LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – The top-ranked and 18-zip Gonzaga Bulldogs may face their toughest remaining regular-season contest in Provo, UT Monday night.
Coach Mark Few’s club faces the second-place team from the West Coast Conference in the host BYU Cougars, who take 15-4 overall and 6-2 conference records into an 8 p.m. contest scheduled to be televised by ESPN.
The teams played in Spokane on Jan. 7, with the Bulldogs prevailing by a 17-point margin with national Player of the Year candidate Corey Kispert leading the way with 23 points.
No. 2 and also unbeaten Baylor polished off Texas in Austin on Feb. 2 in one of its signature performances of the seasons.
But COVID-19 issues have resulted the postponement of five consecutive Bears’ games, beginning with the Feb. 6 game scheduled at home vs. TCU and running thru a Feb. 18 with West Virginia in Waco.
Coach Scott Drew’s team was scheduled to play Gonzaga in Indianapolis on Dec. 5 but that contest was called off, too, because of COVID-related issues.
The game isn’t likely to be re-scheduled but could the teams could end up playing eventually during the NCAA Tournament (each game of which will be played in Indy).
Top 25 (records as of Feb. 7)
- Gonzaga 18-0
Key wins: Kansas, West Virginia, Iowa and BYU.
- Baylor 17-0
Key wins: Illinois, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas Tech, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Auburn and Texas.
- Michigan 13-1
Key wins: Maryland (2), Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Purdue.
Loss: Minnesota.
- Villanova 12-2
Key wins: Arizona State, Texas, Marquette, Seton Hall (2), Providence and Georgetown.
Loss: Virginia Tech and St. John’s.
- Missouri 11-3
Key wins: Oregon, Wichita State, Liberty, Illinois, Arkansas, Texas A&M, TCU, Kentucky and Alabama.
Losses: Tennessee, Mississippi State and Auburn.
- Ohio State 15-4
Key wins: Notre Dame, UCLA, Rutgers (2), Northwestern, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State and Iowa.
Losses: Purdue (2), Northwestern and Minnesota.
- Oklahoma 12-5
Key wins: TCU (2), West Virginia, Kansas, Texas and Alabama.
Losses: Xavier, Texas Tech (2), Baylor and Kansas.
- Houston 16-2
Key wins: Boise State, Texas Tech, Wichita State, Tulsa and SMU.
Loss: Tulsa and East Carolina.
- Illinois 13-5
Key wins: Duke, Minnesota, Indiana (2), Purdue, Northwestern, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Losses: Baylor, Missouri, Rutgers, Maryland and Ohio State.
- Alabama 15-5
Key wins: Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, Kentucky (2), Arkansas, LSU (2) and Mississippi State.
Losses: Stanford, Clemson, Western Kentucky, Oklahoma and Missouri.
- Tennessee 13-4
Key wins: Colorado, Cincinnati, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Kentucky.
Losses: Alabama, Florida, Missouri and Mississippi.
- Texas 11-5
Key wins: Indiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Kansas and West Virginia.
Loss: Villanova, Texas Tech, Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
- Iowa 13-6
Key wins: North Carolina, Purdue, Northwestern (2), Rutgers, Maryland and Minnesota.
Losses: Gonzaga, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio State.
- Oklahoma State 12-5
Key wins: Marquette, Wichita State, Texas Tech, Kansas, Arkansas and Texas.
Losses: TCU (2), Texas, West Virginia and Baylor.
- Florida State 10-3
Key wins: Indiana, Florida, Georgia Tech, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Louisville, Clemson and Miami.
Losses: University of Central Florida, Clemson and Georgia Tech.
- Louisville 11-4
Key wins: Western Kentucky, Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Duke and Georgia Tech.
Loss: Wisconsin, Miami, Florida State and Clemson.
- Virginia Tech 14-4
Key wins: Villanova, Clemson, Miami (2), Notre Dame (2), Duke and Virginia.
Losses: Penn State, Louisville, Syracuse and Pittsburgh.
- West Virginia 13-5
Key wins: VCU, Western Kentucky, Georgetown, Richmond, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Kansas.
Losses: Gonzaga, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Florida.
- Virginia 13-3
Key wins: Notre Dame (2), Clemson, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, North Carolina State and Pittsburgh.
Losses: San Francisco, Gonzaga and Virginia Tech.
- Purdue 13-7
Key wins: Liberty, Ohio State (2), Notre Dame, Maryland, Michigan State, Indiana, Minnesota Northwestern.
Losses: Clemson, Miami-Fla., Iowa, Rutgers, Illinois, Michigan and Maryland.
- Texas Tech 14-5
Key wins: Oklahoma (2), Texas and LSU.
Losses: Houston, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Baylor and West Virginia.
- Florida 10-5
Key wins: LSU, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Losses: Florida State, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi State and South Carolina.
- Wisconsin 14-6
Key wins: Louisville, Michigan State, Minnesota, Indiana, Rutgers, Northwestern, Maryland and Penn State.
Losses: Marquette, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.
- Kansas 12-7
Key wins: Kentucky, Creighton, Texas Tech, West Virginia, Oklahoma and TCU (2).
Losses: Gonzaga, West Virginia (2), Oklahoma State, Butler, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
- Rutgers 11-6
Key wins: Maryland, Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern and Minnesota.
Losses: Ohio State (2), Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Penn State.
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