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Gonzaga Basketball

Gonzaga drops to No. 7 in AP Top 25 rankings, next opponent rises to No. 4 in new poll

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Ryan Nembhard (0) high-fives guard Michael Ajayi (1) during the first half of a college basketball game on Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, at Paradise Island, Bahamas. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

After a first-round loss to West Virginia, the damage control Gonzaga did on days two and three at the Battle 4 Atlantis wasn’t enough to prevent the Bulldogs from slipping four spots in the latest edition of the Associated Press Top 25.

Gonzaga (7-1) fell to No. 7 in Monday’s poll as a result of an 86-78 overtime defeat, but Mark Few’s team could have a chance to make up the ground it lost in a matter of a days, with another marquee nonconference matchup arriving Saturday evening.

Kentucky, which is traveling to Seattle to face Gonzaga at Climate Pledge Arena, surpassed the Bulldogs in Monday’s poll, moving up four spots from No. 8 to No. 4.

Despite Auburn’s unbeaten week at the Maui Invitational, Kansas still held on to the No. 1 ranking while the Tigers moved up four spots to No. 2. Rounding out the top 10 were No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 5 Marquette, No. 6 Iowa State, No. 7 Gonzaga, No. 8 Purdue, No. 9 Duke and No. 10 Alabama.

College basketball’s popular “Feast Week” gave teams numerous opportunities to improve their poll position, playing games against high-level opponents in neutral-site venues across the country or, in Gonzaga’s case, international waters.

Three teams elevated at least five positions while others, such as No. 12 Oregon, No. 16 Memphis, No. 18 Pittsburgh and No. 19 Illinois made big jumps into the rankings after all being unranked last week.

Two of Gonzaga’s nonconference foes – one former, one future – underwent big changes in Monday’s poll.

UConn, ranked No. 2 in the country heading into the Maui Invitational, fell 23 spots to No. 25 after losing all three games in the tournament. The Huskies and Zags will meet on Dec. 14 at Madison Square Garden.

SDSU, meanwhile, moved into the rankings at No. 24 two weeks after losing to Gonzaga at Viejas Arena. The previously unranked Aztecs picked up two ranked wins at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, beating No. 21 Creighton and No. 6 Houston.

Baylor, which lost 101-63 to Gonzaga in the season opener at Spokane Arena, moved up two spots to No. 15 in Monday’s rankings.

Three of Gonzaga’s other nonconference opponents – and one WCC foe – received AP Top 25 votes on Monday.

Those included Arizona State (88), which hasn’t dropped a game since losing 88-80 to GU at the Kennel and beat Saint Mary’s last week, and West Virginia (26), which didn’t garner any Top 25 attention prior to beating the Zags and going 2-1 at the Battle 4 Atlantis. UCLA (13), which will play Gonzaga on Dec. 28 at the Intuit Dome, is also receiving votes, as is Saint Mary’s, which drubbed USC 71-36 before losing to the Sun Devils in Palm Desert, California.

Arizona, coached by longtime GU assistant Tommy Lloyd, predictably fell out of the rankings after going 1-2 at the Battle 4 Atlantis and losing four of its last five games. The Wildcats were ranked No. 24 coming into the week.

The Zags also lost ground in the USA Today Coaches Poll, dropping four spots to No. 8. The Coaches Poll top 10 featured No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Marquette, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 6 Kentucky, No. 7 Purdue, No. 8 Gonzaga, No. 9 Duke and No. 10 Oregon.

Gonzaga is still ranked No. 3 at KenPom.com, boasting the nation’s second-best offensive rating while ranking No. 15 in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Bulldogs are No. 1 at EvanMiya.com and No. 5 at BartTorvik.com.