Men's college basketball rankings: Gonzaga ascends to No. 13 in AP Top 25 poll (2/13/23)

The Zags (21-5, 10-2) moved up three spots following home wins over San Francisco and BYU

The Gonzaga men's basketball team moved to No. 13 in the Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll released Monday. 

The Zags (21-5, 10-2) climbed three spots after defeating San Francisco and BYU at home. Rasir Bolton led the way against the Dons with 23 points while Drew Timme had 21 in the 99-81 win. On Saturday, Julian Strawther poured in a team-high 26 points and four 3-pointers to help take down the Cougars, 88-81.

Gonzaga was ranked No. 16 in last week's poll after its letdown in Moraga against No. 17 Saint Mary's.

The Zags can claim a win over the top-ranked team in the country, as No. 1 Alabama overtook No. 3 Purdue following the Boilermakers' 64-58 defeat at Northwestern on Sunday. It's the first time in 20 years that the Crimson Tide has been ranked No. 1.

Houston remained at No. 2, receiving 22 first-place votes compared to Alabama's 38. UCLA jumped three spots and Kansas moved up four to round out the poll's top five teams.

No. 9 Baylor and No. 18 Creighton moved up five spots after victories over top-25 opponents. The Bears defeated No. 22 TCU on the road while the Bluejays, who have won eight in a row, handed No. 20 UConn its seventh loss of the season.

Losses to West Virginia and Oklahoma State dropped No. 19 Iowa State eight spots, the week's biggest fall.

The Gaels fell two spots after losing to LMU on the road before a bounce-back victory against Portland on Saturday. 

With less than two weeks left in the regular season, the Gaels (22-5, 11-1) sit one game ahead of the Zags in the WCC standings. The two programs square off on Feb. 25 in Spokane.

Gonzaga is back in action on Thursday against LMU in Los Angeles. The Lions snapped the Zags' 75-game home winning streak on Jan. 19.

Here’s the full AP Top 25 poll for Week 15 of the 2022-23 season:

AP TOP 25 POLL

1. Alabama 1,523 (38)
2. Houston 1,503 (22) 
3. Purdue 1,408 (2)
4. UCLA 1,302 
5. Kansas 1,283
6. Texas 1,214
7. Virginia 1,212
8. Arizona 1,139
9. Baylor 1,072
10. Tennessee 896
11. Marquette 815
12. Kansas State 790
13. Gonzaga 761
14. Indiana 717
15. Miami (FL) 693
16. Xavier 642
17. Saint Mary's 567
18. Creighton 517
19. Iowa State 396
20. UConn 358
21. San Diego State 271
22. TCU 204
23. North Carolina State 140
24. Providence 136
25. Florida Atlantic 117

Others receiving votes: Missouri 114, Northwestern 96, Illinois 84, Pittsburgh 82, Nevada 36, Oklahoma State 23, Texas A&M 16, Oral Roberts 9, Iowa 5, Arkansas 4, Rutgers 2, Charleston 1, Maryland 1, Boise State 1