Gonzaga slips to No. 18, Saint Mary’s climbs to No. 15 in AP poll

Gonzaga had its first 1-1 week in a while, but it only cost the Bulldogs one spot in the Associated Press poll.

The Zags (25-7) slipped to No. 18 on Monday after falling to Saint Mary’s 69-60 in the West Coast Conference Tournament title game last Tuesday. The Gaels (26-7) made the biggest jump of the week, moving up six spots to No. 15 after clipping Gonzaga’s nine-game winning streak.

Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s both received No. 5 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. GU faces No. 12 McNeese State, which received six points from the media panel, on Thursday in Salt Lake City. The Gaels take on Grand Canyon on Friday at the Spokane Arena.

Fourth-seeded Kansas (22-10) meets No. 13 Samford in the other half of GU’s bracket. The Jayhawks fell one spot to No. 17 after losing to Houston 76-46 in the Big 12 Tournament.

Defending national champion UConn, which handled Gonzaga 76-63 in Seattle in December, moved back into the top spot, followed by Houston. Purdue, a 73-63 winner over the Zags in Honolulu in November, remained at No. 3.

Gonzaga defeated No. 12 Kentucky 89-85 last month in Lexington and lost to No. 24 San Diego State 84-74 in late December. GU went 1-2 vs. Saint Mary’s.

Arizona, led by former Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd, dropped three spots to No. 9 after losing to USC in the Pac-12 Tournament. Washington State is No. 25.

For the first time, AP will release a post-NCAA Tournament Top 25 on April 9, the day after the championship game in Glendale, Arizona.

Gonzaga is No. 16 and Saint Mary’s No. 15 in the USA Today coaches’ poll. UConn replaced Houston at No. 1.

Gonzaga is No. 17, McNeese State is No. 56 and Samford No. 74 in the NET rankings. Saint Mary’s is No. 16. Houston, UConn, Purdue, Arizona and Auburn hold down the top five spots.