
| 12 |  | Justin Moore finished with 15 points and five assists in Tuesday's 87-53 victory over Hartford. Eric Dixon added 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. | -- | 18-16 |
| 13 |  | Miles McBride missed 10 of the 14 shots he attempted in Wednesday's 87-82 loss to Gonzaga. The Mountaineers opened the season with three wins over top-80 KenPom teams. | -- | 9-23 |
| 14 |  | Jay Huff finished with 13 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 76-51 victory over St. Francis (Pa.). Sam Hauser added 11 points and six rebounds. | -- | 23-11 |
| 15 |  | Marcus Sasser finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Sunday's 64-53 victory over Texas Tech. The Cougars' 3-0 record features three double-digit wins. | -- | 32-5 |
| 16 |  | Matt Coleman hit the game-winning jumper at the buzzer and finished with 22 points in Wednesday's 69-67 victory over North Carolina. Greg Brown added 10 points and six rebounds. | 3 | 21-13 |
| 17 |  | The Red Raiders missed 14 of the 18 3-pointers they attempted in Sunday's 64-53 loss to Houston. Mac McClung was 0-of-6 from beyond the arc. | -- | 23-11 |
| 18 |  | E.J. Liddell finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 77-44 victory over Morehead State. Kyle Young added 10 points and nine rebounds. | -- | 22-14 |
| 19 |  | The Tar Heels were just 1-of-9 from 3-point range in Wednesday's 69-67 loss to Texas. Caleb Love finished with four turnovers and zero assists. | 3 | 29-8 |
| 20 |  | Nathan Cayo finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 76-64 victory at Kentucky. The Spiders won despite shooting just 28.0% from 3-point range. | -- | 23-10 |
| 21 |  | The Wildcats missed 18 of the 21 3-pointers they attempted in Tuesday's 65-62 loss to Kansas. Kentucky's starters were 0-of-11 from beyond the arc. | -- | 23-10 |
| 22 |  | Ron Harper Jr. finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in Sunday's 70-56 victory over Hofstra. Jacob Young added 17 points and three rebounds. | 1 | 15-17 |
| 23 |  | Josh Christopher made eight of the 11 shots he attempted and finished with 17 points in Sunday's 100-77 victory over Houston Baptist. Marcus Bagley added 21 points, five rebounds and three assists. | 1 | 14-18 |
| 24 |  | M.J. Walker finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 86-58 victory over North Florida. Balsa Koprivica added 13 points and five rebounds. | 1 | 17-16 |
| 25 |  | Dre Davis finished with 21 points and two assists in Tuesday's 75-54 victory over Western Kentucky. The Cardinals' 4-0 record also features a win over Seton Hall. | 1 | 8-24 |
| 26 |  | Isaiah Livers finished with 21 points and three rebounds in Wednesday's 84-65 victory over Ball State. Hunter Dickinson added 12 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. | NR | 8-24 |
