Gonzaga’s place in the preseason AP poll is secure once again.
The Bulldogs landed at No. 15 in Monday’s rankings, extending a streak that has become part of the program’s annual furniture: Gonzaga, Duke, Kansas and Kentucky all have now been ranked in the preseason Top 25 for 17 straight years. North Carolina no longer belongs in that club after voters left the Tar Heels and first-year coach Michael Malone out of the poll.
For Gonzaga, the recognition carries even more weight because it keeps the program’s AP run alive. The Zags have now been ranked in the AP poll for 26 consecutive years, and No. 15 is their highest preseason slot since 2024, when Mark Few’s group opened at No. 6.
Florida took over the top spot in a landslide, collecting 47 of the 59 first-place votes. Duke checked in at No. 2 with 10 first-place votes, while Illinois finished third with the other two. Gonzaga is scheduled to meet Duke in a Feb. 20 nonconference game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
The rest of the upper half of the poll features familiar heavyweight names: reigning national runner-up UConn at No. 4, Arizona at No.
5, Michigan State at No. 6, Texas at No.
7, Tennessee at No. 8, Virginia at No. 9 and Houston at No.
- Arizona enters year No. 5 under former Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd.
The Zags also have another ranked opponent on the schedule in No. 22 UCLA, and they could run into several more at the Players Era 16 in Las Vegas.
Gonzaga’s side of the bracket includes No. 14 Miami, No.
16 Michigan and No. 20 Alabama.
On the other side are No. 8 Tennessee, No.
11 Louisville, No. 13 St.
John’s, No. 18 Iowa State and No.
19 Texas Tech.
There was some uncertainty around where voters would place Gonzaga, given the eligibility questions hanging over the roster with only two weeks left before the opener. Seven voters slotted the Bulldogs in the top 10, and one had them as high as No.
- But 11 voters put Few’s team between No. 20 and No. 25, and one left Gonzaga out of the Top 25 entirely.
As of Monday, two of Gonzaga’s three 5-in-5 transfers - point guards Javon Bennett (Dayton) and Xaivian Lee (Florida) - are eligible. Wing Chauncey Wiggins (Florida State) is not, and Spanish forward Izan Almansa remains ineligible while the NCAA reviews his international waiver.
Gonzaga’s nonconference slate also includes Purdue, the opponent in the Nov. 2 season opener, although the Boilermakers just missed the Top 25 and finished third among teams receiving votes. The Bulldogs will also see Arkansas in Saturday’s preseason exhibition at Bud Walton Arena, and the Razorbacks came in at No. 12.
The only other former Pac-12 team to get any Top 25 attention was Utah State, which received one vote and finished 19th among teams receiving votes.
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Now he gets another shot with Phoenix, which moved quickly to claim him off waivers and add him to its final two-way contract spot. The fit gives Timme a fresh opportunity to impress a new staff while likely spending time between the Suns and their G League affiliate, the Valley Suns, and it sets up the next test in a career that has stayed alive by persistence as much as pedigree. [Read more 🡒]
Gonzagas Backcourt Just Got A Huge Twist Before The Season
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For Gonzaga, the immediate effect is simple enough: Lee and Bettencourt can take part in preseason exhibition games while the larger battle over extended eligibility plays out. The NCAA still plans to appeal, so the situation is hardly settled, but for now the Bulldogs can prepare with two backcourt pieces available as the season approaches and the next round of legal wrangling looms. [Read more 🡒]
How Gonzagas NBA Pipeline Just Took An Unexpected Turn
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Graham Ike is also poised to enter that mix, expected to make his NBA debut with the Golden State Warriors on a two-way deal. At the same time, the Gonzaga alumni list looks a little different than it did a year ago, with Brandon Clarke's death over the summer and Kelly Olynyk taking his game overseas to BC Roma after his final NBA stint with the San Antonio Spurs. [Read more 🡒]