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AP Poll: Gonzaga opens up as preseason No. 18

All that matters is we are higher than Saint Mary’s.

By Peter Woodburn
Saint Mary's v Gonzaga Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The Gonzaga Bulldogs will open the season ranked No. 18 in the first AP top 25 poll of the season. The key point to emphasize over and over in life—this is four spots higher than Saint Mary’s.

AP Preseason Top 25

rank team points
rank team points
1 Duke (33) 1,572
2 Michigan State (13) 1,520
3 Arizona (18) 1,506
4 Kansas (1) 1,439
5 Kentucky 1,340
6 Villanova 1,284
7 Wichita State 1,270
8 Florida 1,100
9 North Carolina 1,047
10 USC 995
11 West Virginia 840
12 Cincinnati 837
13 Miami (FL) 836
14 Notre Dame 814
15 Minnesota 641
16 Louisville 570
17 Xavier 544
18 Gonzaga 500
19 Northwestern 473
20 Purdue 362
21 UCLA 340
22 Saint Mary's 333
23 Seton Hall 274
24 Baylor 163
25 Texas A&M 130
Others receiving votes:Alabama 86, Virginia 57, Rhode Island 49, TCU 46, Providence 34, Missouri 19, Virginia Tech 16, Wisconsin 14, Butler 13, Texas 10, Maryland 7, Oklahoma 7, Nevada 7, Michigan 6, Dayton 5, Middle Tennessee 4, Ball St. 4, SMU 3, Oakland 2, Oregon 2, South Carolina 1, Harvard 1, UCF 1.

If you read the national news, the key takeaway from most everyone is that Saint Mary’s is the dog to beat in the West Coast Conference. The majority of the AP voters recognize that the title still rolls through Spokane, and until Saint Mary’s proves otherwise...

There are plenty of voters who feel the Zags are much higher than No. 18, and a few that think even less of them. Three AP voters didn’t rank Gonzaga in the top 25 (including Jon Rothstein), with one voter ranking Gonzaga as high as No. 13.

Other important teams on the list include Florida (at No. 8) and Duke (at No. 1), both potential opponents in the PK 80. Villanova also sits at No. 6, and the Zags have a date with them at Madison Square Garden in December.

Also, did we mention, the Zags are ranked higher than Saint Mary’s?

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