Gonzaga’s unbeaten start earned the Zags a small rise in the Associated Press Top 25 on Monday, with Mark Few’s team climbing one spot to No. 14.
That bump came after Gonzaga opened the season with a 78-72 win over Purdue at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and followed it with a 109-68 home rout of New Mexico State. The two victories were enough to nudge the Zags up in the first regular-season poll, even though the top four stayed unchanged.
The AP poll still saw plenty of movement elsewhere. Nineteen of the 21 teams ranked from No. 5 through No. 25 shifted at least one spot, and UCLA made the biggest leap of the week, jumping 13 places to No. 9 after beating Arizona 84-75 in Vegas.
That result sent Arizona tumbling seven spots to No. 12.
At the top, the order remained Florida, Duke, Illinois and UConn. Rounding out the top 10 are Michigan State, Virginia, Texas, Houston, UCLA and Louisville.
For Gonzaga, the early rankings only sharpen the look of a demanding nonconference slate. The Zags are currently lined up to face three top-10 teams - Duke, Michigan State and UCLA - before league play arrives.
The Players Era 16 field also looks loaded. Seven of Gonzaga’s possible opponents in Vegas landed in Monday’s AP poll: Louisville at No.
10, Tennessee at No. 11, St.
John’s at No. 13, Texas Tech at No.
16, Miami at No. 17, Alabama at No. 18 and Michigan at No.
There are more names in the mix, too. Iowa State, Baylor, TCU and Creighton all picked up Top 25 votes, and Creighton remains on Gonzaga’s schedule later this season with a Dec. 12 trip to Omaha.
Utah State was the only other Pac-12 team to draw a vote, appearing on one ballot at No. 25 after wins over Idaho State and Omaha.
In the USA Today Coaches Poll, Gonzaga held steady at No. 12.
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Gonzagas 2-0 start has given the Bulldogs an early boost, with wins over Purdue and New Mexico State helping push them up one spot to No. 14 in the AP Poll. It is the kind of opening that keeps the national spotlight fixed on Mark Fews group, especially with several ranked opponents still ahead on the schedule and plenty of chances to see how this roster stacks up in the weeks to come.
One of the biggest questions around the program, though, has nothing to do with the results on the floor. Forward Chauncey Wiggins remains ineligible for now, even as the eligibility fight moves forward and the calendar edges toward a key mid-November date that could shape when, or if, he becomes available for Gonzaga. [Read more 🡒]
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For Gonzaga, the fast start has come with a little more substance than just clean box scores, and now the Bulldogs are about to find out a bit more about where they stand. The next step is a Saturday meeting with LSU at Spokane Arena, a matchup that should offer a better gauge of how much this opening stretch really means as the schedule begins to sharpen. [Read more 🡒]