Gonzaga climbs inside the top 10 at CBS after loss to Michigan

The Zags are 7-1 on the year

Nov 24, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Tyon Grant-Foster (7) and forward Steele Venters (2) react during the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs looked like a lock to move into the top ten of the college basketball rankings after starting off the Players Era Festival with a pair of double-digit wins over Alabama and Maryland.

However, a shocking 40-point loss to Michigan in the championship game on Wednesday grinded Gonzaga's momentum to a halt, and could give AP voters pause about how far the Zags should climb - if at all - after coming in at No. 12 last week.

Gary Parrish at CBS released his top 25+1 list on Saturday following all the feast week action, and he slotted Gonzaga in at No. 10 overall, one spot ahead of Alabama, which the Zags beat by ten on Monday.

Meanwhile, Michigan, which was at No. 7 prior to defeating San Diego State, Auburn, and Gonzaga to win the Players Era championship, has vaulted up to No. 3 behind Arizona and Purdue in Parrish's updated rankings.

UConn, BYU, Duke, Louisville, Iowa State, and Michigan State round out the top ten, with UConn, BYU and Gonzaga the only three teams with a loss in the top ten.

Gonzaga (7-1) has one of the strongest resumes in college basketball, even after the disastrous loss to Michigan, having defeated teams from the SEC (Alabama and Oklahoma), Big Ten (Maryland), Big 12 (Arizona State) and Big East (Creighton). They have two top 25 wins, by a combined 37 points, and remain highly regarded by the computer metrics.

Nov 25, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few shakes hands with Maryland Terrapins guard Darius Adams (1). | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

KenPom dropped Gonzaga from No. 1 to No. 5 following the Michigan loss, with the Zags still boasting the No. 11 offense and No. 7 defense in college hoops, while Bart Torvik's T-Rank and EvanMiya's team rankings both have Gonzaga at No. 9 overall.

Gonzaga has an extended break after the loss to Michigan, although their next game is the only remaining opponent in the top 25 of Parrish's rankings: a date with the No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Dec. 5.

A win in that environment will go a long way toward restoring faith in coach Few's club, who boast one of the oldest and most versatile rosters in the sport.

None of Gonzaga's other upcoming opponents - notably UCLA, Oregon, and Saint Mary's - are in Parrish's top 25. UCLA dropped to 5-2 with a loss to Cal at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Tuesday. While the team's only other loss was to Arizona, UCLA has not played particularly well even against bad teams, so it's not a surprise to see them fall out of Parrish's rankings - it will likely be the same story when the AP poll comes out on Monday.

Nov 26, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Warley (8) dunks in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Likewise, Oregon is trending downward after losing all three games in the Players Era Festival - Auburn, San Diego State, and Creighton - by double figures in what has been a rough start to the year for Dana Altman's team.

Saint Mary's likely would have climbed into the top 25 had they defeated Vanderbilt in the championship of the Battle 4 Atlantis, but instead the Gaels gave up a program-record 96 points under Randy Bennett, falling to 8-1 on the year.

Gonzaga vs. Kentucky will tip off at 4:00 PM PT on Friday, Dec. 5 and will be broadcast on ESPN2.