Gonzaga continues climb in AP rankings to No. 8 after 2-0 WCC road trip

There have been nine Associated Press college basketball polls in the current regular season, and Gonzaga has changed positions every week.

The Zags slipped early in three straight polls from No. 2 to No. 18 after suffering three losses. They’ve since won nine straight games and moved up each of the last five weeks.

Gonzaga (14-3, 3-0 West Coast Conference) climbed one position to No. 8 in Monday’s latest rankings, thanks to a pair of suspenseful road wins over San Francisco and Santa Clara.

The Zags received 1,070 points from the media panel, 38 behind No. 7 UCLA and 21 in front of No. 9 Arizona, led by former GU assistant coach Tommy Lloyd. Washington State upset the Wildcats in Tucson on Saturday.

Houston replaced Purdue at No. 1 with Kansas moving up to No. 2. The Boilermakers, who handled Gonzaga 84-66 at the PK85 in Portland, dropped to third, followed by Alabama, Tennessee and UConn.

Gonzaga’s best win of the season thus far was a 100-90 victory over the Crimson Tide in Birmingham. GU lost to current No. 10 Texas 93-74 in Austin and edged No. 12 Xavier 88-84 at the PK85.

The Musketeers, winners of nine straight, were No. 18 last week.

Baylor, a 64-63 winner over Gonzaga in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, slipped just out of the Top 25. The Bears, No. 19 last week, are first in receiving votes with 93 points. Michigan State, tied for fifth with 24 points, dropped a 64-63 decision to the Zags in San Diego.

GU will face Saint Mary’s, which also received 24 points, on Feb. 4 in Moraga, California, and Feb. 25 in Spokane. The Zags and Gaels share the top spot in the WCC with 3-0 records.

The Zags thumped then-No. 4 Kentucky 88-72 on Nov. 20. The Wildcats (10-5) fell out of the rankings two weeks ago and didn’t receive a vote in the latest poll.

Kansas State, picked to finish last in the Big 12 preseason poll, has gone from unranked to No. 11. The Wildcats are 14-1, matching the program’s best start since 1958-59.

Gonzaga is No. 12 in the NET rankings. The Zags are 2-3 in Quad 1 games, 5-0 in Quad 2, 3-0 in Quad 3 and 3-0 in Quad 4. No. 8 Saint Mary’s (13-4) is 1-1 in Quad 1, 3-1 in Quad 2, 5-2 in Quad 3 and 4-0 in Quad 4-0.

The NET top seven is Houston, Tennessee, UConn, Kansas, Purdue, Alabama and UCLA.

The Zags visit No. 90 BYU on Thursday and entertain No. 188 Portland on Saturday.

The rest of the WCC in the NET: Santa Clara 79, San Francisco 112, Pepperdine 156, San Diego 211 and Pacific 214.

The Tigers are off to a 3-1 conference start, tied with BYU behind Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s.

Gonzaga is also No. 8 in the USA Today coaches poll.