College basketball rankings: No. 2 Baylor has been impressive and might not be far behind top-ranked Gonzaga
The Bears are 6-0 after a 99-42 rout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and are keeping pace with the No. 1 Zags so far
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
Gonzaga started the season ranked No. 1 in the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 — and the Zags have done nothing but lived up to expectations. They're 5-0 with wins over Iowa, Kansas and West Virginia. That's three victories over teams I have in the top seven.
Impressive stuff.
But Baylor has been awesome too.
The Bears beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 99-42 on Monday to improve to 6-0. They have scored more than 80 points in all six games, won all six games by at least 13 points, and won five of their six games by at least 30 points. Their adjusted efficiency margin is a national-best +30.44 thanks, in part, to this 57-point win in which they shot 52.1% from the field, 47.8% from 3-point range, and 82.4% from the free throw line. Baylor opened the game on a 19-2 run and cruised the rest of the way.
"I thought the upperclassmen made sure we were locked in and ready from the jump," said Baylor coach Scott Drew. "This is a team, they like to control tempo, and if you're not on point, then you're in for a long game. So us getting separation made them play faster, which obviously favored us."
Baylor remains No. 2 in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The Bears will not play again until next Tuesday when they host Central Arkansas. They will not meet another ranked opponent until they play West Virginia on Jan. 12 inside the Ferrell Center.
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Tuesday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Corey Kispert finished with 27 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 95-57 victory over Northwestern State. The Zags' perfect record also includes wins over Iowa, Kansas and West Virginia. | -- | 9-1 |
| 2 | | L.J. Cryer finished with 15 points off the bench in Monday's 99-42 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Bears have won five of their six games by at least 30 points. | -- | 6-2 |
| 3 |  | The Hawkeyes missed 18 of the 22 3-pointers they attempted in Saturday's 99-88 loss to Gonzaga. Iowa's next scheduled game is Tuesday against Purdue. | -- | 8-1 |
| 4 |  | Ochai Agbaji finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Thursday's 58-57 victory at Texas Tech. The Jayhawks' lone loss is a season-opening loss to top-ranked Gonzaga. | -- | 7-3 |
| 5 |  | Keon Johnson finished with 12 points and five assists in Monday's 102-66 victory over Saint Joseph's. The Vols' perfect record also includes wins over Colorado and Cincinnati. | -- | 7-3 |
| 6 |  | Jeremiah Robinson-Earl finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists in Saturday's 88-68 victory over Saint Joseph's. The Wildcats own wins over Texas and Arizona State with their lone loss coming in overtime to Virginia Tech. | -- | 7-2 |
| 7 |  | Derek Culver finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds in Friday's 70-65 victory over Iowa State. The Mountaineers' lone loss is a single-digit loss to top-ranked Gonzaga. | -- | 8-3 |
| 8 |  | Virginia's lone loss is a one-point loss to San Francisco. The Cavaliers have temporarily suspended basketball activities because of COVID-19 issues. | -- | 9-1 |
| 9 |  | Quentin Grimes finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday's 88-55 victory over Alcorn State. The Cougars' perfect record also includes a double-digit win over Texas Tech. | -- | 8-1 |
| 10 |  | Greg Brown finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds in Sunday's 77-74 victory over Oklahoma State. The Longhorns' lone loss is a single-digit loss to Villanova. | -- | 7-3 |
| 11 |  | The Red Raiders missed 17 of the 23 3-pointers they attempted in Thursday's 58-57 loss to Kansas. Texas Tech's two losses are to Kansas and Houston. | -- | 7-2 |
| 12 |  | Micah Potter finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 85-48 victory over Louisville. The Badgers' lone loss is a final-second loss at Marquette. | -- | 7-2 |
| 13 |  | Xavier Pinson finished with 17 points and five assists in Saturday's 81-78 victory over Illinois. Missouri's 5-0 record also includes a win over Oregon. | -- | 8-2 |
| 14 |  | Christian Bishop finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Sunday's 76-74 OT victory at UConn. The Bluejays' will take a two-game winning streak into Wednesday's game with Xavier. | -- | 5-4 |
| 15 |  | Ron Harper Jr. finished with 28 points and nine rebounds in Sunday's 91-88 victory over Illinois. The Scarlet Knights' perfect record also includes wins over Syracuse and Maryland. | -- | 5-5 |
| 16 |  | The Illini were outscored by 14 points at the free throw line in Sunday's 91-88 loss at Rutgers. Illinois' other two losses are to Baylor and Missouri. | -- | 8-2 |
| 17 |  | The Spartans missed 23 of the 31 3-pointers they attempted in Sunday's 79-65 loss at Northwestern. Michigan State's next scheduled game is against Wisconsin on Christmas. | -- | 8-1 |
| 18 |  | Matthew Hurt finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 75-65 victory at Notre Dame. The Blue Devils' two losses are both to teams ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 And 1. | -- | 10-0 |
| 19 |  | Armando Bacot finished with 14 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 75-63 victory over Kentucky. The Tar Heels' two losses are to Iowa and Texas. | -- | 8-1 |
| 20 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 62-58 victory over Penn State. The Wolverines' perfect record also features wins over Toledo and UCF. | -- | 9-0 |
| 21 |  | Duane Washington Jr. finished with 14 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 77-70 victory over UCLA. The Buckeyes' next scheduled game is Wednesday against Rutgers. | -- | 7-2 |
| 22 |  | Javonte Smart finished with 25 points, six rebounds and five assists in Monday's 88-66 victory over Sam Houston State. The Tigers' lone loss is a single-digit loss at Saint Louis. | -- | 8-1 |
| 23 |  | Chris Duarte finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 80-41 victory over Portland. Oregon's lone loss is a single-digit loss to Missouri. | -- | 4-5 |
| 24 |  | Justin Smith finished with 22 points and 16 rebounds in Sunday's 87-76 victory over Oral Roberts. All seven of the Razorbacks' wins have come by double-digits. | -- | 7-2 |
| 25 |  | Dallas Walton finished with 22 points in just 17 minutes in Sunday's 92-69 victory over Washington. The Buffaloes' lone loss is a single-digit loss to Tennessee. | -- | 8-1 |
| 26 |  | Adam Kunkel hit a game-winning 3-pointer and finished 22 points in Sunday's 91-88 victory over Marquette. The Musketeers' perfect record also includes wins over Oklahoma and Cincinnati. | -- | 7-3 |
