We are now more than 40% through the regular season and, remarkably, the teams that were No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 in the CBS Sports Preseason Top 25 And 1 are also No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
Their combined record is 31-1.
That means two of them haven't lost. And those two — No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 Baylor — have noticeably separated from the pack. The Zags' adjusted efficiency margin is currently +31.89, according to KenPom. The Bears' is +31.85. The next highest is +27.31, which shows that while there's no real difference between Gonzaga and Baylor in terms of quality, nobody else belongs in the same conversation with them. They are clearly the nation's two best teams. It's impossible to make an intelligent counterargument.
Will either lose before Selection Sunday?
Almost certainly, yes.
But it likely won't be Gonzaga, if only because the Zags play in the West Coast Conference, where anything close to comparable competition just does not exist. The highest-rated team left on Gonzaga's schedule, according to the NET, is BYU — and Gonzaga just beat BYU by 17 points last week. Furthermore, KenPom projects the Zags to be at least 12-point favorites in every remaining game and is now suggesting that it's more likely than not that they enter the WCC Tournament undefeated. Obviously, Baylor's path through the Big 12 is more challenging thanks to road games at Kansas, Texas, West Virginia and Texas Tech. But, for what it's worth, KenPom also projects Baylor to be favored in every remaining game.
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.
Monday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga's perfect record is highlighted by wins over Iowa, Kansas, West Virginia and Virginia. The Zags are the first team to score at least 85 points in each of their first 12 games since Loyola Marymount in the 1990-91 season. | -- | 31-6 |
| 2 |  | Baylor has won every game it has played by double-digits. The Bears' perfect record is highlighted by a 13-point neutral-court victory over Illinois. | -- | 23-11 |
| 3 |  | Villanova's resume features wins over Texas, Marquette and Arizona State. The Wildcats have not played since Dec. 23 because of COVID-19 issues inside the program. | -- | 17-17 |
| 4 |  | Texas owns victories over Kansas, West Virginia, Indiana and North Carolina. The Longhorns will take a six-game winning streak into Wednesday's game with Texas Tech. | -- | 29-9 |
| 5 |  | Kansas' resume features wins over Creighton, Texas Tech and West Virginia. The Jayhawks' only losses are to Gonzaga and Texas. | -- | 28-8 |
| 6 |  | Creighton's resume features four wins over teams ranked in the top 80 of the NET. The Bluejays will take a six-game winning streak into Saturday's game at Butler. | -- | 24-13 |
| 7 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 28 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 82-57 victory over Minnesota. The Wolverines' perfect record also includes victories over Northwestern, Maryland and Penn State. | 1 | 18-16 |
| 8 |  | Iowa's resume features wins over seven top-100 KenPom teams - among them Minnesota, Rutgers and North Carolina. The Hawkeyes will take a four-game winning streak into Thursday's game with Michigan State. | 1 | 19-14 |
| 9 |  | Tennessee's resume features four wins over teams ranked in the top 80 of the NET. The Vols will take a two-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at South Carolina. | 1 | 25-11 |
| 10 |  | Six of West Virginia's nine wins have come against top-100 KenPom teams. All four of the Mountaineers' losses are considered Quadrant 1 losses. | 1 | 19-15 |
| 11 |  | Houston's resume features wins over Texas Tech, SMU and South Carolina. The Cougars will take a three-game winning streak into Thursday's game at South Florida. | 1 | 33-4 |
| 12 |  | Texas Tech is 4-1 with three double-digit wins since losing to Kansas. The Red Raiders will take a two-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at Texas. | 1 | 16-16 |
| 13 |  | D'Mitrik Trice finished with 21 points and seven assists in Thursday's 80-73 double-overtime victory over Indiana. The Badgers' resume also includes wins over Minnesota, Louisville and Michigan State. | 1 | 20-15 |
| 14 |  | Maryland snapped Illinois' four-game winning streak on Sunday. The Illini still own six wins over top-100 KenPom teams - among them victories over Duke, Minnesota, Indiana and Purdue. | 7 | 20-13 |
| 15 |  | Minnesota's resume includes victories over Iowa, Ohio State and Saint Louis. All four of the Golden Gophers' losses are to teams ranked in the top 10 at KenPom. | -- | 9-22 |
| 16 |  | Duke has won three consecutive games since losing to Illinois. The Blue Devils will have a chance to get their first Quadrant 1 win Tuesday at Virginia Tech. | -- | 27-9 |
| 17 |  | Ohio State's resume is highlighted by wins over Rutgers and UCLA. All three of the Buckeyes' losses are considered Quadrant 1 losses. | -- | 16-19 |
| 18 |  | David Johnson finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 73-71 victory over Virginia Tech. The Cardinals' lone loss is a shorthanded loss at Wisconsin. | -- | 4-28 |
| 19 |  | Saint Louis' resume features wins over NC State and LSU. The Billikens have not played since Dec. 23 because of COVID-19 issues inside the program. | -- | 21-12 |
| 20 |  | Nick Honor made five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points in Tuesday's 74-70 overtime victory over NC State. The Tigers have seven victories over teams ranked in the top 100 at KenPom. | -- | 23-11 |
| 21 |  | Oregon improved to 4-1 in the Pac-12 via Saturday's 79-73 victory at Utah. The Ducks' resume also includes wins over Stanford and Seton Hall. | -- | 21-15 |
| 22 |  | UConn's resume features wins over USC, Marquette and Butler. The Huskies' lone loss is an overtime loss to Creighton. | -- | 31-8 |
| 23 |  | UCLA's resume features wins over Colorado, Arizona and Marquette. The Bruins will take a four-game winning streak into Thursday's game with Washington State. | -- | 31-6 |
| 24 |  | Rutgers has gone from 6-0 to 7-4 by losing four of its past five games, three of them by double-digits. The Scarlet Knights are 4-4 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities with zero losses outside of the first two quadrants. | -- | 19-15 |
| 25 |  | Colorado's resume features wins over Oregon and USC. All three of the Buffaloes' losses are considered Quadrant-1 defeats. | -- | 18-17 |
| 26 |  | USC improved to 3-1 in the Pac-12 via Saturday's 73-64 victory at Arizona State. The Trojans' only losses are to Connecticut and Colorado. | -- | 22-11 |
