1. Gonzaga (24-1, 12-0 WCC). Last week: 1
Gonzaga warded off a pair of upset bids during its Bay Area road trip, defeating Santa Clara and San Francisco. The Bulldogs return home this week to face Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.
2. Northern Iowa (22-2, 11-1 MVC). Last week: 2
Northern Iowa took care of business against Indiana State and Drake to stay tied atop the MVC standings with Wichita State.
3. Wichita State (21-3, 12-1 MVC). Last week: 3
Wichita State nearly blew a big lead and lost at Bradley, but the Shockers responded by annihilating Missouri State on Saturday. Fred VanVleet recorded a triple-double (10 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) as the Shockers won 78-35.
4. Stephen F. Austin (19-3, 9-0 Southland). Last week: 4
Stephen F. Austin continued its domination of the Southland with a 95-59 win against Houston Baptist. The Lumberjacks begin a three-game road trip Monday at Northwestern State.
5. Murray State (21-4, 11-0 OVC). Last week: 5
After winning at Austin Peay on Saturday, Murray State now leads to OVC by 3.5 games. On Thursday, the Racers host a SIU-Edwardsville squad that played them close in Illinois a few games ago.
6. Old Dominion (18-4, 7-3 C-USA). Last week: 8
Old Dominion has won three games in a row since dropping back-to-back matchups in late January. The Monarchs have a big game coming up this weekend at UTEP.
7. Green Bay (19-5, 8-2 Horizon). Last week: 9
Green Bay knocked off Wright State and Milwaukee last week to stick within a half-game of first place in the Horizon League. After traveling to play last-place Youngstown State on Wednesday, the Phoenix are on the road again Friday, facing first-place Valparaiso.
8. Wofford (20-5, 11-1 SoCon). Last week: 10
Wofford outlasted East Tennessee State and VMI last week to take a two-game lead in the SoCon title race. The Terriers just about take Chattanooga out of that race with a win against the Mocs on Thursday.
9. Saint Mary’s (18-5, 10-2 WCC). Last week: 6
Saint Mary’s bounced back from a loss to a pesky Pepperdine team with a win against Pacific on Saturday.
10. Valparaiso (22-4, 9-2 Horizon). Last week: 11
Valparaiso defeated Detroit and Oakland last week and is now in a two-way tie atop the Horizon League standings with Cleveland State.
11. Louisiana Tech (18-6, 9-2 C-USA). Last week: 7
Louisiana Tech was blown out by UAB but rebounded with a win at Middle Tennessee. The Bulldogs are in line for two wins this week with sub-.500 Florida Atlantic and Florida International visiting Ruston
12. Harvard (15-5, 5-1 Ivy). Last week: 13
Harvard reestablished itself as the team to beat in the Ivy League with a 52-50 win at Yale. The Crimson now have the pleasure of playing the next four conference games at home.
13. Eastern Washington (18-5, 9-1 Big Sky). Last week: 14
Eastern Washington swept its Montana road trip to stay within a half-game of Sacramento State in the Big Sky. The Eagles host the Hornets on Thursday with first place on the line.
14. UTEP (16-7, 8-3 C-USA). Last week: 17
UTEP has won four games in a row and is now within one game of first place in Conference USA. The Miners begin a three-game home stand Thursday against Charlotte.
15. BYU (18-8, 8-5 WCC). Last week: 18
BYU blew past Loyola Marymount on Saturday as guard Kyle Collinsworth set the NCAA season record for triple-doubles. Collinsworth had 23 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his fifth triple-double of the year.
16. Yale (16-7, 5-1 Ivy). Last week: 16
Yale lost sole possession of first place in the Ivy League and is now tied with Harvard atop the standings after losing to the Crimson on Saturday.
17. Western Kentucky (16-7, 9-2 C-USA). Last week: 12
Western Kentucky was dealt its first bad loss of conference play Saturday. The Hilltoppers lost at home to a Rice team with a record well below .500.
18. Kent State (16-7, 7-3 MAC). Last week: 15
Kent State ended a two-game slide with a 61-60 win against Miami (Ohio). The Golden Flashes are one of four 7-3 teams leading the MAC standings, and they face two of the others, Akron and Toledo, this week on the road.
19. Iona (18-6, 11-2 MAAC). Last week: 19
Iona defended its home court last week with wins against Siena and Marist. The Gaels now face a brutal four-game road trip that includes three games in a six-day stretch this week.
20. UC Davis (18-4, 8-1 Big West). Last week: 22
UC Davis got a pair of road wins last week, knocking off UC Irvine and Cal State Northridge. The Aggies hold a one-game lead over UC Irvine and Long Beach State in the Big West title race.
21. Sam Houston State (18-5, 10-1 Southland). Last week: Unranked
Sam Houston State is on a four-game winning streak since losing to Stephen F. Austin.
22. South Dakota State (18-8, 9-3 Summit). Last week: 20
South Dakota State’s eight-game winning streak ended with a loss at IPFW, but the Jackrabbits bounced back with a 63-56 win at IUPUI. The Jackrabbits host North Dakota State on Saturday with first place in the Summit League on the line.
23. Central Michigan (16-5, 6-4 MAC). Last week: 21
Central Michigan played a pair of tight games last week, winning one but losing the other. The Chippewas lost in overtime to Bowling Green but then beat Western Michigan 70-65.
24. Illinois State (15-9, 7-5 MVC). Last week: 23
Illinois State’s three-game winning streak ended Saturday with a bad loss at Southern Illinois. With games against Northern Iowa and Wichita State coming up this week, the Redbirds could be headed for a three-game losing streak now.
25. Cleveland State (15-10, 9-2 Horizon). Last week: Unranked
Cleveland State is tied with Valparaiso as the Horizon League leader.
