Gonzaga opens at No. 21 in preseason AP college basketball poll

Gonzaga debuted at No. 21 on Monday in the preseason Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, not far from where it finished (No. 23) in last season’s final rankings.

The Zags, led by the frontcourt tandem of Graham Ike and Braden Huff, received 387 points from the media panel, 37 points behind No. 20 Auburn and 199 in front of No. 22 Michigan State.

Purdue edged Houston to reach the top spot in the preseason poll for the first time in program history. The Boilermakers snagged 35 of 61 possible first-place votes. The Cougars, guided by former Washington State head coach Kelvin Sampson, received 16 first-place votes.

Houston ended Gonzaga’s season with an 81-76 victory last March in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars lost 65-63 to Florida in the national championship game.

The Gators, led by former San Francisco coach Todd Golden, are third in the preseason poll, followed by UConn, St. John’s, Duke, Michigan, BYU, Kentucky and Texas Tech.

Kentucky is one of four GU foes in the top 25. The ninth-ranked Wildcats, who return Otega Oweh and Brandon Garrison and added an impressive transfer class, face the Zags on Dec. 5 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, three days after entertaining No. 25 North Carolina at Rupp Arena in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

The Zags also clash with No. 23 Creighton on Nov. 11 at the McCarthey Athletic Center, No. 15 Alabama on Nov. 24 in the opening round of the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas and No. 12 UCLA on Dec. 13 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

Gonzaga led Kentucky by 16 at halftime before falling 90-89 in overtime last December at Climate Pledge Arena. The Zags led 60-58 in the final minute before losing to the Bruins 65-62 in late December at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

GU will line up against three teams that received votes in the poll. Oregon, which meets the Zags on Dec. 21 at the Moda Center in Portland, received 98 points. No. 25 North Carolina received 104, with North Carolina State next at 101.

Saint Mary’s, which won a second consecutive outright West Coast Conference regular-season title last year, received two points. The Zags and Gaels square off Jan. 31 in Spokane and Feb. 28 in Moraga. The rivals figure to battle for WCC supremacy again in Gonzaga’s final season in the conference before joining the rebuilt Pac-12.

Oklahoma, GU’s opponent Nov. 8 at the Spokane Arena, received one vote.

Gonzaga has been ranked in the last 16 preseason AP polls, joining Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina.

Arizona, coached by former Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd, is ranked 13th. Boise State, led by former GU assistant Leon Rice, received four points.

The Big 12 was the only conference with three teams in the top 10. Six Big 12 programs made the top 25, matching the SEC and Big Ten. The ACC and Big East each had three ranked teams.

The Zags are No. 8 in KenPom’s preseason rankings. Duke, Houston, Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama and Michigan State hold down the top seven spots.

Maryland, which tangles with Gonzaga on Nov. 25 in Las Vegas, is No. 10. Other Gonzaga nonconference opponents include No. 16 Kentucky, No. 20 UCLA, No. 25 Saint Mary’s, No. 27 Oregon, No. 35 Creighton and No. 40 Oklahoma. San Francisco is No. 66.

Gonzaga was No. 6 in last year’s preseason AP poll before finishing No. 23, one spot ahead of Saint Mary’s. Florida opened at No. 21 a year ago before winning the program’s third national title.