Gonzaga moves up in AP Poll for sixth straight week after win over UCLA

The Zags are firmly inside the top ten of the latest AP Poll after a 10-1 start
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Warley (8).
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Warley (8). | Photo by Myk Crawford

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Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are 10-1 on the season after a hard-fought victory over the UCLA Bruins on Saturday night in Seattle.

The win pushed the Zags up one spot to No. 7 in the AP top 25 poll, continuing what is now a six-week streak of moving up the rankings. Gonzaga was ranked No. 21 in the preseason and climbed to No. 19, No. 13, No. 12, No. 11, No. 8, and now No. 7 through the first 11 games of the campaign.

Gonzaga moved ahead of Houston, who fell from No. 7 to No. 8 in the only movement that occurred in the top ten from last week. Arizona, Michigan, Duke, Iowa State, and UConn remain the top five, while Purdue, Gonzaga, Houston, Michigan State, and BYU round out the top ten.

Gonzaga is looked upon even more favorably by the computers. The NET now has Gonzaga at No. 3 just behind Michigan and Duke, while the Zags are No. 2 at KenPom behind Michigan, No. 4 at Torvik, and No. 5 at EvanMiya.

Gonzaga's win over UCLA not only bumped the Zags one spot in the poll, but it was the third time this season they have knocked a team out of the top 25. Gonzaga knocked Creighton out of the AP Poll back in early November after a 27-point victory at home, and knocked Kentucky out of the top 25 after beating them in Nashville in early December.

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Tyon Grant-Foster
Dec 13, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Skyy Clark (55) guards Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Tyon Grant-Foster (7) during the second half at Climate Pledge Arena. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Now UCLA joins the club after losing its spot at No. 25 following Saturday's loss. The Bruins picked up just 16 votes, three less than Kentucky, after falling to 7-3 overall.

Joining UCLA and Kentucky in the others receiving votes category is Saint Mary's - who picked up 12 votes despite losing to Boise State in Idaho Falls on Sunday evening - and Arizona State, who received five votes after a stellar 9-2 start to the season, which includes wins over Oklahoma, Texas, and Santa Clara. The Sun Devils will play UCLA on the road on Wednesday, Dec. 17 and could vault further into the national conversation with a win at Pauley.

Gonzaga no longer has any matchups remaining against ranked teams, with only two non-conference games left before WCC play begins in Dec. 28.

First up for Gonzaga is a buy game on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at home against Campbell, followed by Sunday afternoon's highly anticipated matchup against the Oregon Ducks at the Moda Center in Portland, OR.

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS


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Andy Patton
ANDY PATTON

Andy Patton is a diehard fan and alumnus of Gonzaga, graduating in 2013. He’s been the host of the Locked On Zags podcast covering Gonzaga basketball since 2021, and one of two co-hosts on the Locked On College Basketball podcast since 2022. In addition to covering college basketball, Andy has dabbled in sports writing and podcasting across nearly every major sport dating back to 2017. He was a beat writer covering the Seattle Seahawks from 2017–2021 for USA TODAY, where he also spent one year each covering the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks, and had a stint as the lead writer for College Sports Wire. Andy has also written about the NBA, NHL, and MLB for various news outlets through TEGNA, including KREM in Spokane, CBS8 in San Diego, and KING 5 in Seattle. After stints in Spokane and Seattle, Andy is back in Oregon near his hometown with his wife, daughter, and dog.

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