Two more dominant wins, combined with Auburn's overtime loss at Arkansas last Tuesday, was enough to push Gonzaga to No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll when it updated Monday.
The Zags will likely stay No. 1 the rest of the season.
They have, once again, clearly established themselves as the favorite to win the national championship by doing enough in the non-league portion of their schedule before completely overwhelming the West Coast Conference. Gonzaga beat Texas by 12 points and UCLA by 20 points in November, beat Texas Tech by 14 points in December — and the Zags have spent January and February destroying everybody in their path. They're 21-2 overall and 10-0 in the West Coast Conference. They've won every league game by at least 16 points, including Saturday night's 74-58 victory over Saint Mary's. They'll take a 31-game winning streak in WCC games into Wednesday's trip to Pepperdine. Their adjusted efficiency margin of +34.66 is nearly five full points better than anybody else's, according to KenPom.com.
After the game at Pepperdine, the Zags will play a home game against Santa Clara, a road game at San Francisco, and a road game at Saint Mary's to close the regular season. They'll be favored by double-digits in the first two and about an 8-point favorite at SMC, based on current KenPom projections. So winning out is a likely scenario, as is the Zags securing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight NCAA Tournament. And, remember, it would be four straight No. 1 seeds for Gonzaga if the 2020 NCAA Tournament would not have been canceled because of a global pandemic. The Zags were on a path to also be a No. 1 seed that year alongside Kansas, Baylor and Dayton.
Gonzaga remains No. 1 in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The Zags are on a 14-game winning streak.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga has won 14 straight games by double-digits and all 10 West Coast Conference games by at least 16 points. The Zags' next game is Wednesday at Pepperdine. | -- | 31-6 |
| 2 |  | Auburn is 13-2 in the first two quadrants and in possession of an SEC-best 11-1 record in league games. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday vs. Vanderbilt. | -- | 21-13 |
| 3 |  | Kentucky is 9-4 in the first two quadrants with all four losses coming in Quadrant 1 games away from home. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday at Tennessee. | -- | 22-12 |
| 4 |  | Arizona is 11-2 in the first two quadrants with the losses coming at Tennessee and at UCLA. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday against Oregon State. | -- | 28-7 |
| 5 |  | Kansas is 13-4 in the first two quadrants with three of the four losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Jayhawks' next game is Monday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 28-8 |
| 6 |  | Baylor is 13-4 in the first two quadrants with wins over Villanova and Michigan State. The Bears' next game is Wednesday at Texas Tech. | -- | 23-11 |
| 7 |  | Providence is 10-2 in the first two quadrants with wins over Texas Tech and Wisconsin and losses to Virginia and Marquette. The Friars' next game is Tuesday against Villanova. | -- | 21-12 |
| 8 |  | Purdue is 11-4 in the first two quadrants with three of the four losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Boilermakers' next game is Wednesday at Northwestern. | -- | 29-6 |
| 9 |  | Duke is 8-3 in the first two quadrants with an additional loss to Virginia falling in Quadrant 3. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Wake Forest. | -- | 27-9 |
| 10 |  | Texas Tech is 10-6 in the first two quadrants with wins over Kansas, Baylor, Texas and Tennessee. The Red Raiders' next game is Wednesday against Baylor. | -- | 16-16 |
| 11 |  | Illinois' 10-6 record in the first two quadrants includes two losses in which All-American Kofi Cockburn did not play. The Illini's next game is Wednesday at Rutgers. | -- | 20-13 |
| 12 |  | Villanova is 10-6 in the first two quadrants with all six losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday at Providence. | -- | 17-17 |
| 13 |  | Wisconsin is 11-4 in the first two quadrants with an additional loss to Rutgers falling in Quadrant 3. The Badgers' next game is Saturday against Rutgers. | -- | 20-15 |
| 14 |  | Michigan State is 10-6 in the first two quadrants but just 3-4 in its past seven games. The Spartans' next game is Saturday against Indiana. | -- | 21-13 |
| 15 |  | UCLA is 8-5 in the first two quadrants but just 1-3 in its past four games. The Bruins' next game is Thursday against Washington State. | -- | 31-6 |
| 16 |  | Houston is 6-4 in the first two quadrants with three of the four losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Cougars' next game is Thursday against UCF. | -- | 33-4 |
| 17 |  | Texas is 9-7 in the first two quadrants with wins over Kansas, Tennessee and Iowa State. The Longhorns' next game is Tuesday at Oklahoma. | -- | 29-9 |
| 18 |  | Tennessee is 9-6 in the first two quadrants with wins over Arizona, LSU and North Carolina. The Vols' next game is Tuesday against Kentucky. | -- | 25-11 |
| 19 |  | Wyoming is 8-3 in the first two quadrants and 12-1 in its past 13 games. The Cowboys' next game is Tuesday at New Mexico. | -- | 9-22 |
| 20 |  | Ohio State is 7-6 in the first two quadrants with five of the six losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Buckeyes' next game is Tuesday against Minnesota. | -- | 16-19 |
| 21 |  | USC is 8-3 in the first two quadrants with an additional loss to Stanford falling in Quadrant 3. The Trojans' next game is Thursday against Washington. | -- | 22-11 |
| 22 |  | Marquette is 9-9 in the first two quadrants with seven victories coming in Quadrant 1. The Golden Eagles' next game is Wednesday against Georgetown. | -- | 29-7 |
| 23 |  | Alabama is 11-7 in the first two quadrants with two additional losses to Georgia and Missouri falling in Quadrant 3. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday against Mississippi State. | -- | 31-6 |
| 24 |  | Saint Mary's is 6-6 in the first two quadrants with five of the six losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Gaels' next game is Thursday against San Francisco. | -- | 27-8 |
| 25 |  | Murray State is 4-1 in the first two quadrants with an additional loss to East Tennessee State falling in Quadrant 3. The Racers' next game is Wednesday against Austin Peay. | -- | 17-15 |
| 26 |  | Arkansas is 8-4 in the first two quadrants with two additional losses to Hofstra and Vanderbilt falling in Quadrant 3. The Razorbacks' next game is Tuesday at Missouri. | -- | 22-14 |
