Gonzaga's gritty 73-65 win over longtime West Coast Conference rival Saint Mary’s had all the makings of a statement game - physical, high-stakes, and a showcase of what this team can do when pushed. But when it came to national recognition? The needle barely moved.
Despite extending their win streak to 15 games and improving to 22-1 overall (10-0 in WCC play), the Zags held steady at No. 6 in the latest AP poll and actually slipped a spot in the NCAA’s NET rankings, from fourth to fifth. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a team that’s been consistently dominant and just knocked off one of its toughest conference opponents.
You’d think there might’ve been an opening for Gonzaga to crack the top five - especially with No. 5 Nebraska taking back-to-back losses to top-10 teams Michigan and Illinois.
But instead, it was Illinois that made the leap, jumping four spots to No. 5.
Nebraska slid to No. 9, and the Zags were left in place, watching the shuffle from the outside.
At the top of the AP rankings, Arizona continues to hold the No. 1 spot unanimously. The Wildcats, still undefeated at 22-0, are led by former Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd - a connection that adds a little extra intrigue to the national picture. Arizona handled business last week with wins over Arizona State (87-74) and BYU (86-83), and they’re followed in the rankings by Michigan, UConn, and Duke.
Behind Gonzaga in the AP poll are Iowa State, Houston, Nebraska, and Michigan State. Saint Mary’s, meanwhile, dropped off the radar completely after receiving three points in last week’s poll. Santa Clara, sitting second in the WCC at 10-1, managed to grab a single point.
Here’s where things get a little tricky for the Zags: while they’ve beaten four teams that were ranked at the time of the matchup, none of those teams are still in the top 25. That includes Alabama, which was No. 23 last week before falling to Florida and snapping a 42-week streak in the poll.
Alabama, who lost to Gonzaga 95-85 back in November, is now the second-highest team outside the top 25 with 48 points. Kentucky - another Gonzaga victim, having been blown out 94-59 in December - picked up 28 points, fifth among unranked teams.
In the NET rankings, there was plenty of movement at the top. Duke surged to No. 1, with Arizona sliding into the No. 2 spot.
Michigan, despite knocking off Nebraska and Michigan State, dropped to No. 3.
Iowa State and Gonzaga flipped positions at four and five, respectively. The rest of the top 10 includes Illinois, UConn, Purdue, Houston, and Nebraska - with Houston being the only team that didn’t move from its previous spot.
Looking further down the NET, Alabama sits at No. 22, Kentucky at No. 28, and Saint Mary’s dropped just outside the Quad 1 cutoff to No.
- That’s a subtle but important shift - had Saint Mary’s stayed in the top 30, Gonzaga’s win would’ve counted as a Quad 1 victory.
Instead, it’s now a Quad 2, making the Zags 3-1 in Quad 1 games and a perfect 5-0 in Quad 2.
Among other WCC teams, Santa Clara is at No. 43, San Francisco at No. 99, and Pacific at No. 106.
When it comes to NCAA Tournament projections, Gonzaga is hovering around the three-seed line in most models, including Made for March and Bracketmatrix.com. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Zags as the final No. 2 seed - eighth overall - which would be a strong position heading into March. His top four seeds currently include Arizona, Michigan, Duke, and UConn.
There was one rankings bump for the Bulldogs - they moved up to No. 5 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. It’s a small step, but perhaps a sign that coaches around the country are taking notice, even if the computers and voters haven’t fully bought in yet.
Bottom line: Gonzaga keeps winning, and they’re doing it with a mix of toughness, depth, and experience. But in a crowded national field where perception matters almost as much as performance, the Zags may need a few more statement wins - and maybe a little help from the teams above them - to climb higher before Selection Sunday.