Gonzaga moves up one spot to No. 9 in Associated Press Top 25
Jan. 3—Gonzaga continues to make headway toward moving back into the top-five of the Associated Press rankings, climbing one spot to No. 9 in Monday's Top 25 poll.
The Bulldogs (11-3) haven't lost since Dec. 2 against Baylor and now enter a slate of West Coast Conference games where they'll be considered strong favorites, starting with Thursday's contest at San Francisco.
The Dons were on one AP ballot last week after thumping Arizona State but are no longer receiving Top 25 votes after consecutive WCC losses to Santa Clara and San Diego.
Three of GU's nonconference opponents continue to occupy spots in the top-10 including No. 1 Purdue, which enters Big Ten play with a 13-0 record, along with No. 6 Texas and No. 7 Alabama.
The Zags were blown out by the Longhorns in Austin on Nov. 16, but beat the Crimson Tide in Birmingham on Dec. 17. Tennessee, which cruised past GU in a preseason exhibition played in Frisco, Texas, currently sits one spot ahead of the Bulldogs at No. 8.
Xavier jumped four spots to No. 18 after upsetting No. 2 UConn 83-73 in the Big East. Gonzaga edged out the Musketeers in the final game of the Portland-based Phil Knight Legacy.
Another Gonzaga opponent, Kentucky, checked in at No. 19 in last week's AP poll but fell out of the rankings this week after losing 89-75 to unranked Missouri in SEC play. Michigan State, which lost to GU on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, is still receiving Top 25 votes.
Among top-five AP teams, UConn was the only one to slip, falling two spots to No. 4. The full top-five includes No. 1 Purdue, No. 2 Houston, No. 3 Kansas, No. 4 UConn and No. 5 Arizona.
Gonzaga didn't gain any ground in the NET rankings for beating No. 129 Pepperdine in Spokane and actually dropped one spot to No. 13. Among Top 25 NET teams, Gonzaga, Ohio State and Arizona, coached by former Zag assistant Tommy Lloyd, are the only ones to have played six "Quad 1" games to this point.
San Francisco is No. 119 in the NET rankings and GU's second opponent this week, Santa Clara, is up to No. 89.
