SPOKANE, Wash. — Auburn has climbed past Gonzaga and into the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll for the first time ever.
The Tigers beat Kentucky over the weekend for their 15th consecutive win. They are the nation’s top-ranked team for the first time since the poll began with the 1948-49 season.
The Bulldogs dropped to No. 2. Arizona remained third and earned the other No. 1 vote. Baylor is fourth and Kansas is fifth. Marquette and Davidson joined the rankings while Texas and Loyola Chicago dropped out.
Gonzaga's drop in the rankings comes despite the team beating the University of San Francisco last week at home. Early in the first half of that game, it seemed The Zags may be on upset watch, but thanks to a strong second half, the team won and remained unbeaten in conference play.
Freshman Chet Holmgren had a signature game with a career-high 22 points while shooting 7-for-10 from the field with a pair of three-pointers. Holmgren also tallied 9 rebounds and 4 blocks.
Gonzaga is 15-2 on the season and has won its last 8 games. The team's two losses this season came against Duke in Las Vegas in November and Alabama in Seattle back in December.
Gonzaga has never dropped below the top 5 in the poll this season.
Here is how Gonzaga has ranked each week in the AP Top 25 Men's College Basketball Poll:
- Week 1: No. 1 (1,562 points)
- Week 2: No. 1 (1,517 points)
- Week 3: No. 1 (1,515 points)
- Week 4: No. 3 (1,428 points)
- Week 5: No. 5 (1,240 points)
- Week 6: No. 5 (1,291 points)
- Week 7: No. 4 (1,313 points)
- Week 8: No. 4 (1,335 points)
- Week 9: No. 4 (1,336 points)
- Week 10: No. 2 (1,440 points)
- Week 11: No. 1 (1,486 points)
- Week 12: No. 2 (1,475 points)
Up next, the Zags host Loyola Marymount on Thursday, Jan. 27. Gonzaga then hosts Portland on Saturday, Jan 29.
