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Gonzaga 18th in polls; Mills faces surgery

Posted by Jim Meehan

Feb. 2, 2009 12:37 p.m. • 3 comments

Gonzaga climbed a little in the A.P. poll and a lot in the ESPN/USA Today rankings. The Bulldogs (16-4, 7-0 WCC) are 18th in both polls — up two in A.P. and seven in ESPN/USA Today.

Saint Mary’s dropped out of both polls. In fact, the Gaels went from No. 22 to not receiving a single vote in the A.P. top 25. More here.

UPDATE: Gaels’ guard Patty Mills will have surgery to repair two broken bones in his right hand. Coach Randy Bennett hopes Mills can return for the final week of the regular season. More here.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Saint Mary’s will entertain nationally ranked Utah State in a BracketBusters’ contest Feb. 21.

Three comments on this post so far. Add yours!

MikeSequim on February 02 at 2:12 p.m.
On the West Coast! UCLA is TOO high, they lost to both UW and ASU, both ranked well behind them? UW should be higher and I believe is playing better. Gonzaga is a little high for me, in the twenty’s would be more like it. While they are winning, they’re still not on the same page as a team. Can the Zags beat anybody in the top 5, Yep, just not the way they are playing now! St. Mary’s dropping out in the ESPN poll makes alot of sense due to the injury to Patty Mills but dropping into nowhere in the AP is a knee jerk reaction! In the ESPN poll I would’ve dropped SM below USC and I would’ve put in Arizona, who is probably playing the best overall BB in the PAC.

Kansas State, Northern Iowa, Siena, Northeastern, Virginia Military? They are all over the page! Heck, they even have some of those above Arizona who just put a lick’n on the UW ranked at 23 in their poll? The West Coast will never get the attention the rest of the Country gets just because of the media coverage. With the exception of Gonzaga, nobody gets the TV coverage out here like the rest of the Country from the Rockies East! 5-6 more weeks of poll changing then the sweating can begin. As always, JMO.

Mike, Sequim
RobbH on February 02 at 4:32 p.m.
Mike,
I agree with you on UW, and the Zags.

I think UCLA is fine…they are 17-4, and went 7-2 through the first round of the Pac, only losing at UW and to ASU. Not bad.

UW should be in that 15 range too.

I would have dropped ASU just out of my poll.

I disagree on Arizona, they had the best week in the Pac Ten. but if you go back a whole two weeks, they have lost 3 out of 5, Not the best basketball in my book. They are a skitzo team.

I wouldn’t have given St Mary’s a vote, they get two more easy games before the Zags run them out of their own gym at home. If the Zags didn’t exposed them, a very mediocre Portland team did.

I think that really hurts the Zags as well. They will climb in the polls, and end up tenth or so, depending on Memphis. But I think the Mills issue will hurt them, I think they will be a six seed, five at the highest.