Gonzaga moves up in latest AP Top 25 Poll

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are 21-1 on the year and 9-0 in WCC play, having won the past three games without either of their leading scorers in Graham Ike (ankle) and Braden Huff (knee).

The Zags have found ways to win without their dynamic frontcourt duo, relying heavily on the versatility of Jalen Warley and the isolation scoring of graduate senior Tyon Grant-Foster and true freshman Davis Fogle, as well as strong play from point guards Mario Saint-Supery and Braeden Smith.

It hasn't always been pretty - especially not on Saturday against San Francisco - but night in and night out the Zags find ways to end up in the win column as the calendar inches closer and closer to March.

Gonzaga was rewarded for their continued success - and what is now a 14-game winning streak - by moving up two spots to No. 6 in the updated AP Poll, the team's highest ranking of the season.

The Zags peaked at No. 7 on Dec. 15 following the win over UCLA and again on Dec. 22 after defeating Oregon, but dropped to No. 8 the following week. The last time coach Few's team was No. 6 or higher was back on Nov. 25, 2024, when they came in at No. 3 right before the Battle 4 Atlantis, where the Zags lost to West Virginia before defeating Indiana and Davidson.

Gonzaga just missed a top five that includes Arizona, UConn, Michigan, Duke, and undefeated Nebraska, while No. 7 Michigan State, No. 8 Iowa State, No. 9 Illinois, and Houston round out the top 10.

The AP voters rewarded Gonzaga for continuing to win, while punishing Purdue and Houston, who fell on Saturday to Illinois and Texas Tech, respectively. Purdue dropped from No. 4 to No. 12 after losing on the road at UCLA and then at home to Illinois, while Houston had an 11-game winning streak snapped after giving up 90 points to the Red Raiders in Lubbock.

Gonzaga also saw their lone ranked win slip dangerously close to unranked territory, as Alabama's home loss to Tennessee has them down six spots to No. 23 just ahead of undefeated Miami OH and St. John's.

However, one of Gonzaga's other strong wins - vs Kentucky in Nashville - could end up back in ranked territory soon, as the Wildcats received 51 votes, only behind Tennessee (88) among non-ranked teams.

Saint Mary's (three votes) and future Pac-12 foe Utah State (two votes) were among the 12 unranked teams receiving votes, with UCLA staying on the outside despite a pair of home wins last week over Purdue and Northwestern.

Gonzaga will have a chance to pick up a rare quad 1 win in conference play on Saturday when it hosts Randy Bennett and the Saint Mary's Gaels. Tip is slated for 7:30 PM and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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