Gonzaga drops for second week in a row in updated AP Top 25 Poll

The Zags hang on to a spot in the top ten of the updated AP Top 25 poll

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Erik Smith

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have not played like their typical dominant selves the past two weeks, but they still boast an excellent 17-1 overall record with a pristine 5-0 mark in WCC play heading into Thursday's road matchup against Washington State.

Despite struggles against San Diego, Seattle, and early on against LMU, the Zags still sit No. 6 at KenPom and in the NET rankings, although other popular computer metrics at Bart Torvik and Evan Miya are not as high as the Zags, ranking them at No. 9 and No. 11, respectively.

However, the AP Top 25 voters once again dropped Gonzaga one spot, with an undefeated Nebraska squad moving up two spots from No. 10 to No. 8 while the Zags slip to No. 9.

Arizona holds on at No. 1 while Iowa State jumps to No. 2 and UConn jumps to No. 3, both climbing in front of Michigan, which lost for the first time all year on Saturday at home to Wisconsin. The Wolverines are at No. 4, followed by Purdue, Duke, Houston, Nebraska, Gonzaga, and another undefeated team at No. 10 in Vanderbilt.

Nebraska remaining undefeated and picking up a big road win over Indiana on Saturday is the primary reason Gonzaga dropped, especially since the Zags picked up a quality Quad 2 win over Santa Clara last Thursday.

Gonzaga's best win of the season came in the opener of the Players Era Festival against Alabama, but 'Bama is on a two-game losing streak after taking a home loss to unranked Texas, which contributed to the Crimson Tide falling five spots from No. 13 to No. 18. While Gonzaga still has an excellent resume, Alabama's recent struggles and even Michigan's loss to unranked Wisconsin may have contributed to voters moving the Zags down a spot or two.

Michigan and Alabama are the only Gonzaga opponents ranked in the top 25 this week. In fact, none of GU's other non-con opponents - UCLA, Oregon, Creighton, Oklahoma, or Kentucky - picked up a single vote in this week's poll, although fellow WCC opponent Saint Mary's did get 17 votes after their stellar 5-0 start in conference play.

Future conference opponent Utah State - who will join the Pac-12 in 2026-27 out of the Mountain West - is ranked for the first time this season, coming in at No. 23 after winning on the road at Air Force and Boise State last week to move to 14-1 on the year and 5-0 in the MWC.

Gonzaga will take on Washington State in Pullman on Thursday, Jan. 15, at 7:00 PM PT on the CBS Sports Network.

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