Men’s college basketball rankings: Gonzaga down to No. 7 in Associated Press Top 25 poll

Over half of the top 25 was reshuffled following a wild week of college hoops

Gonzaga head coach Mark Few. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

It was anyone's guess where the Gonzaga Bulldogs would fall in the weekly polls and rankings upon their return home from a 2-1 showing in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.

That's because the Zags (7-1) — who rebounded from their loss to West Virginia in the opener to finish fifth in the eight-team event after beating Davidson — were far from the only ranked team to have a slip up once (or twice, or thrice in some cases) over the course of Feast Week. Thirteen teams featured in the previous AP Top 25 poll suffered at least one loss in the past seven days. Five suffered multiple losses, including back-to-back champion UConn, which was No. 2 in the poll before it endured three consecutive defeats to unranked foes at the Maui Invitational.

As the dust settles on a wild week of college hoops, the Bulldogs now sit at No. 7 in the AP poll, down four spots from their previous position. No. 1 Kansas was the only team in the top 10 that didn't budge, while Auburn, Tennessee and Kentucky from the SEC followed suit while remaining undefeated as well. The Huskies, meanwhile, cling to their ranked status as the No. 25 team in the poll.

Mark Pope and the Wildcats advanced seven spots to No. 4 in the poll, making Saturday's matchup with the Zags at Climate Pledge Arena a top-10 showdown between two of the sport's marquee brands in Seattle. Last season, Kentucky was ranked No. 17 in the poll when Gonzaga went into Rupp Arena to come away with an 89-85 victory on the road. The two were ranked in the top five of the poll when they met at the Spokane Arena the season prior in 2022-23, when a trio of Zags scored 20-plus points to lead the way to an 88-72 win.

Part three of a six-year series between Gonzaga and Kentucky in Seattle will look noticeably different on Big Blue's side of things. Pope brought in a whole new roster over the offseason, and so far it's worked wonders on the offensive end of the floor. The Wildcats rank No. 1 in the country in scoring (96.7 points) and field goals made per game (34.6) as they prepare for their road game Tuesday at Clemson.

Elsewhere, six new teams joined the ranks this week, led by Oregon at No. 12 followed by No. 16 Memphis, No. 18 Pittsburgh, No. 19 Illinois, No. 21 Oklahoma and No. 24 San Diego State. Indiana, Arkansas, Creighton, Xavier, Arizona and Mississippi State conversely fell out of the top 25. West Virginia, Saint Mary's and Arizona State all received votes.

AP Top 25 poll (Week 5):

1. Kansas (7-0)
2. Auburn (7-0)
3. Tennessee (7-0)
4. Kentucky (7-0)
5. Marquette (8-0)
6. Iowa State (5-1)
7. Gonzaga (7-1)
8. Purdue (7-1)
9. Duke (5-2)
10. Alabama (6-2)
11. Wisconsin (8-0)
12. Oregon (8-0)
13. Florida (8-0)
14. Cincinnati (6-0)
15. Baylor (5-2)
16. Memphis (6-1)
17. Houston (4-3)
18. Pittsburgh (7-1)
19. Illinois (6-1)
20. North Carolina (4-3)
21. Oklahoma (7-0)
22. Texas A&M (6-2)
23. Ole Miss (6-1)
24. San Diego State (4-2)
25. UConn (5-3)

Others receiving votes: Michigan St. 108, Arkansas 104, Texas 97, Michigan 95, Arizona St 89, Indiana 72, Drake 58, Xavier 33, Utah St. 28, Louisville 27, West Virginia 26, Clemson 25, BYU 24, Dayton 24, Texas Tech 22, Nebraska 22, Mississippi St. 20, Ohio St. 19, Maryland 13, UCLA 13, Creighton 12, Saint Mary's 11, Georgia 10, St. John's 7, Loyola Chicago 4, Florida St. 3, DePaul 3, UC Irvine 2, Columbia 2.

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

• Andrew Nembhard records season-high in first game back from injury

• Gonzaga's Ryan Nembhard rises to the challenge his senior year: 'It was time for a big jump'

• Gonzaga's Ismaila Diagne suffers sprained MCL

• What Gonzaga's Mark Few said after win vs. Indiana in Battle 4 Atlantis

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