Gonzaga, Baylor and Iowa remain 1-2-3 in AP Top 25 poll

Dec. 14, 2020 Updated Mon., Dec. 14, 2020 at 9:31 p.m.

Gonzaga head coach Mark Few gives out instructions during a timeout against San Francisco on Feb. 20. (By Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)

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

The top of the latest AP and USA Today men’s college basketball polls are virtually a mirror image of last week’s rankings.

No. 1 Gonzaga, which hasn’t played since Dec. 2, and No. 2 Baylor, limited to one game last week before pausing basketball activities due to COVID-19 issues, remain entrenched at the top.

Gonzaga (3-0) received 54 first-place votes and 1,541 points from the AP media panel. The Zags canceled home games against Tarleton State, Southern, Northern Arizona and Tuesday night’s matchup versus Idaho in response to COVID-19 concerns.

Baylor (4-0) routed Stephen F. Austin 83-52 on Wednesday before postponing Sunday’s Big 12 opener against Texas and a Tuesday date with Tarleton State. The Bears had seven first-place votes and 1,491 points, 50 behind Gonzaga. The Zags had a 48-point edge last Monday.

In the USA Today poll, top-ranked Gonzaga bumped its edge from 14 points to 18 over Baylor. The Zags had 24 first-place votes and 790 points. Baylor received six first-place votes, and No. 3 Iowa earned the other two in the coaches poll. The top six stayed the same, with Iowa followed by Michigan State, Kansas and Villanova.

There was no movement in the AP top five. No. 3 Iowa, which snagged one first-place vote, was followed by Michigan State and Kansas. Houston, Villanova, West Virginia, Creighton and Tennessee rounded out the top 10.

Gonzaga’s next scheduled game is against Iowa (6-0) on Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, followed by its home opener against Northwestern State next Monday. Baylor’s only game this week is a Saturday contest at Kansas State. Iowa’s lone game is against Gonzaga.

The Gonzaga-Baylor showdown Dec. 5 in Indianapolis was called off after one GU player and one staff member tested positive.

No. 8 West Virginia (6-1), which lost to Gonzaga 87-82 on Dec. 2 in Indianapolis, climbed three spots following wins over North Texas and then-No. 19 Richmond. The Spiders dropped out of the Top 25.

Illinois, which defeated Duke and lost to Missouri, tumbled from sixth to 13th. Duke plummeted 11 spots to No. 21.