On the strength of two quality wins in conference play this week, both Alabama and Ohio State jumped eight spots in the latest Coaches Poll released on Monday. The Crimson Tide rose from No. 24 to No. 16 after crushing Kentucky at Ruppa Arena then beating Arkansas at home in similarly dominant fashion. The Buckeyes went from unranked in the poll to No. 18 after beating Northwestern at home then claiming a signature win over Illinois.
Ohio State was one of three teams to join the poll this week after being unranked last week. Colorado and Florida State also cracked the poll, at No. 23 and No. 25, respectively. The Buffaloes extended their winning streak to four games after wins over Cal and Stanford this week, and FSU claimed wins over NC State and North Carolina in consecutive games to join the poll.
As for the top of the rankings, Gonzaga held steady at No. 1 once again, earning 28 of a possible 31 first-place votes, while Baylor garnered the remaining three first-place votes and stayed at No. 2. Villanova also stayed at No. 3, while Iowa leapt four spots to No. 4 and Texas fell to No. 5. Rounding out the top 10 this week is No. 6 Tennessee, No. 7 Michigan, No. 8 Houston, No. 9 Kansas and No. 10 Wisconsin.
Coaches Poll
The top 25 teams in the USA Today college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sunday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week's ranking:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | LW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonzaga | 14-0 | 772 | 1 |
| 2 | Baylor | 12-0 | 747 | 2 |
| 3 | Villanova | 8-1 | 708 | 3 |
| 4 | Iowa | 12-2 | 659 | 8 |
| 5 | Texas | 11-2 | 612 | 4 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 10-1 | 598 | 10 |
| 7 | Michigan | 11-1 | 587 | 5 |
| 8 | Houston | 11-1 | 550 | 11 |
| 9 | Kansas | 10-3 | 490 | 7 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 11-3 | 424 | 9 |
| 11 | Creighton | 10-3 | 372 | 6 |
| 12 | Virginia | 9-2 | 362 | 22 |
| 13 | Texas Tech | 11-4 | 327 | 15 |
| 14 | Virginia Tech | 11-2 | 274 | 20 |
| 15 | West Virginia | 9-4 | 272 | 14 |
| 16 | Alabama | 11-3 | 264 | 24 |
| 17 | Minnesota | 11-4 | 257 | 19 |
| 18 | Ohio State | 11-3 | 234 | NR |
| 19 | Missouri | 8-2 | 228 | 16 |
| 20 | UCLA | 11-2 | 210 | 21 |
| 21 | Oregon | 9-2 | 189 | 17 |
| 22 | Clemson | 9-2 | 154 | 12 |
| 23 | Colorado | 11-3 | 111 | NR |
| 24 | Illinois | 9-5 | 110 | 13 |
| 25 | Florida State | 7-2 | 85 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Louisville 84; Connecticut 82; Saint Louis 66; USC 58; Oklahoma State 53; Duke 36; Boise State 28; Drake 20; Xavier 16; LSU 14; Richmond 9; Michigan St 4; San Diego St. 3; Toledo 2; Belmont 2; Tulsa 1; Rutgers 1.
