Gonzaga holds steady at No. 7 in AP college basketball poll

Gonzaga, like most ranked teams, squeezed in a few days off over the Christmas holiday and returned to the court with an easy victory.

The top half of the AP poll followed a similar pattern, resulting in no changes to the top 12 teams in the latest rankings. Gonzaga (12-2) held steady at No. 7 while Duke is No. 1 for the second straight week.

The Blue Devils are followed by Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia, Kansas and Nevada. Five ranked teams didn’t play a game over the holiday week.

Gonzaga picked up one vote and earned 1,200 points. The Zags trail Nevada by 117 points and they’re 54 points in front of No. 8 Michigan State. Florida State and Virginia Tech completed the top 10.

The first change came at No. 13 as Kentucky, which defeated rival Louisville, moved up three spots to replace Ohio State. Wisconsin dropped seven spots to No. 22.

Arizona State fell from 17th out of the poll. The Pac-12 doesn’t have a team in the top 25.

Gonzaga remained at No. 8 in the USA Today rankings. Duke is the new No. 1, edging Virginia by two points.