Gonzaga stays put in updated AP Top 25 poll

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs closed out the non-conference portion of the season with a 91-82 win over the Oregon Ducks on Sunday afternoon, giving them a 12-1 record heading into conference play.

That includes eight wins over power conference opponents, including three in the Big Ten (Oregon, UCLA, and Maryland), three in the SEC (Kentucky, Alabama, and Oklahoma), and one each in the Big 12 (Arizona State) and Big East (Creighton).

Despite a pair of wins last week over Campbell and Oregon, Gonzaga did not move from their spot at No. 7 in the AP Poll - which was updated Monday morning. The only movement in the top ten was Duke falling from No. 3 to No. 6, following a shocking loss to Texas Tech on Saturday in a game the Blue Devils led by as many as 17 in the second half.

Duke's fall meant Iowa State, UConn, and Purdue all moved up one spot each to No. 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Arizona and Michigan remain at the top at No. 1 and No. 2, while Houston, Michigan State, and BYU round out the top ten behind the Zags.

While Gonzaga's eight power conference wins are certainly impressive, only one of those teams is currently ranked inside the top 25 in Alabama, who moved up two spots from No. 16 to No. 14 despite a rather pedestrian win over Kennesaw State last week, 92-81.

Kentucky, which Gonzaga knocked out of the top 25 back on Dec. 5, came very close to getting back in after receiving 78 votes following a massive win over St. John's on Saturday in Atlanta. The Wildcats were just two votes away from jumping back in at No. 25, with Iowa (79 votes) holding that final spot.

Meanwhile, UCLA (13 votes) and Arizona State (five votes) are both still getting love from AP voters. UCLA isn't much of a surprise; they've responded to the loss to Gonzaga by defeating Arizona State and Cal Poly to move to 9-3 on the year.

However, Arizona State is a bit of a surprise, as the Sun Devils have now lost two in a row - first the aforementioned loss to UCLA, followed by a loss at home to lowly Oregon State, which is No. 164 at KenPom.

Oklahoma, Creighton, and Oregon have received votes at times this year but did not this week, while the same is true for Saint Mary's after their loss to Boise State on Dec. 14, even after the Gaels responded with an 88-75 home win over Florida Atlantic on Friday.

Gonzaga is off the rest of the week for the holiday break and will resume play on Sunday, Dec. 28, at Pepperdine to begin the program's final season in the West Coast Conference.

The game tips off at 5:00 PM PT on ESPN+.

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