Where does Gonzaga rank on ESPN BPI?

The Bulldogs sit firmly in the top 10 of ESPN BPI's updated rankings heading into a showdown with UCLA to close out nonconference play

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. / James Snook-Imagn Images

As intended, the first two months of the college basketball season have presented a wide variety of challenges and opportunities for the Gonzaga men’s basketball team to overcome in preparation for a long journey toward the NCAA Tournament.

The Bulldogs (9-3) established a postseason resume right out of the gate, earning a Quad 1 win over an uber-talented Baylor squad on opening night, followed by a resilient 88-80 victory over an Arizona State team that’s hovering around the top 50 of the NET Rankings just a week later. The second Quad 1 win came a few days later at San Diego State, where the Zags drowned out a rowdy Viejas Arena crowd to come away with an impressive 13-point triumph in their first true road game of the season.

With those notable victories in mind, it wasn’t a surprise to see Gonzaga debut at No. 3 in the first NET Rankings of the season. Since then, though, the last three weeks have been an interesting learning process for Mark Few and company as they head down the stretch of nonleague play. 

"It's just an ongoing battle all year … you fix one [problem] here, and then you got to make another fix over here,” Few said after the Dec. 22 win over Bucknell. “You fall into the game planning for everything, and sometimes you just got to get back to just your basic core offensive principles and defensive principles and get the guys leveled out."

Late-game execution, particularly on the offensive end of the floor, and defensive rebounding in crunch time were at the forefront of both losses to Kentucky (90-89, OT) and UConn (77-71). The Bulldogs squandered an 18-point lead to the Wildcats after going 0-for-9 from downtown in the second half; then they went scoreless from the field in the final 3:25 of regulation and gave up timely offensive rebounds in their loss to the Huskies. Slow starts have also been a trend as of late, though Few was pleased with his team’s effort throughout the final tune-up game of nonconference play.

Now, the Bulldogs look to close out nonconference play on a high note when they tangle with UCLA (10-2) on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. According to the latest ESPN BPI rankings, the Bruins game could be one of the last opportunities to add a marquee victory to the postseason resume — Gonzaga’s remaining strength of schedule ranks as the 106th-toughest in the country.

“It's always a good time playing against UCLA,” senior guard Nolan Hickman said. “This Christmas break is gonna be good, rejuvenate, clear our minds and, get right back to it. This is the perfect game to come back to.”

Here’s a look at where the Zags stand in the updated ESPN BPI rankings :

ESPN BPI Snapshot

BPI Ranking: No. 6

Trend: Down one from No. 5

Win/loss projection: 26-5 (16-2 WCC)

Chance to win West Coast Conference: 95.2%

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

• What Gonzaga's Mark Few said after win vs. Bucknell

• Gonzaga beats Bucknell behind Graham Ike's big night: 3 takeaways

• What Gonzaga's players said after Bucknell win

• 2025 NCAA Tournament bracketology: Gonzaga projected 2-seed after losses to UConn and Kentucky

• Gonzaga looks to close out nonconference play on high note: ‘We could easily be undefeated right now’

• Junior college ruling: Could Gonzaga's Michael Ajayi return in 2025?

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