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Men’s college basketball rankings: Gonzaga ranked 15th in final AP Top 25 poll – Sports Illustrated
Following the program’s ninth-straight appearance in the Sweet 16, the Gonzaga Bulldogs finished the 2023-24 season ranked 15th in the AP Top 25 poll released Tuesday.
The Zags (27-8, 14-2 WCC) moved up three spots from the previous poll that was released just after Selection Sunday. As the 5-seed in the Midwest Region, they throttled 12-seed McNeese State, 86-65, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament followed by an 89-68 win over 4-seed Kansas in the second round. The 21-point victories sent the Bulldogs to the Sweet 16 for the ninth-straight postseason, the longest active streak in the nation.
Despite a loss to 1-seed Purdue in Detroit, Michigan, the 2023-24 campaign was one of Mark Few’s most impressive displays of coaching in his career. After an 11-5 start, many prognosticators and so-called experts doubted Gonzaga’s chances of even qualifying for the Big Dance. That is, until it won 14 of its final 16 games before Selection Sunday in a stretch that included road wins over Kentucky, San Francisco and Saint Mary’s.
Overall, Gonzaga finished the season with three wins over AP Top 25 teams (Kansas, Kentucky and Saint Mary's) compared to four losses (UConn, Purdue and Saint Mary's twice).
The final AP Poll from Tuesday marked the eighth-straight season with a ranking of 15th or better in the final poll and it was the 14th appearance for the season. Gonzaga also finished in the top 25 on KenPom (12th), Bart Torvik (12th), Haslametrics (8th) and the NET (17th).
The two-time reigning national champion UConn Huskies sat atop the poll following their 75-60 win over No. 2 Purdue in the national championship on Monday night. Alabama, which reached the Final Four as a 4-seed, and Houston tied for the No. 3 spot, followed by Tennessee at No. 5. The Crimson Tide saw the biggest rise of any team from the previous poll after they went from 19th to 3rd.
No. 10 NC State was the biggest riser overall after it went from unranked to the top 10 with a magical run to the Final Four led by 6-foot-9 post DJ Burns. The Wolfpack went on an improbable nine-game winning streak, including five wins in five days to secure the ACC Tournament championship and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Auburn was the biggest fallers after it was upset by Yale in the first round of the tournament. The defeat dropped the Tigers from No. 7 to No. 18.
Saint Mary’s plummeted to No. 21 following its opening-round loss to Grand Canyon. It’s the third straight season Randy Bennett’s group finished the season in the top 25. West Coast Conference newcomer Washington State moved up to No. 23 for the school’s first appearance in the final edition of the AP Poll since the 2007-08 season.
Here’s the rest of the AP Top 25:
1. UConn (37-3, 18-2 Big East)
2. Purdue (34-5, 17-3 Big Ten)
3. Alabama (25-12, 13-5 SEC)
3. Houston (32-5, 15-3 Big 12)
5. Tennessee (27-9, 14-4 SEC)
6. Illinois (29-9, 14-6 Big Ten)
7. North Carolina (29-8, 17-3 ACC)
8. Iowa State (29-8, 13-5 Big 12)
9. Duke (27-9, 15-5 ACC)
10. NC State (26-15, 9-11 ACC)
11. Arizona (27-9, 15-5 Pac-12)
12. Marquette (27-10, 14-6 Big East)
13. Creighton (25-10, 14-6 Big East)
14. Clemson (24-12, 11-9 ACC)
15. Gonzaga (27-8, 14-2 WCC)
16. Baylor (24-11, 11-7 Big 12)
17. San Diego State (26-11, 11-7 MWC)
18. Auburn (27-8, 13-5 SEC)
19. Kansas (23-11 10-8 Big 12)
20. Kentucky (23-10, 13-5 SEC)
21. Saint Mary's (26-8, 15-1 WCC)
22. Utah State (28-7, 14-4 MWC)
23. Washington State (25-10, 14-6 Pac-12)
24. South Carolina (26-8, 13-5 SEC)
25. Dayton (25-8, 14-4 A10)
COLE FORSMAN
Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Nation, a member of Sports Illustrated’s FanNation network. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.
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