Buffs drop to No. 21 in AP poll
This time, the Colorado basketball team is trying to improve its seeding in the NCAA Tournament rather than simply qualifying for the Big Dance.
And the Buffs took a small step back Monday in The Associated Press men’s poll, thanks to getting upset at home by UCLA on Saturday.
The Buffs dropped from 18th last week to 21st in the latest poll and have three regular-season games remaining — all on the road.
CU travels to California on Thursday night (7 p.m., Pac-12 Networks) before playing at Stanford on Sunday and concluding the regular season March 7 at Utah.
The Pac-12 Tournament follows March 11-14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, Kansas is back on top of the college basketball world after knocking off Baylor in a matchup of Big 12 heavyweights, while the Bears dropped to No. 2 after their nip-andtuck loss in Waco.
The Jayhawks (24-3, 13-1 Big 12) received 62 of 64 first-place votes from the national media panel to take over the No. 1 ranking for the second time this season. Kansas was atop the poll for one week in December, when it seemed as if just about every school that ascended to No. 1 promptly lost in a topsy-turvy start to the season.
“We’re a silent team that can make a run late in March,” Jayhawks guard Devon Dotson said after the 64-61 victory Saturday. “We’re not going to get complacent from this one. We’re going to build off of it.”
Baylor (24-2, 13-1) received two firstplace votes and fell to second after its 23-game winning streak came to an end. Gonzaga was No. 3 after a loss to BYU, and Dayton leapfrogged San Diego State for No. 4 after the Aztecs lost for the first time in a week when every team in the top 10 found itself in a new position from last week.
The most notable change, of course, came at the top.
“Baylor is the best team that we’ve played against since I’ve been in the league the last 17 years,” said Jayhawks coach Bill Self, whose team begins its four-game finishing stretch against Oklahoma State on Monday night. “You could look at Oklahoma State in ’04 and you could look at (Texas) Tech in ’19, but I think Baylor has played better than both those teams at the same stage. … I certainly feel strongly about that.”
Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team spent five weeks at No. 1, was equally effusive in his praise for the Jayhawks.
“Kansas has really progressed since the last time we faced them,” he said. “We had a heck of a run. I never thought I’d see anyone do what we did. The Big 12 is so tough. Six straight years we’ve been the number one conference for a reason.”
Baylor wasn’t the only team to take its lumps during an upset-filled weekend.
The Cougars continued their climb to No. 17 after they knocked off Gonzaga on Saturday night, while UNLV ended the Aztecs’ perfect start with a 66-63 victory.