Gonzaga Breaks Into The AP, Coaches Top 5

With all the drama in college basketball this past week, many Gonzaga fans heads were filled with dreams of a very high ranking this week. While a top five position is nothing to cry about, I would have to assume the majority of Gonzaga fans would consider the just released AP ranking of No. 5 to be a bit below expectation. Note: Gonzaga is ranked No. 3 in the Coaches Poll, behind Duke and Indiana.

The Zags check in behind Indiana, Duke, Miami, and Michigan. The Hoosiers and Michigan both dropped close games this week but remained ahead of the Zags while Miami was the star of the week as they jumped five spots to No. 3. The Hurricanes became the sexy team this past weekend as they dominated a North Carolina team that most folks have yet to realize is terrible. The Canes are riding an 11-game win streak and will be a force in the tournament. While their ranking is easily justifiable, it will be interesting to see how the committee decides to seed Miami as they have losses to Florida Gulf Coast and Indiana State on their resume. The latter loss isn't terrible by any stretch and the Canes were shorthanded but they are both games that should have been won.

Big picture, there are two takeaways that we continue to reiterate. First of all, it is unlikely that Gonzaga will be ranked higher than 4th or 5th even if they win out. The common conception, which does hold some water, is that the wins that Gonzaga gets in January and February must be discounted due to the quality of their opposition. The second takeway is: just keep winning. A two-seed is very realistic based on Gonzaga's resume this season and that should be the end goal.

Beat Saint Mary's.