College basketball rankings: Gonzaga narrowly edges Auburn to reclaim No. 1 spot in new AP Top 25 poll

Mon, Jan 17, 2022
NCAAB News (AP)

Gonzaga narrowly edged Auburn for the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 on Monday, leaving the Tigers just shy of reaching the top spot for the first time in program history. Auburn received more first-place votes (36) than Gonzaga (25), but the Zags claimed No. 1 with a 1,486-1,482 edge in total points.

The Zags crushed BYU 110-84 and Santa Clara 115-83 last week to improve to 14-2 (3-0 WCC). Gonzaga was No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 and remained there for the first three polls until its loss to Duke in late November.

At 16-1 (5-0 SEC), Auburn had a compelling case to be No. 1. The Tigers are on a 13-game winning streak and notched road wins over Alabama and Ole Miss last week. The Tigers were No. 4 but had a chance to climb all the way to the top following an 0-2 week for previous No. 1 Baylor and a loss for previous No. 3 UCLA.

Despite coming up just short, Auburn will have an opportunity to make its case for No. 1 this week. Auburn hosts lowly Georgia on Wednesday but will face No. 12 Kentucky in an SEC showdown Saturday on AP. The Wildcats rose six spots in this week's poll after beating Vanderbilt on Tuesday and crushing Tennessee 107-79 at home.

The Tigers have been No. 2 on multiple occasions before, the last time coming in the 1999-00 season under Cliff Ellis. But No. 4 was the highest they had ever risen under Pearl until Monday. With a deep roster headlined by potential No. 1 overall pick Jabari Smith and North Carolina transfer center Walker Kessler, the Tigers have one of the nation's best front courts in the nation and the best defensive squad of Pearl's eight-year tenure.

AP Top 25

1. Gonzaga (25)
2. Auburn (36)
3. Arizona
4. Purdue
5. Baylor
6. Duke
7. Kansas
8. Wisconsin
9. UCLA
10. Houston
11. Villanova
12. Kentucky
13. LSU
14. Michigan State
15. Iowa State
16. USC
17. Illinois
18. Texas Tech
19. Ohio State
20. Xavier
21. Providence
22. Loyola Chicago
23. Texas
24. Tennessee
25. UConn

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