Gonzaga will begin the season at No. 12 in the preseason USA TODAY Sports/Coaches poll, giving the Bulldogs a familiar spot near the top of the national conversation.
It marks the 14th straight year Gonzaga has opened in the top 20, and the Bulldogs have now appeared in the Coaches’ preseason poll for 17 consecutive seasons.
Florida claimed the No. 1 spot with 20 of the 30 possible first-place votes. Duke picked up eight first-place votes and checked in at No. 2, while Illinois landed at No. 3 with the remaining two. Arizona and UConn complete the top five.
Gonzaga’s schedule already includes a few ranked tests. Michigan State, which comes in at No. 6, will face the Zags on Dec. 19 in Palm Springs, Calif.
Gonzaga also opens the regular season against No. 24 Purdue in the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas on Nov.
Before that, the Bulldogs head to No. 12 Arkansas for a season-opening exhibition on Saturday at 1 p.m.
PT. The game will air on SEC Network Plus, with live radio and stats available at GoZags.com.
The full top 25 has Texas at No. 7, Houston at No.
8, Tennessee at No. 9, Virginia at No. 10 and Louisville at No. 11 ahead of Gonzaga.
Arkansas is right behind the Bulldogs at No. 13, followed by St. John’s and Iowa State, which are tied at No.
- Kansas and Alabama share No. 18, while Purdue sits at No. 24 and BYU closes the poll at No.
Among teams receiving votes were Nebraska, UCLA, Missouri, Ohio State, North Carolina, Texas A&M, Villanova, Indiana, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Saint Louis, West Virginia, Creighton, Maryland and Auburn.
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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 🡒]
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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 🡒]