For the first time in nearly a decade, the Gonzaga men’s basketball team didn’t finish the regular season ranked inside the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Despite pulling off a pair of double-digit victories on the road against quality competition, the Bulldogs couldn’t crack the top 25 of the latest AP poll that released Monday. After securing the No. 2 spot in the final West Coast Conference standings with victories at Santa Clara (95-76) and San Francisco at the Chase Center (95-75) last week, the Zags were among the 15 teams that couldn’t quite crack the top 25 ballot.
Gonzaga (23-8, 14-4 WCC) received eight votes from the 60-person panel, which was tied for eighth among teams receiving votes (UCLA also had eight votes). Kansas (five) and UConn (four) were also notable brands left outside the top 25.
It’s the first time the Bulldogs didn’t finish the regular season ranked in the AP Top 25 poll since the 2015-16 campaign, when they were 23-7 before rattling off three must-win games in the WCC Tournament to secure an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga was featured in the poll just six times that season.
Saint Mary’s represented the WCC as the No. 21-ranked team in the latest poll, up two spots from last week. The Gaels (27-4, 17-1 WCC) finished the regular season on a seven-game winning streak that included a 74-67 triumph over Gonzaga in Spokane on Feb. 22. Saint Mary’s knocked off the Zags, 62-58, in Moraga, California, on Feb. 1 before suffering their only league loss of the regular season in a 65-64 defeat to San Francisco five days later.
Here’s a complete look at the AP Top 25 poll.
1. Auburn (27-2, 15-1 SEC)
2. Duke (26-3, 17-1 ACC)
3. Houston (25-4, 17-1 Big 12)
4. Tennessee (24-1, 11-5 SEC)
5. Florida (25-4, 12-4 SEC)
6. St. John’s (26-4, 17-2 Big East)
7. Alabama (23-6, 12-4 SEC)
8. Michigan State (24-5, 15-3 Big Ten)
9. Texas Tech (22-7, 13-5 Big 12)
10. Iowa State (22-7, 12-6 Big 12)
11. Clemson (24-5, 16-2 ACC)
12. Wisconsin (22-7, 12-6 Big Ten)
13. Maryland (22-7, 12-6 Big Ten)
14. Louisville (23-6, 16-2 ACC)
15. Missouri (21-8, 10-6 SEC)
16. Memphis (24-5, 14-2 AAC)
17. Michigan (22-7, 14-4 Big Ten)
18. Purdue (20-9, 12-6 Big Ten)
19. Kentucky (19-10, 8-8 SEC)
20. Marquette (22-7, 13-5 Big East)
21. Saint Mary’s (27-4, 17-1 WCC)
22. Texas A&M (20-9, 9-7 SEC)
23. BYU (21-8, 12-6 Big 12)
24. Arizona (19-10, 13-5 Big 12)
25. Mississippi State (20-9, 8-8 SEC)
VCU 85, Vanderbilt 78, Oregon 37, Drake 18, UC San Diego 17, Illinois 16, Mississippi 13, UCLA 8, Gonzaga 8, Kansas 5, High Point 4, UConn 4, New Mexico 2, Creighton 2, Akron 1.
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