Gonzaga slides to 12th in AP poll, projected as four seed in most brackets

Gonzaga’s upset loss to Portland was obviously a blemish on the Zags’ NCAA Tournament resume, but perhaps not quite as damaging as some predicted initially.

The Zags tumbled six spots in the Associated Press rankings from sixth to 12th, matching BYU (from 16 to 22) for the biggest fall in the latest media poll.

That was somewhat expected after Wednesday’s 87-80 road loss to the Pilots, a Quad 3 setback against an opponent in the 200s in the NET rankings. Gonzaga (23-2, 11-1 WCC) got back in the win column with an 81-61 victory over Oregon State on Saturday in Corvallis.

GU lost some ground in the NET rankings, which are used by the selection committee to select and seed March Madness. The Zags dropped from five to seven in the NET in a week’s span. They were No. 8 in Sunday’s NET.

It was a similar story for the Zags in several updated bracket projections. They slipped two lines to a four seed and dropped from eighth overall to 13th in ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s Monday projections. GU is a four seed, according to CBS Sports, On3.com and the Bracketeer.

Saint Mary’s was seeded No. 8 by On3, No. 9 by Bracketeer and No. 11 by CBS Sports. Santa Clara is a 10 in On3’s bracket and an 11 in CBS Sports and Bracketeer projections.

The Zags are probably out of the running for a No. 1 seed after the Portland loss, but their overall resume remains strong with a 4-1 Quad 1 record and 5-0 in Quad 2.

Gonzaga is tied with Santa Clara (21-5, 12-1) in the loss column atop the WCC standings with Saint Mary’s (21-4, 10-2) one game back.

The Zags, who posted home wins over the Broncos and Gaels, entertain Washington State on Tuesday and visit Santa Clara on Saturday. GU’s rematch with Saint Mary’s will close the regular season on Feb. 28 in Moraga, California.

Arizona, guided by former Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd, held down the top spot in the AP poll for the ninth consecutive week. The Wildcats have received every first-place vote in the last four polls, but they suffered their first loss of the season later Monday — 82-78 to No. 9 Kansas in Lawrence.

Arizona faces another tough contest Saturday when No. 16 Texas Tech visits Tucson.

Michigan, which handed Gonzaga its first loss, stayed at No. 2, followed by Houston, Duke, Iowa State, UConn, Nebraska, Illinois, Kansas and Michigan State.

North Carolina, following a 71-68 win over Duke, is No. 11, 60 points ahead of the Zags.

Kentucky (17-7) returned to the rankings at No. 25 and Alabama received 72 points, tops among teams outside the top 25. The Zags pounded Kentucky 94-59 in December and handled Alabama 95-85 in November.

Santa Clara, riding an eight-game winning streak since falling to GU 89-77 on Jan. 8, received two points while the Gaels received one.

Gonzaga slid five spots to No. 11 in the USA Today coaches’ poll. Santa Clara received one vote.

Santa Clara, at No. 41 in the NET, will be a Quad 1 matchup for the Zags, as will No. 29 Saint Mary’s later this month if it remains in the top 30.

Washington State is 133 in the NET, making Tuesday a Quad 3 contest at the McCarthey Athletic Center.