Colorado drops to No. 18 but still in good position

Colorado dropped two spots Monday to No. 18 in The Associated Press Top 25, but the Buffs have a chance to move back up this week.

CU (20-6) hosts USC on Thursday and UCLA on Saturday. The Buffs split a road trip last week, losing at No. 14 Oregon and defeating Oregon State.

Meanwhile, Baylor and Kansas just keep winning, setting up a monumental showdown Saturday between the top-ranked Bears and No. 3 Jayhawks that could help decide not only the Big 12 title but the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament.

Those teams were separated once again by Gonzaga in the poll. The Bears (23-1) had 48 first-place votes from the 63member media panel, while the Bulldogs (26-1) had 14 first-place nods and the Jayhawks (23-3 after routing Iowa State 91-71 on Monday

night) had the only remaining first-place vote.

“The best we could be right now is being the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. We’re No. 2,” said Kansas coach Bill Self, whose team beat West Virginia and Oklahoma last week. “The reason we’re not No. 1 is Baylor beat us on our home floor. They deserve it. I’m not looking at it like we haven’t done as well as our record because we’re in second place. I’m looking at it like we played pretty good that day and got beat by a better team, and now we have a chance to get them back.”

The Bears and Jayhawks both had business to handle before they collide Saturday, though. Kansas took care of its end against Iowa State on Monday, while Baylor will visit Oklahoma on Tuesday night.

If Baylor wins, it would set up one of the biggest games in the history of the Ferrell Center.