Gonzaga has been the story of college basketball this season thanks to a 12-0 record featuring 11 double-digit wins -- among them convincing victories over Kansas and Iowa. I, like most others, believe the Zags are the nation's best team. They are the favorite to win the 2021 NCAA Tournament. But Baylor is the team that actually has the sport's best adjusted efficiency margin, according to KenPom.
So don't sleep on Scott Drew's Bears.
They improved to 11-0 with 11 double-digit wins Saturday via a 67-49 victory at TCU in which Jared Butler finished with 28 points, eight rebounds, five steals and four assists. The Bears haven't trailed by more than four points in any game this season. Seven of their wins have come by at least 29 points.
Baylor outscored TCU by 19 in the second half on Saturday.
"Second half, they just took it to us," said TCU coach Jamie Dixon. "They've got guys who have been through it and are playing well, with a lot of confidence."
Despite the incredible start to this season, Baylor, because of its schedule, still only possesses one Quadrant 1 victory -- specifically an 82-69 win over Illinois in early December. But that should change soon. The Bears' next four games -- against West Virginia and Kansas at home, against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State on the road -- are all currently listed as Quadrant 1 opportunities. So Baylor will either take its first loss of the season or greatly enhance its body of work over the next two weeks. And, obviously, it's possible for the Bears to do both.
Baylor remains No. 2 in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Gonzaga is No. 1 for the 47th consecutive day. The Zags' improved to 12-0 via Saturday's 116-88 victory at Portland. Their next scheduled game is Thursday against Pepperdine.
Itching for more college hoops analysis? Listen below and subscribe to the Eye on College Basketball podcast where we take you beyond the hardwood with insider information and instant reactions.
Sunday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga's perfect record is highlighted by wins over Iowa, Kansas, West Virginia and Virginia. The Zags are the first team to score at least 85 points in each of their first 12 games since Loyola Marymount in the 1990-91 season. | -- | 5-0 |
| 2 |  | Baylor has won every game it has played by double-digits. The Bears' perfect record is highlighted by a 13-point neutral-court victory over Illinois. | -- | 4-2 |
| 3 |  | Villanova's resume features wins over Texas, Marquette and Arizona State. The Wildcats have not played since Dec. 23 because of COVID-19 issues inside the program. | -- | 3-3 |
| 4 |  | Texas owns victories over Kansas, West Virginia, Indiana and North Carolina. The Longhorns will take a six-game winning streak into Wednesday's game with Texas Tech. | -- | 5-1 |
| 5 |  | Kansas' resume features wins over Creighton, Texas Tech and West Virginia. The Jayhawks' only losses are to Gonzaga and Texas. | -- | 5-0 |
| 6 |  | Creighton's resume features four wins over teams ranked in the top 80 of the NET. The Bluejays will take a six-game winning streak into Saturday's game at Butler. | -- | 4-1 |
| 7 |  | Kofi Cockburn finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds in Thursday's 81-56 victory over Northwestern. The Illini's resume also features wins over Duke, Minnesota and Indiana. | -- | 4-1 |
| 8 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 28 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 82-57 victory over Minnesota. The Wolverines' perfect record also includes victories over Northwestern, Maryland and Penn State. | -- | 4-1 |
| 9 |  | Luka Garza finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists in Thursday's 89-67 victory over Maryland. The Hawkeyes' resume also includes wins over Rutgers, Northwestern, North Carolina and Purdue. | -- | 5-1 |
| 10 |  | Tennessee's resume features four wins over teams ranked in the top 80 of the NET. The Vols will take a two-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at South Carolina. | -- | 6-0 |
| 11 |  | Six of West Virginia's nine wins have come against top-100 KenPom teams. All four of the Mountaineers' losses are considered Quadrant 1 losses. | -- | 3-1 |
| 12 |  | Houston's resume features wins over Texas Tech, SMU and South Carolina. The Cougars will take a three-game winning streak into Thursday's game at South Florida. | -- | 3-1 |
| 13 |  | Texas Tech is 4-1 with three double-digit wins since losing to Kansas. The Red Raiders will take a two-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at Texas. | -- | 5-1 |
| 14 |  | D'Mitrik Trice finished with 21 points and seven assists in Thursday's 80-73 double-overtime victory over Indiana. The Badgers' resume also includes wins over Minnesota, Louisville and Michigan State. | -- | 6-0 |
| 15 |  | The Golden Gophers missed 21 of the 28 3-pointers they attempted in Wednesday's 82-57 loss at Michigan. Minnesota's other two losses are to Illinois and Wisconsin. | -- | 4-1 |
| 16 |  | Duke has won three consecutive games since losing to Illinois. The Blue Devils will have a chance to get their first Quadrant 1 win Tuesday at Virginia Tech. | 1 | 4-1 |
| 17 |  | Ohio State's resume is highlighted by wins over Rutgers and UCLA. All three of the Buckeyes' losses are considered Quadrant 1 losses. | 1 | 4-1 |
| 18 |  | David Johnson finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 73-71 victory over Virginia Tech. The Cardinals' lone loss is a shorthanded loss at Wisconsin. | 1 | 3-1 |
| 19 |  | Saint Louis' resume features wins over NC State and LSU. The Billikens have not played since Dec. 23 because of COVID-19 issues inside the program. | 1 | 2-2 |
| 20 |  | Nick Honor made five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points in Tuesday's 74-70 overtime victory over NC State. The Tigers have seven victories over teams ranked in the top 100 at KenPom. | 1 | 4-1 |
| 21 |  | Oregon improved to 4-1 in the Pac-12 via Saturday's 79-73 victory at Utah. The Ducks' resume also includes wins over Stanford and Seton Hall. | 1 | 5-0 |
| 22 |  | UConn's resume features wins over USC, Marquette and Butler. The Huskies' lone loss is an overtime loss to Creighton. | 2 | 4-0 |
| 23 |  | UCLA's resume features wins over Colorado, Arizona and Marquette. The Bruins will take a four-game winning streak into Thursday's game with Washington State. | 2 | 5-1 |
| 24 |  | Rutgers has gone from 6-0 to 7-4 by losing four of its past five games, three of them by double-digits. The Scarlet Knights are 4-4 in Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 opportunities with zero losses outside of the first two quadrants. | 8 | 4-0 |
| 25 |  | Colorado's resume features wins over Oregon and USC. All three of the Buffaloes' losses are considered Quadrant-1 defeats. | 1 | 4-0 |
| 26 |  | USC improved to 3-1 in the Pac-12 via Saturday's 73-64 victory at Arizona State. The Trojans' only losses are to Connecticut and Colorado. | NR | 4-1 |
In: USC
Out: NC State
