Men's college basketball rankings: Gonzaga moves up to No. 9 in AP Top 25 poll (1/2/23)

The Zags (12-3) have won seven games in a row ahead of their Thursday matchup against San Francisco

Following its seventh consecutive victory on Saturday, Gonzaga moved up one spot to No. 9 in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday.

The Zags (12-3, 1-0 WCC) handled their business to kick off West Coast Conference play with a 111-88 rout of the Pepperdine Waves on New’s Year Eve. Drew Timme led the way with a season-high 35 points on 15-for-19 shooting from the field as Mark Few’s squad poured in 70 points in the paint and 30 fastbreak points.

Gonzaga is back in action on Thursday when they visit the San Francisco Dons (11-6, 0-2 WCC). Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.

Undefeated Purdue remained atop the rankings for the fourth straight week, while Houston and Kansas leapfrogged No. 4 UConn following its first loss of the season to No. 18 Xavier, which jumped up four spots as a result.

UCLA entered the top 10 with its 10th straight win on the season, the longest streak for the program since 2017. The Bruins (13-2, 4-0 Pac-12) are ranked No. 7 in the NET Rankings with five combined Quad 1 and 2 wins.

Kentucky was left unranked this week after its 14-point loss to Missouri, which picked up its second win over a top-25 ranked opponent behind Kobe Brown’s 30 points to help the Tigers (12-1, 1-0 SEC) upend the Wildcats (8-4, 0-1 SEC) in the conference opener for both teams.

The SEC and Big 12 tied for the most representation in this week’s poll with five teams apiece.

No. 19 Baylor fell seven spots after dropping its conference opener in a 15-point loss to No. 25 Iowa State on Saturday. The Bears (10-3, 0-1 Big 12) blew a nine-point lead to the Cyclones (10-2, 1-0 Big 12) and Gabe Kalscheur, who knocked down five 3-pointers in a 23-point performance.

Here’s the full AP Top 25 poll for Week 9 of the 2022-23 season:

AP TOP 25 POLL

1. Purdue 1,524 (60)

2. Houston 1,417

3. Kansas 1,351

4. UConn 1,342 (1)

5. Arizona 1,334

6. Texas 1,185

7. Alabama 1,132

8. Tennessee 1,114

9. Gonzaga 1,003

10. UCLA 993

11. Virginia 926

12. Miami (FL) 814

13. Arkansas 717

14. Wisconsin 639

15. Indiana 558

16. Duke 554

17. TCU 545

18. Xavier 531

19. Baylor 520

20. Missouri 329

21. New Mexico 290

22. Auburn 290

23. Charleston 116

24. Ohio State 114

25. Iowa State 94

Others receiving votes: LSU 83, San Diego State 72, Mississippi State 62, Kentucky 53, Kansas State 41, Illinois 21, Marquette 20, Providence 14, Virginia Tech 7, Memphis 6, West Virginia 5, Michigan State 5, Florida Atlantic 3, Creighton 1