Undefeated Gonzaga ranked No. 1 in latest AP Poll

Some will tell you that regular season rankings mean nothing. Those same people will tell you that Gonzaga doesn’t deserve the honor of the No. 1 ranking because the Bulldogs play in a mid-major conference.

Those people are not happy today, because Gonzaga is ranked No. 1 in the country in the latest AP Poll. It is the second time in program history that the Bulldogs have topped the polls, the first time coming in 2013.

The Bulldogs got here by starting the season 22-0, complete with wins over Florida, Iowa State, and Arizona out of conference, and a win at home over West Coast Conference contender Saint Mary’s.

Of course, it helped that the rest of last week’s top four all lost. Villanova fell at Marquette; Kansas lost at West Virginia, but rebounded nicely to win at Kentucky; and the Wildcats fell to both the Jayhawks and at Tennessee.

That cleared the path for Gonzaga, which is currently No. 1 overall in KenPom, boasting some of the best offensive and defensive efficiency numbers in the country.

Our own Will Maupin will have a piece later today that will defend the Zags in further detail, but for now, we can sit back and enjoy Gonzaga getting the recognition it deserves.

Finally, shoutout to Northwestern for cracking the Top 25. We’re rooting for you because it’s fun.

Here’s the complete poll, first-place votes in parentheses:

1. Gonzaga (46)
2. Kansas (6)
3. Baylor (9)
4. Villanova (4)
5. Arizona
6. Louisville
7. West Virginia
8. Kentucky
9. Virginia
10. Wisconsin
11. UCLA
12. North Carolina
13. Oregon
14. Cincinnati
15. Florida State
16. Butler
17. Maryland
18. Saint Mary’s
19. South Carolina
20. Notre Dame
21. Duke
22. Creighton
23. Purdue
24. Florida
25. Northwestern