Michigan finally broke Gonzaga and Baylor’s dominance at the top of the Associated Press men’s college basketball poll on Monday, taking advantage of the Bears’ defeat in Kansas to jump to second place behind the Bulldogs.
Gonzaga continued to lead the Top 25, as well as throughout the season, receiving 59 of the 63 votes of first place among members of the national media. But the Wolverines took the other four to move up to second place, while the Bears, whose unbeaten record was thwarted by the Jayhawks on Saturday night, fell to third place.
Illinois moved up to fourth place and Iowa gave the Big Ten three teams in the top five.
“We look at it as if there is room for improvement,” said Wolverines coach Juwan Howard, whose team has extended its winning streak to seven with an easy win over Indiana on Saturday. “Our guys have this kind of constructive mindset: ‘What can we do better?’ I don’t think there’s ever such a thing as a perfect game [but] one ball possession at a time, competing for 40 minutes, from start to finish, this is our mentality going to ball games. “
Now the question is whether Wolverines can take second place. They have a final showdown with the Illini on Tuesday night before ending the regular season with a series at home and at home against Michigan State.
“Without a doubt, they deserve whatever word you want to use – praise, praise. They deserve everything,” said Hoosiers coach Archie Miller. “They have a great spirit. This is something you would probably have to look at Michigan and just watch the way they vibrate and play, both sides of the track. They go after you, they play hard for one another, they have a big leap for them, so you can say that they’re very close together. That’s a big part of what they’re doing. “
West Virginia continued its steady climb, moving up four places to sixth after its third consecutive victory. Ohio State dropped three positions to seventh after its loss to the Hawkeyes. Alabama, Houston and Villanova complete the top 10.
The state of Florida was next, while Arkansas jumped eight places to 12th, after a winning streak to six, including wins over the then-no. 10 Missouri and the Crimson Tide. It is the highest rating for Razorbacks since February 16, 1998.
Also making a big move was No. 13 Kansas, fresh from its victory over the Bears; the Jayhawks won six out of seven after their record for 12 consecutive years in the Top 25 came to an end, with defeat coming to no. 14 Texas in overtime.
Creighton dropped one position to No. 14, followed by the Longhorns. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were next, followed by rival Big 12, Texas Tech, with San Diego State and Loyola Chicago completing the top 20.
Virginia came in 21st, followed by Virginia Tech, Purdue, Colorado and Wisconsin. Newcomers Boilermakers and sliding Badgers give the Big Ten six teams in the Top 25, one less than the top 12.
MORE ABOUT THE BEARS
Baylor has struggled since leaving a three-week break for COVID-19 problems, needing a frantic recovery to beat Iowa before crashing into Allen Fieldhouse. Bears coach Scott Drew was quick to congratulate the Jayhawks on their victory, but he also made it clear that his team is still trying to recover after a long break.
“Anyone who has had COVID would know, when you come back, you are not 100%,” said Drew. “People who haven’t practiced and haven’t been able to practice or work out, I would say it’s rust. And the last thing I would say, is a chemistry game.”
IN AND OUT
Oklahoma State went from the first team to 17th position with the strength of the 25 wins in the Top 25 over the Red Raiders and Sooners last week. Purdue entered position 23 after defeating Penn State for the third consecutive victory, and Colorado went from almost nothing on the radar to the 24th after consecutive victories over the then no. 19 USC and UCLA.
They replaced the Trojans, Tennessee and Missouri. The USC lost three of the last four, the Vols lost three of the last five and the Tigers, who were tenth in early February, lost four of the last five.
IN THE PASSAGE
BYU was the first team to come out of the poll after the Cougars’ fourth straight win solidified their place behind Gonzaga at the West Coast Conference. Florida appeared on seven ballots after not appearing on any last week, and St. Bonaventure reached eight ballots after the Bonnies beat Davidson in consecutive games and defeated George Washington.