Purdue topped the AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll for the third straight week Monday, while Gonzaga fell to No. 24 after losing to San Diego State but maintained its 142-week record.
Three extra first-place votes and 49 of 63 from the national media panel helped the Boilermakers beat Kansas, who garnered five. Houston finished third despite beating Penn and receiving nine first-place votes to maintain its perfect record.
After Arizona lost to Stanford on Sunday, UConn and Tennessee moved up one position to finish the top five.
After losing 84-74 to San Diego State, the Bulldogs dropped 11 positions from No. 13. Gonzaga has been ranked in every poll since Jan. 11, 2016, but coach Mark Few's team plummeted to 9-4 with no Quad 1 wins this season.
Few added, “These guys have some great fight and spirit and a lot of substance to them,” but “at this point, we should be pretty well along on some of the mental errors we’re making, and we’re just not quite.”
Few added, “These guys have some great fight and spirit and a lot of substance to them,” but “at this point, we should be pretty well along on some of the mental errors we’re making, and we’re just not quite.”
Before losing three of five, the Bulldogs were 11th in the preseason poll and seventh before falling
“We have to keep that fight,” Few added, “and we have to clean up some of these missed assignments.”