Gonzaga women land at No. 23 in AP Top 25 after impressive showing at Battle 4 Atlantis

To the surprise of almost no one, the Gonzaga women are back in the rankings after an absence of 20 months.

A week after two big wins in the Bahamas, the Zags are ranked 23 in The Associated Press media poll released Monday.

And with three games on the schedule, they’ll have a chance to move up further next week. GU was scheduled to host Maine on Monday, then hit the road to face Stephen F. Austin on Thursday at No. 2 Stanford on Sunday.

Unranked but receiving votes last week, the Zags moved into the Top 25 with wins over then-No. 6 Louisville and No. 23 Tennessee.

The Zags were last ranked in the poll on March 22, 2021, at No. 13. Gonzaga’s highest all-time ranking was No. 11 in the 2019-20 season.

The Zags (5-1) received 85 total votes. Ahead of them is Texas (123 votes) and behind right behind is Marquette, which beat GU in the semifinals of the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis on Nov. 19.

Defending NCAA champion South Carolina is a unanimous pick at No. 1. The Gamecocks are followed by Stanford, UConn, Ohio State and Indiana.

Other West Coast schools in the rankings include No. 14 Arizona, No. 15 UCLA and No. 19 Oregon.