Gonzaga went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press poll after finishing on top of the final rankings entering the NCAA tournament.
The preseason No. 1 went 26-0 through the regular season and WCC tournament and is the top overall seed in March Madness. The Bulldogs are the first team to enter the NCAA tournament undefeated since Kentucky in 2015.
Illinois and Alabama are also among the teams entering the Big Dance on a hot streak, although other top squads suffered setbacks during conference tournaments that featured surprising winners like Georgetown, Oregon State and Georgia Tech.
While most of the attention is now on the bracket, here is how voters saw the latest Top 25. Check out the NCAA Championship odds here. SBD agree with the selection committee; the four #1 seeds, Gonzaga (+205), Baylor (+467), Michigan (+633), and Illinois (+667), have the shortest odds by a wide margin. Fifth-favorite Iowa is back at +1800.
AP Poll
1. Gonzaga
2. Illinois
3. Baylor
4. Michigan
5. Alabama
6. Houston
7. Ohio State
8. Iowa
9. Texas
10. Arkansas
11. Oklahoma State
12. Kansas
13. West Virginia
14. Florida State
15. Virginia
16. San Diego State
17. Loyola Chicago
18. Villanova
19. Creighton
20. Purdue
21. Texas Tech
22. Colorado
23. BYU
24. USC
25. Virginia Tech
While there could be plenty of debate over the poll, all teams now have a chance to prove it on the court with March Madness beginning Thursday.
