Baylor Leapfrogs Duke and Kansas in Latest AP Top 25 Poll Shakeup
By Scott Rogust
With March Madness just two months away, the fight for the top seed in the nation continues, with a few unexpected contenders weighing in.
In the latest edition of the AP 25 Poll, the Gonzaga Bulldogs retained the No. 1 ranking in the nation. However, there was a big surprise in the form of the Baylor Bears, who leaped over the Duke Blue Devils and Kansas Jayhawks for the second spot.
POLL ALERT: Baylor leapfrogs Duke, Kansas for No. 2 spot in men's AP Top 25 on strong road wins; Gonzaga still No. 1.
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) January 13, 2020
See the full poll: https://t.co/xXlGQKLkGZ
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The Bulldogs continued their torrid domination, as they blew out San Diego and LMU this past Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Gonzaga's record sits at 18-1 on the season.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2019-20 campaign are the Baylor Bears, who notched two huge road wins this past week. First, Baylor defeated No. 22 Texas Tech by the score of 57-52. Then, the Bears handled No. 3 Kansas 67-55 this past Saturday, also away from home. Hence, the deserved rise in the rankings, and the plummet for the Jayhawks.
AP Top 25:
— CollegeBB News (@CollegeBBNCAA) January 13, 2020
1 Gonzaga
2 Baylor
3 Duke
4 Auburn
5 Butler
6 Kansas
7 SDSU
8 Oregon
9 Florida St
10 Kentucky
11 Louisville
12 West V
13 Dayton
14 NOVA
15 Michigan St
16 Wichita St
17 Maryland
18 Seton H
19 MICH
20 Colorado
21 Ohio St
22 Memphis
23 Texas Tech
24 Illinois
25 Creighton
Rounding out the top five are Duke, the Auburn Tigers, and the Butler Bulldogs, respectively.
Due to their loss to Baylor, the Jayhawks now drop to No. 6, and look to bounce back in favorable matches against the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns this week.