Men's college basketball rankings: Gonzaga moves up to No. 8 in AP Top 25 poll (1/9/23)

The Zags (14-3) climbed one spot in the rankings after two thrilling victories in California

Gonzaga moved up to No. 8 in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll after a wild week of upsets across the college basketball landscape.

Riding a nine-game winning streak, the Zags (14-3, 3-0 WCC) battled to the end in their two narrow victories in the Bay area last week to move up one spot in the poll.

After trailing the Dons throughout the ballgame, Rasir Bolton scored 16 second-half points, including a game-winning putback in the final seconds to help the Zags overcome a double-digit halftime deficit.

Two nights later in Santa Clara, the Zags and Broncos exchanged the lead 19 times in a back-and-forth battle that was decided by Nolan Hickman’s heroics down the stretch. The sophomore knocked down the go-ahead basket on a step-back 3-pointer with just over a minute left to give the Zags their ninth consecutive victory.

Following Purdue’s first loss of the season to Rutgers, Houston reclaimed the top spot in the poll. The No. 3 Boilermakers (15-1, 4-1 Big Ten) also lost to the Scarlet Knights last season as the No. 1 team.

Alabama and Tennessee each jumped three spots to round out the top five as No. 6 UConn continues to slide in the rankings with back-to-back losses following an undefeated start.

A letdown against Washington State snapped No. 9 Arizona’s 28-game home winning streak, the second-longest behind Gonzaga, and dropped the Wildcats four spots in the poll.

Likewise, No. 10 Texas fell in the rankings after a home loss to Kansas State.

Staying in the Big 12, No. 14 Iowa State jumped a whopping 11 spots after a 3-0 start to conference play that includes wins over Baylor and No. 17 TCU.

With the loss, the Bears (10-5, 0-3 Big 12) fell out of the Top 25 amid a three-game losing streak.

Saint Mary’s received 24 votes this week after a 42-point blowout over Portland. The Gaels (14-4) are No. 8 in the NET Rankings.

Here’s the full AP Top 25 poll for Week 10 of the 2022-23 season:

AP TOP 25 POLL

1. Houston 1,457 (34)
2. Kansas 1,440 (22) 
3. Purdue 1,386 (4) 
4. Alabama 1,288
5. Tennessee 1,231
6. UConn 1,206
7. UCLA 1,108
8. Gonzaga 1,070
9. Arizona 1,049
10. Texas 940            
11. Kansas State 818
12. Xavier 793
13. Virginia 712
14. Iowa State 697
15. Arkansas 613
16. Miami (FL) 604
17. TCU 553
18. Wisconsin 448
19. Providence 358
20. Missouri 317
21. Auburn 256
22. Charleston 246
23. San Diego State 222
24. Duke 221
25. Marquette 131

Others receiving votes: Baylor 93, Clemson 43, Florida Atlantic 33, Indiana 30, Michigan State 24, Saint Mary's 24, Northwestern 21, Rutgers 13, Illinois 13, Mississippi State 13, Ohio State 9, North Carolina State 4, Creighton 4, North Carolina 4, LSU 3, Pittsburgh 2, New Mexico 2, Nevada 1