It's finals week on campuses all over the country, which is why this is the slowest week of the season. In a related note, only one ranked school played Monday -- Gonzaga.
The Zags cruised to a 78-40 victory over a Mississippi Valley State team that received a nice paycheck to travel to Washington and lose by 38 points while dropping to 0-10 on the season with all 10 losses coming on the road. The Delta Devils now rank 362nd out of 362 Division I teams, according to KenPom.com. They are evidence that DI in college basketball is way too big.
If you regularly listen to the Eye On College Basketball podcast, you likely know I've long held the opinion that it's ridiculous games like this are made. Gonzaga closed as a 39.5-point favorite, which is a number you'd never even come close to seeing in the NBA because the NBA would never have two teams so dramatically different in ability on the court together. Simply put, on the list of issues facing college basketball, I'd put the fact that most good teams have too many total mismatches on their non-league schedules pretty high. And, just so we're clear, I don't mean Gonzaga specifically or any particular school. I just mean that, broadly speaking, there are too many games between programs like Gonzaga and programs at the bottom of the rankings like Mississippi Valley State, and the truth is that there's an inherent stupidity to the sport when programs like Gonzaga and programs ranked 362nd nationally are technically competing for the same trophy.
Anyway …
The good news is that the Zags' next game will not be like the Zags' last game, and that's because the Zags' next game is Friday in Seattle against UConn, the reigning national champion. It's a fabulous showdown between the schools ranked No. 5 (UConn) and No. 12 (Gonzaga) in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. It's the only contest between two ranked teams on the schedule over the next four days.
"You come to a school like [Gonzaga] to play big games like that," said Gonzaga freshman Braden Huff, who finished with 17 points in 18 minutes against Mississippi Valley State. "It's going to be a fun one. I'm excited to play [UConn] in Seattle in front of what should be a lot of our fans. Hopefully we get a good crowd and come out with a lot of energy."
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Caleb Love finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 98-73 win over Wisconsin. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Purdue. | -- | 2-1 |
| 2 |  | Zach Edey finished with 35 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 92-86 win over Alabama. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Arizona. | -- | 4-1 |
| 3 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday's 73-64 win over Missouri. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Indiana. | -- | 5-0 |
| 4 |  | Emanuel Sharp finished with 25 points and three steals in Saturday's 89-55 win over Jackson State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Texas A&M. vvv | -- | 2-1 |
| 5 |  | Alex Karaban finished with 26 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 101-63 in over Arkansas Pine Bluff. The Huskies' next game is Friday against Gonzaga. | -- | 4-0 |
| 6 |  | RayJ Dennis finished with 17 points and seven assists in Tuesday's 78-60 win over Seton Hall. The Bears' next game is Saturday against Michigan State. | -- | 3-1 |
| 7 |  | Tyler Kolek finished with 17 points and seven assists in Saturday's 78-59 win over Notre Dame. The Golden Eagles' next game is Thursday against St. Thomas. | -- | 5-0 |
| 8 |  | Armando Bacot was 4 of 12 from the field in Tuesday's 87-76 loss to UConn. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday against Kentucky. | -- | 2-1 |
| 9 |  | Dalton Knecht finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 86-79 win over Illinois. The Vols' next game is Tuesday against Georgia Southern. | -- | 4-0 |
| 10 |  | Marcus Domask finished 2-of-11 from the field in Saturday's 86-79 loss at Tennessee. The Illini's next game is Sunday against Colgate. | -- | 3-1 |
| 11 |  | Javian McCollum finished with 20 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 79-70 win over Arkansas. The Sooners' next game is Saturday against Green Bay. | -- | 3-0 |
| 12 |  | Braden Huff finished with 17 points and three steals in Monday's 78-40 win over Mississippi Valley State. The Zags' next game is Friday against UConn. | -- | 5-0 |
| 13 |  | FAU allowed Illinois to shoot 63.2% from the field in Tuesday's 98-89 loss to the Illini. The Owls' next game is Wednesday against FIU. | -- | 3-2 |
| 14 |  | PJ Hall finished with 17 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 74-66 win over TCU. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Memphis. | -- | 3-1 |
| 15 |  | Aaron Bradshaw finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 81-66 win over Penn. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against North Carolina. | -- | 4-0 |
| 16 |  | Joel Scott finished 0-of-4 from the field in Saturday's 64-61 loss to Saint Mary's. The Rams' next game is Sunday against CSU Pueblo. | -- | 3-1 |
| 17 |  | Mason Miller finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 109-64 win over Central Michigan. The Bluejays' next game is Wednesday against UNLV. | -- | 4-0 |
| 18 |  | Jared McCain finished with 21 points and three assists in Saturday's 80-56 win over Charlotte. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Hofstra. | -- | 3-1 |
| 19 |  | Wisconsin allowed Arizona to shoot 58.3% from the field in Saturday's 98-73 loss to the Wildcats. The Badgers' next game is Thursday against Jacksonville State. | -- | 5-0 |
| 20 |  | Isaac McKneely finished with 22 points and two rebounds in Tuesday's 77-47 win over North Carolina Central. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Northeastern. | -- | 3-0 |
| 21 |  | Noah Waterman finished 0-of-7 from the field in Saturday's 73-69 loss at Utah. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Denver. | -- | 4-0 |
| 22 |  | Allen Flanigan finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 70-68 win at UCF. The Rebels' next game is Saturday against California. | -- | 4-0 |
| 23 |  | David Jones finished with 29 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 81-75 win at Texas A&M. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Clemson. | -- | 3-0 |
| 24 |  | T.J. Bickerstaff finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 84-69 win at Old Dominion. The Dukes' next game is Saturday at Hampton. | -- | 3-2 |
| 25 |  | Aaron Estrada finished 2-of-8 from the field in Saturday's 92-86 loss to Purdue. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at Creighton. | -- | 4-1 |
| 26 |  | Jaylin Williams finished with 24 points and seven assists in Saturday's 104-76 win over Indiana. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against UNC Asheville. | -- | 4-0 |
