Gonzaga, Kansas state cases for No. 1 ranking after impressive holiday-week wins

Gonzaga or Kansas? Which team will be ranked No. 1 come Monday?

It should be an interesting vote from 65 media members in the AP poll and 32 Division I coaches in the USA Today rankings.

Third-ranked Gonzaga did its part with an 89-87 victory over No. 1 Duke on Wednesday in the Maui Invitational championship. That alone could be enough to propel the Zags (6-0) into the top spot.

No. 2 Kansas (5-0) stated its case Friday with an 87-81 overtime win against No. 5 Tennessee in the NIT Season Tip-Off finals at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Jayhawks beat Marquette 77-68 in an NIT opener. Marquette received votes in last week’s AP poll.

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas, who worked the Zags’ and Jayhawks’ latest wins, said near the end of the KU-Tennessee game that he expects Kansas will move up to No. 1.

Kansas received seven AP first-place votes and 1,510 points last week. Gonzaga had zero first-place votes and 1,437 points. Duke claimed all 32 first-place votes in the coaches’ poll. The Jayhawks had a 39-point edge over the Zags.

Kansas, the preseason No. 1 in both polls, dropped to second when Duke demolished then-No. 2 Kentucky 118-84 in the season-opening Champions Classic, shortly after the Jayhawks’ 92-87 win over No. 10 Michigan State.