Baylor keeps hold of No. 1 spot in Paste BN men's basketball poll
The top four teams held serve in men’s college basketball this week, but the rest of the top 10 in the new Paste BN Sports coaches poll looks a lot different after some unexpected results.
Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas and San Diego State got through the week unscathed and retained those coveted first four slots that correspond to No. 1 regional seeds on most bracket projections. The Bears received 21 of 32 first-place votes this week with the other 11 going to the second-ranked Bulldogs.
The changes begin at No. 5, previously occupied by Louisville. But the Cardinals tumbled to No. 11 after dropping road games to unranked Georgia Tech and Clemson in the ACC.
Dayton moves up to claim the fifth spot after keeping its Atlantic-10 record clean, including a big mid-week win against second-place Rhode Island. It marks the first top-five appearance for the Flyers since Paste BN began administering the coaches poll in the 1991-92 season.
TOP 25: Complete Paste BN men's basketball coaches poll
Duke also moves up a notch to No. 6 and appears to be rounding into postseason form. Maryland, now alone atop the Big Ten, vaults to No. 7 after its late rally at Michigan State. Florida State rebounded from a loss to Duke with a win against Syracuse and stays put at No. 8. Penn State climbs to No. 9, the first top-10 ranking for the Nittany Lions since 1996. Kentucky rounds out the top 10 as Seton Hall slides four places to No. 14.
There was also movement at the bottom part of the poll. Arizona returns at No. 21, and No. 24 Ohio State is also back in having apparently shaken off its midseason swoon. Illinois and Texas Tech fall out as Michigan State once again hangs on at No. 25.