Gonzaga falls out of AP Poll top 10 after Saint Mary's loss

In the final AP Poll before the WCC Tournament begins, Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs once again find themselves just outside the top ten.

The Zags (28-3) fell from No. 9 to No. 12 in the first March poll, following the team's ugly loss to Saint Mary's in Moraga in the WCC regular season finale.

Michigan State (No. 13 to No. 8), Nebraska (No. 12 to No. 9), Texas Tech (No. 16 to No. 10) and Illinois (No. 10 to No. 11) all jumped the Zags, while Purdue fell from No. 8 to No. 15 after losing at home to Michigan State and on the road to Ohio State last week.

This is the third time this season Gonzaga has been ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll. First was on Nov. 24 - just before the Zags beat Alabama and Maryland, and lost to Michigan, in the Players Era Festival. Next was Feb. 9 following the team's disastrous road loss to Portland.

The Zags have not fallen below No. 12 since Nov. 17 when they were No. 13. Gonzaga was No. 21 in the preseason poll but moved up to No. 19 on Nov. 10 and No. 13 on Nov. 17, following a 27 point win over Creighton at home.

AP results carry little weight this late in the season, with the bigger concern being what Gonzaga's loss at Saint Mary's means for their seeding in the NCAA Tournament.

Most bracketologists had Gonzaga as a No. 3 seed prior to the game in Moraga, and the few that have come out since then mostly dropped the Zags to a No. 4 seed.

The No. 4 seeds play in Portland, OR, San Diego, CA, Philadelphia, PA, and Greenville, SC, depending on the region, which could place Gonzaga in a favorable environment on the west coast.

Of course, No. 4 seeds are forced to face a No. 1 seed in the Sweet 16, assuming they both advance, while a No. 3 seed lines up against a No. 2 seed in the Sweet 16 and wouldn't have to beat a No. 1 until the Elite Eight.

That's significant in a year where the No. 1 seeds - notably Duke, Arizona, and Michigan - are incredibly strong squads, while the rotating group of No. 2 seeds have looked far more mortal throughout the regular season.

Alabama (No. 16) and Saint Mary's (No. 21) are both in the Top 25 this week. It marks the first appearance in the poll for SMC this season, despite a stellar 27-4 overall record and a 16-2 mark in conference play.

Kentucky (47 votes) just missed the top 25, while fellow WCC opponent Santa Clara snuck onto the ballot of one voter after finishing third in the conference.

Gonzaga has a week to prepare for the semifinal matchup in the WCC Tournament, which will take place on Monday, March 9 at 6:00 PM PT. They will face the winner of a quarterfinal game between No. 4 Oregon State and either No. 5 San Francisco, No. 8 Washington State, No. 9 Portland, or No. 12 Pepperdine.