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Gonzaga Basketball

Duke back on top, Gonzaga second in AP college basketball poll

By Jim Meehan jimm@spokesman.com(509) 459-5585

Duke and Gonzaga, Gonzaga and Duke. The two teams can’t seem to get away from each other in the polls or when they tangled on the basketball court in November.

For now, it’s Duke and Gonzaga as the Blue Devils took over the top spot in the AP poll followed by the Zags, who won the head-to-head meeting 89-87 in the Maui Invitational championship.

Duke collected 58 first-place votes with Gonzaga snagging the other six from the media panel. The last time the Zags received a first-place vote was nine weeks ago. The Zags (25-2) trail the Blue Devils by 92 points and lead No. 3 Virginia by 26.

Former No. 1 Tennessee dropped to fifth after losing to Kentucky, which moved from fifth to fourth.

There was a change at the top of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, too. Duke moved past Gonzaga into the top spot. The Zags are second, followed by Virginia, Houston and Kentucky.

This article will be updated.