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Gonzaga Basketball

Gonzaga strengthens hold on No. 1 entering big week against No. 11 West Virginia, No. 2 Baylor

Gonzaga coach Mark Few makes a call during the second half of a WCC Tournament semifinal game last March in Las Vegas.  (By Tyler Tjomsland  / The Spokesman-Review)

There was a shakeup in the top 10 of the AP college basketball rankings, but not at the top as Gonzaga and Baylor remain on track for Saturday’s showdown.

No. 1 Gonzaga padded its one-point lead over the second-ranked Bears in the preseason poll to 56 points in the first regular-season rankings released Monday. Gonzaga earned 57 first-place votes compared to 28 in the preseason poll. Baylor’s first-place votes dropped from 24 to six.

Both teams face serious challenges to stay unbeaten before Saturday’s contest at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Gonzaga (2-0) is scheduled to meet No. 11 West Virginia (3-0) on Wednesday in the Jimmy V Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, followed by Baylor (2-0) facing No. 5 Illinois (3-0) in the second game.

The Zags cruised past Kansas, which slipped one spot to No. 7, and Auburn last week. Baylor pounded Louisiana-Lafayette 112-82 and Washington 86-52.

Iowa, which faces Gonzaga on Dec. 19 in South Dakota, moved up two spots to No. 3.

Kansas was one of four top 10 teams to fall in the first week of the season. Preseason No. 3 Villanova (2-1) slipped to No. 12 after losing to Virginia Tech 81-73. San Francisco upset Virginia 61-60, dropping the Cavaliers from No. 4 to No. 15.

Kentucky lost at home to Richmond and dropped from 10th to 20th.

BYU (3-0), which faces USC on Tuesday, received one point.