Gonzaga moved up in AP Poll despite blowout loss to Michigan

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs went 2-1 last week, including a major marquee win over Alabama and a blowout victory against Maryland.

Typically, a double-digit win over a top ten team, and a 39-point win over a Big Ten school, would obviously result in upward movement in the AP Poll - but that was far from a guarantee for Gonzaga after they got blasted by 40 points in the Players Era Festival championship game by Michigan.

However, Gonzaga is now No. 11 in the AP top 25, up one spot from No. 12 despite the worst loss in Mark Few's coaching career on Wednesday. It's a sign the AP voters respect the rest of Gonzaga's resume, notably the five wins over power conference opponents Alabama, Oklahoma, Creighton, Maryland, and Arizona State. It's also a sign of respect for Michigan, which climbed four spots from No. 7 to No. 3 just behind Purdue and Arizona.

Duke and UConn round out the top five, while Louisville, Michigan State, Houston, BYU, and Iowa State make up the top ten.

The No. 11 ranking for Gonzaga mirrors where they ended up in the Coaches Poll, although in that case, the Zags actually dropped one spot after being No. 10 last week.

The coaches and AP voters are still lower on Gonzaga than the computer metrics, although that gap is shrinking. KenPom has the Zags at No. 5 overall, while Torvik (9) and EvanMiya (10) are right around the voters.

Nov 26, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs bench looks on during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines in the 2025 Players Era Festival championship game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Gonzaga is one spot ahead of Alabama and seven spots ahead of their upcoming opponent, the Kentucky Wildcats, who come in at No. 18 ahead of Friday's tilt with the Zags at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

However, the 'Cats have another marquee game before taking on the Zags, as they host the No. 16 North Carolina Tar Heels at Rupp Arena on Tuesday as part of the ACC-SEC challenge.

Kentucky is the lone ranked team remaining on Gonzaga's schedule, although two other teams received votes in the AP poll: UCLA (59 votes) fell out of the top 25 after losing to Cal at the Chase Center in San Francisco, while Saint Mary's (15 votes) lost a little momentum after finishing second in the Battle 4 Atlantis following a 25 point loss to Vanderbilt in the title game.

Creighton is notably not receiving any votes after their struggles continued in the Players Era Festival, while the Oregon Ducks are also voteless after losing all three games in Las Vegas. Gonzaga will take on Oregon Dec. 21 at the Moda Center in a highly anticipated matchup between two programs that have not faced each other outside of an MTE since 1984.

Gonzaga's matchup with Kentucky is set to tip off at 4:00 PM PT in Nashville and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

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