SPOKANE, Wash. — The Associated Press released the Top 25 preseason men’s basketball poll on Monday and Gonzaga came in at number six. The Zags received one first-place vote and are ranked behind Kansas, Alabama, UCONN, Houston and Iowa State.
The Zags are just under two weeks out from an exhibition game against USC and three weeks away from opening the season against #8 Baylor at the Spokane Arena!
This season, the Zags are expected to start Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman, Michael Ajayi, Ben Gregg and Graham Ike to start the season. Newcomer Michael Ajayi from Pepperdine averaged just over 17 points per game last season.
The men’s Preseason AP Top 25 is as follows:
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- UCONN Huskies
- Houston Cougars
- Iowa State Cyclones
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Duke Blue Devils
- Baylor Bears
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Arizona Wildcats
- Auburn Tigers
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Creighton Bluejays
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Marquette Golden Eagles
- Texas Longhorns
- Cincinnati Bearcats
- Florida Gators
- UCLA Bruins
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights
This marks the 24th straight season GU has been ranked in the AP poll. It's the 15th consecutive year the Zags have appeared in the preseason poll, starting in the top-20 for the 12th straight season. Gonzaga joins Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina as the only programs that have appeared in each of the last 15 preseason AP Polls. Since 2017, GU averages a 7.25 ranking in the AP Preseason Poll, which ranks fourth in the nation.
During the 2024-2025 season, Gonzaga will play Baylor, Kentucky, UCLA and UCONN, all four teams were ranked in the Preseason Top 25.
The Zags finished last season 27-8 and 14-2 in conference. Gonzaga beat McNeese St. in the opening round of the NCAA tournament then crushed Kansas before being beat by number one Purdue.