Indiana loss has Gonzaga poised for historic jump to No. 1 | College basketball

Indiana loss has Gonzaga poised for historic jump to No. 1 | College basketball

With top-ranked Indiana's basketball loss to Minnesota on Tuesday night, is the way paved for No. 2 Gonzaga to claim its first No. 1 rating in the history of the program next week?

Maybe, but there are a couple of big "ifs." The Zags (27-2) have a difficult road test at Brigham Young on Thursday night, before finishing their regular season against Portland at home Saturday.

Meanwhile, in any case, there's the distinct possibility third-rated Duke could jump both Gonzaga and Indiana with a victory Saturday at home against Miami, which is fifth in the Associated Press poll and No. 7 by the coaches. It's even possible Miami could do the same with a victory, but seemingly less likely.

"Anytime you can do something you haven't done in the history of the program, it would be an unbelievable accomplishment and really, really cool," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said last week. "We're running out of things we've never done."

The Hoosiers opened the door for somebody by falling to Minnesota, 77-73. Gonzaga is ranked No. 2 for the first time in the AP poll, while it reached that mark for the second time in the coaches' poll.

Bud Withers: 206-464-8281 or bwithers@seattletimes.com

By Bud Withers Seattle Times staff reporter

By Bud Withers
Seattle Times staff reporter