Fresh off victory over Washington, Gonzaga moves up to No. 6 in AP poll

Gonzaga made a move in the AP Top 25 and in ESPN.com’s latest bracketology.

The Bulldogs (10-1) climbed from ninth to sixth in the AP rankings following Sunday’s 83-76 road win over then No. 22 Washington.

Louisville retained the top spot, followed by Kansas, Ohio State, Maryland and Michigan. The Wolverines, who handled Gonzaga in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship, have a 51-point cushion over the sixth-ranked Zags.

The Zags have a three-point edge over No. 7 Duke. Kentucky, Virginia and Oregon complete the top 10. Gonzaga beat Oregon in overtime on a neutral court in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals.

It wasn’t a good week for several future Gonzaga opponents. North Carolina plummeted from seventh to 17th after losses to Ohio State and Virginia. The Tar Heels visit GU on Dec. 18.

Arizona, which entertains Gonzaga on Saturday, fell three spots to No. 15 after absorbing its first setback, a 63-58 road loss to Baylor. The Bears jumped up seven spots to No. 11.

Saint Mary’s dropped its second game of the season, falling to Dayton 78-68 in Phoenix. The Gaels went from receiving 86 points last week to eight. The Flyers moved up five places to No. 14.

Washington fell out of the top 25, but received 144 points, second among teams receiving votes.

Preseason No. 1 Michigan State dropped from No. 11 to No. 16 after losing to Duke.

No. 25 San Diego State is ranked for the first time since the 2014-15 season, thanks to Washington State transfer Malachi Flynn’s game-winning 3-pointer against San Jose State.

Joe Lunardi’s latest bracket projection on ESPN.com has Gonzaga as a two seed, opening against No. 15 UC Irvine at the Spokane Arena. The Zags were a third seed a week ago.

Eastern Washington is projected as a 15 seed taking on No. 2 Duke. Washington dropped to an eight seed and Saint Mary’s slipped to a nine seed.

The Zags also moved up three spots to No. 6 in the USA Today poll. The coaches’ top 10 is much different than the AP rankings. Louisville is solidly at No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Kansas, Maryland and Duke.

Gonzaga is 26 points ahead of No. 7 Michigan, which beat the Zags 82-64 in the Bahamas. Virginia, Kentucky and Auburn rounded out the top 10.