Gonzaga rises to No. 12 in latest AP Poll

The Gonzaga Bulldogs rose two spots in the latest AP Poll to No. 12, with the Houston Cougars taking over the No. 1 spot from Alabama.

The Crimson Tide lost their hold on the top spot following a loss to the Tennessee Volunteers, a win that helped buoy the Vols own slide out of the top 10. Tennessee promptly followed up the big win with a floundering effort against the Kentucky Wildcats.

The Kansas Jayhawks continued to look strong, rising two spots to No. 3. UCLA held pat at No. 4, and the Purdue Boilermakers landed at No. 5, arguably a pretty generous ranking for a team that has lost three of its last five games.

There is still a legitimate chance the Zags can end the season as a top 10 ranked team, but doing so requires a win at home against Saint Mary’s, a feat that is quite a bit less than guaranteed.

Since defeating Gonzaga, however, the Gaels have also been in their own version of a conference funk. They lost on the road to LMU and ground out narrow wins against a bad San Diego team and a mediocre at best BYU squad—Toreros on the road, Cougars at home. Can Gonzaga’s home environment be the key to victory? We shall see.

Here is the full AP Poll for Week 16: