Gonzaga went from the No. 1 team in the country to a school no longer guaranteed to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in a span of 40 basketball minutes Tuesday night. That's what losing a game by 13 points that you were projected to win by 15 can do.
Final score: Saint Mary's 60, Gonzaga 47.
The Gaels are a bubble-shrinking bid-stealer.
"We were told to pull off a miracle by people who don't know us," said Saint Mary's center Jordan Hunter, who finished 12 points and 15 rebounds. "We didn't need a miracle. We knew we could beat them."
OK, Jordan Hunter. OK.
So now the Zags will be 30-3 on Selection Sunday with wins over Duke and Washington -- and losses to Tennessee, North Carolina and Saint Mary's. They're 4-3 in Quadrant 1 opportunities and 10-3 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities. Clearly, that's good -- especially considering they still only have one loss to a school currently ranked outside of the top six of the Top 25 And 1. But, undeniably, Gonzaga is now at risk of slipping to a No. 2 seed because it's in the clubhouse with maybe six or seven teams capable of passing them with great performances in their power-conference tournaments. Long story not so long, I still have Gonzaga as a No. 1 seed -- for now. But it's very possible the Zags' resume will be outdone by too many schools in the coming days. And if you're wondering why I dropped Gonzaga below North Carolina, here's why: UNC is 9-5 in Quadrant 1 opportunities; Gonzaga is 4-3. UNC is 16-5 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities; Gonzaga is 10-3. So the Tar Heels have a better winning percentage in both places -- plus a 103-90 victory over Gonzaga -- which is why Virginia is No. 1 in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings while UNC is No. 2 and Gonzaga is No. 3.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The Cavaliers are 16-2 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities with both losses coming to Duke. Virginia will take an eight-game winning streak into the ACC Tournament. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 2 |  | The Tar Heels are 16-5 in Quadrant1/Quadrant 2 opportunities with victories over Gonzaga and Duke (twice). North Carolina is 14-1 in its past 15 games heading into the ACC Tournament. | 1 | 29-8 |
| 3 |  | The Zags are 10-3 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Tuesday's loss to Saint Mary's in the title game of the WCC Tournament. Gonzaga is 21-1 in its past 22 games. | 2 | 27-8 |
| 4 |  | The Wildcats are 15-5 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Tuesday's win at Ole Miss. UK is a game back of UT and LSU in the loss column of the SEC standings with one regular-season game left. | -- | 23-10 |
| 5 |  | The Blue Devils are 14-5 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Saturday's loss at North Carolina. Duke is 3-3 since Zion Williamson suffered a knee injury. | -- | 27-9 |
| 6 |  | The Vols are 13-4 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Saturday's loss at Auburn. All four of UT's losses are to schools ranked in the Top 25 And 1. | -- | 27-9 |
| 7 |  | The Red Raiders are 16-5 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities with wins over Kansas and Kansas State. Texas Tech will take a nine-game winning streak into the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 23-11 |
| 8 |  | The Spartans are 16-6 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Saturday's win over Michigan. Michigan State is 7-1 in its past eight games heading into the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 20-15 |
| 9 |  | The Tigers are 16-5 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Saturday's win over Vanderbilt. LSU will take a five-game winning streak into the SEC Tournament. | -- | 17-16 |
| 10 |  | The Cougars are 14-2 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Sunday's win at Cincinnati. Houston is 14-1 in its past 15 games heading into the AAC Tournament. | -- | 32-5 |
| 11 |  | The Wolverines are 17-5 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Saturday's loss at Michigan State. Michigan is 6-4 in its past 10 games heading into the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 8-24 |
| 12 |  | The Seminoles are 12-6 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Saturday's win over Wake Forest. Florida State is 12-1 in its past 13 games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at North Carolina. | -- | 17-16 |
| 13 |  | The Boilermakers are 16-7 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Saturday's win at Northwestern. Purdue is 6-1 in its past seven games heading into the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 34-5 |
| 14 |  | The Wolf Pack are 8-2 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Tuesday's win at Air Force. Nevada needs to beat San Diego State on Saturday to share the MWC title with Utah State. | -- | 26-8 |
| 15 |  | The Hokies are 10-7 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Friday's win over Miami. Virginia Tech is 5-2 in its past seven games with the lone losses in that stretch coming to Virginia and FSU. | -- | 19-15 |
| 16 |  | The Wildcats are 13-7 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Saturday's win over Oklahoma. Kansas State will take a three-game winning streak into the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 19-15 |
| 17 |  | The Jayhawks are 16-8 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Saturday's win over Baylor. Kansas is 6-2 in its past eight games with the lone losses in that stretch coming to Texas Tech and Oklahoma. | -- | 23-11 |
| 18 |  | The Terrapins are 13-8 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities - with one additional Quadrant 3 loss coming to Illinois at Madison Square Garden - after Friday's win over Minnesota. Maryland is 5-3 in its past eight games with two of the losses in that stretch coming to Michigan. | -- | 16-17 |
| 19 |  | The Badgers are 14-9 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Sunday's win over Ohio State. Wisconsin is 11-3 in its past 14 games heading into the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 22-14 |
| 20 |  | The Bulls are 7-2 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities - with one additional Quadrant 3 loss coming at Northern Illinois - after Friday's win over Bowling Green. Buffalo will take a nine-game winning streak into the MAC Tournament. | -- | 4-27 |
| 21 |  | The Terriers are 9-4 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities with zero losses to sub-40 KenPom teams. Wofford finished 21-0 against Southern Conference opponents en route to winning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. | -- | 17-15 |
| 22 |  | The Bearcats are 10-5 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities -- with one additional loss coming in a Quadrant 4 game at East Carolina -- after Sunday's loss to Houston. Cincinnati is 13-3 in its past 16 games heading into the AAC Tournament. | -- | 22-15 |
| 23 |  | The Tigers are 13-9 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities with zero losses to sub-80 KenPom teams after Saturday's win over Tennessee. Auburn is 6-1 in its past seven games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Kentucky. | -- | 27-8 |
| 24 |  | The Bulldogs are 11-9 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities with zero losses to sub-75 KenPom teams. Mississippi State is 6-2 in its past eight games with the lone losses in that stretch coming at Tennessee and at Auburn. | -- | 21-14 |
| 25 |  | The Wildcats are 15-9 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Saturday's loss at Seton Hall. Villanova is 3-5 in its past eight games heading into the Big East Tournament. | -- | 18-16 |
| 26 |  | The Golden Eagles are 15-7 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities after Saturday's loss to Georgetown. Marquette will take a four-game losing streak into the Big East Tournament. | -- | 27-10 |
