Gonzaga cracks top 10 in AP college basketball poll, rises three spots to No. 8

Gonzaga returned to the Associated Press top 10 on Monday, climbing three spots to No. 8 after an impressive win over Kentucky and a blowout victory over North Florida.

The Zags have steadily marched up the rankings after coming in at No. 21 in the preseason poll. GU (9-1) handed then -No. 18 Kentucky a 94-59 loss in Nashville on Friday, the storied program’s worst loss in 18 seasons.

Kentucky (5-4) dropped out of the top 25, while UCLA, GU’s opponent at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, moved back in at No. 25 after a one-week absence.

Gonzaga received 1,054 points, 10 behind No. 7 Houston, 37 ahead of No. 9 Michigan State and 47 in front of No. 10 BYU.

It’s been nearly a calendar year since the Zags were last in the top 10. They dropped from No. 8 to No. 13 after losing to UConn 77-71 in Madison Square Garden roughly 51 weeks ago.

Gonzaga soared as high as No. 3 early last season but tumbled out of the rankings in mid-January. GU returned at No. 24 after handling Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference Tournament title game in Las Vegas. The Zags finished No. 23 in the final poll.

Arizona, guided by former Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd, took over the top spot, edging out Michigan, which pounded the Zags 101-61 in the Players Era Festival championship Nov. 26th in Las Vegas.

The Wildcats, one of eight unbeatens left in college basketball, snagged 33 first-place votes and 1,461 points from the media panel. Michigan was next with 19 first-place votes and 1,440 points, followed by Duke, Iowa State and UConn.

Arizona is No. 1 for the first time since Dec. 11, 2023, in Lloyd’s third season at the helm. Purdue plummeted from first to sixth after losing 81-58 to Iowa State.

Gonzaga is 3-1 against teams that were ranked when they played with wins over current No. 12 Alabama, then No. 23 Creighton and then No. 18 Kentucky and the loss to Michigan.

Saint Mary’s (9-1) received 38 points, fifth among teams outside the top 25. Arizona State, which lost to GU 77-65 in Tempe, had two points.

Michigan is No. 1 and Arizona No. 2 in the USA Today coaches’ poll. Gonzaga is No. 7.

The Zags, who debuted at No. 5 in the NET rankings a week ago, are currently No. 4, behind Michigan, Duke and Iowa State. Arizona is No. 6 and Saint Mary’s checks in at No. 15. UCLA is No. 50. Kentucky is No. 31.

Gonzaga is 2-1 in Quad 1 games with UCLA, for now, qualifying as a Q1 opportunity (vs. top 50 at neutral site). GU is 1-0 in Quad 2, 3-0 in Quad 3 and 3-0 in Quad 4. Michigan State, Duke and Vanderbilt are the only teams with four Quad 1 wins. Arizona, Michigan, Alabama and UConn are the only teams with three Q1 victories.

Gonzaga is projected as a two seed at bracketmatrix.com. Purdue, Michigan, Duke and Arizona are the No. 1 seeds. Saint Mary’s is an eight seed and the Bruins are a 10.

The Zags are a two seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracket for ESPN.