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USATSI

There's no longer a sensible debate to be had about Gonzaga entering Selection Sunday with an undefeated record. Whether it'll actually happen remains undetermined, of course. But if somebody asks if you believe the Zags will enter the NCAA Tournament with a zero in the loss column, the only intelligent answer, at this point, is "Yes."

But what about Baylor?

Folks have been a little slower to say out loud that the Bears could also enter Selection Sunday with an undefeated record, if only because the Big 12 presents way more serious challenges to Baylor than the West Coast Conference presents to Gonzaga. Conventional wisdom, and the law of probabilities, suggests the Bears will get caught somewhere, probably on the road at either Texas, West Virginia, Kansas or Oklahoma. But I'm not so sure anymore, and for two reasons:

  1. Baylor is significantly better than everybody else in the Big 12.
  2. Winning on the road isn't as challenging as it is in normal times.

Consider this: Kansas went 17-1 in the Big 12 last season with an adjusted efficiency margin of +30.23, which was 4.74 points better than anybody else in the Big 12. Right now, Baylor is 8-0 in the Big 12 with an adjusted efficiency margin of +34.60, which is 10.35 points better than anybody else in the Big 12. That's why the Bears are projected to be double-digit favorites in six of their final 10 regular-season games, and by at least five points in every remaining regular-season game. And, remember, winning on the road isn't nearly as difficult with limited fans as it otherwise would be. Texas has lost three times at home. Oklahoma and West Virginia have lost at home. Kansas has lost BY 25 POINTS AT HOME, and you'll never convince me that would've happened if 16,300 fans would've been Rock Chalk Chanting inside Allen Fieldhouse like they do in non-pandemic years.

So will Baylor finish the regular season undefeated? I don't know. Maybe. But after the Bears won again Wednesday night while destroying Kansas State 107-59, the computers are now showing it's more likely than most probably realize, and certainly far from impossible.

Baylor remains No. 2 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The Bears' next scheduled game is Saturday against Sharife Cooper and Auburn. No. 1 Gonzaga will try to improve to 16-0 when it faces San Diego Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.

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Thursday's Top 25 And 1 rankings

Biggest Movers
4 Clemson
2 Louisville
Rk
Teams
 
Chg
Rcrd
1 Gonzaga Gonzaga's perfect record includes double-digit victories over Iowa, Virginia and Kansas. The Zags have recorded a national-best six Quadrant 1 wins. -- 27-7
2 Baylor Baylor's perfect record is highlighted by victories over Kansas, Texas Tech and Illinois. The Bears have won 13 of their 15 games by double-digits. -- 24-11
3 Villanova Villanova is 2-0 with wins over Seton Hall and Providence since returning from a COVID-19 pause. The Wildcats will take an eight-game winning streak into Thursday's game at UConn. -- 18-16
4 Michigan Michigan is 8-1 in the first two quadrants with double-digit wins over Minnesota, Wisconsin and Purdue. The Wolverines' lone loss came at Minnesota. -- 8-24
5 Houston Houston is 6-1 in the first two quadrants with double-digit victories over Texas Tech and SMU. The Cougars will take a six-game winning streak into Thursday's game with Tulane. -- 32-4
6 Texas Texas was missing three of its top eight players, and coach Shaka Smart, in Tuesday's loss to Oklahoma because of COVID-19 issues. The Longhorns are 6-3 in the first two quadrants with all three losses coming in the first quadrant. -- 21-13
7 Iowa Iowa's five-game winning streak was snapped Thursday by Indiana. The loss dropped the Hawkeyes' record in the first two quadrants to 7-3. -- 19-15
8 West Virginia West Virginia added a third Quadrant 1 win Monday via a final-minute victory over Texas Tech. All four of the Mountaineers' losses have come in the first quadrant. -- 9-23
9 Alabama Alabama's 10-game winning streak is highlighted by double-digit wins over Florida, Arkansas, LSU and Kentucky. The Crimson Tide is alone atop the SEC standings with a three-game lead in the loss column. -- 24-11
10 Virginia Virginia's seven-game winning streak is highlighted by double-digit wins over Syracuse and Clemson. The Cavaliers are alone atop the ACC standings with a one-game lead in the loss column over Florida State. -- 23-11
11 Ohio St. Ohio State is 5-1 in its past six games with victories over Wisconsin and Illinois. The Buckeyes will take a two-game winning streak into Sunday's game with Michigan State. -- 22-14
12 Texas Tech Texas Tech's resume is highlighted by a road win at Texas. Three of the Red Raiders' five losses are to teams ahead of them in the Top 25 And 1. -- 23-11
13 Missouri Missouri's body of work is highlighted by five Quadrant 1 wins - among them victories over Illinois, Tennessee and Oregon. The only team with more Quadrant 1 wins is Gonzaga. -- 8-24
14 Wisconsin Wisconsin is 8-4 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Badgers' resume is highlighted by victories over Minnesota, Louisville, and Loyola Chicago. -- 22-14
15 Kansas Kansas fell to 6-5 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's loss at Oklahoma. The Jayhawks will take a three-game losing streak into Thursday's game with TCU. -- 23-11
16 Florida St. Florida State's five-game winning streak includes victories over Clemson, Louisville and North Carolina. The Seminoles are 2-1 in Quadrant 1 opportunities. -- 17-16
17 Illinois Illinois owns four Quadrant 1 victories -- among them wins over Minnesota and Purdue. Four of the Illini's five losses qualify as Quadrant 1 defeats. -- 29-8
18 Creighton Creighton's 3-1 record in Quadrant 1 opportunities is highlighted by wins over Seton Hall and UConn. The Bluejays will take a two-game winning streak into Saturday's game at DePaul. -- 25-9
19 Tennessee Tennessee has two Quadrant 1 victories -- specifically wins over Missouri and Colorado. All three of the Vols' losses have come inside the first quadrant. -- 26-8
20 Oklahoma Oklahoma's four-game winning streak includes victories over Texas and Kansas. All four of the Sooners' losses have come inside the first quadrant. -- 20-12
21 Minnesota Minnesota is 4-4 in Quadrant 1 opportunities (with one loss outside of the first quadrant) after Saturday's loss to Maryland. The Golden Gophers are 1-3 in their past four games. -- 19-15
22 UCLA UCLA's seven-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at Stanford. The Bruins remain atop the Pac-12 standings with an 8-1 league record. -- 16-17
23 Clemson Clemson is 6-4 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of the first quadrant. The Tigers' resume is highlighted by victories over Alabama, Florida State, Purdue and Louisville. NR 24-11
24 Purdue Purdue's body of work includes three Quadrant 1 wins - among them victories over Ohio State and Indiana. Five of the Boilermakers' six losses are inside the first quadrant. 1 31-4
25 Louisville Louisville's 5-3 record in the first two quadrants includes victories over Duke, Virginia Tech, Pitt and Kentucky. Three of the Cardinals' four losses have come inside the first quadrant. 2 8-24
26 N. Carolina North Carolina is 6-1 in its past seven games with victories over Syracuse, NC State and Pitt. The Tar Heels will take a three-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Clemson. -- 29-8

In: Clemson

Out: Boise State