Zags drop to No. 14 in AP poll
The Gonzaga Bulldogs dropped to No. 14 in the Week 4 AP men’s basketball poll after suffering a loss to Purdue last week.
AP PHOTO/RICK BOWMER
SPOKANE – The Gonzaga men's basketball team checked in at No. 14 in the Week 4 AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll this season after suffering its second double-digit early season loss.
The Zags (5-2) fell out of the top 10 of the AP poll for the first time since the 2017-18 season. That year, Gonzaga was ranked No. 12 in Week 14 before finishing the season in the No. 2 spot.
Playing in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament in Portland, Oregon, the Bulldogs first defeated the Portland State Vikings 102-78 in the first round before falling to Purdue 84-66 on Friday night.
Purdue center Zach Edey had 15 of his 23 points in the second half, which helped the Boilermakers outscore the Zags 51-38 in the final 20 minutes.
After the loss, Gonzaga matched up with Xavier in a 2017 Elite Eight game rematch. The Muskateers kept the game closer than they did in 2017, but the Zags pulled away after the under-four timeout to pull out an 88-84 win over Xavier.
Both of Gonzaga’s losses this season have come by nearly 20 points (19-point loss to Texas, 18-point loss to Purdue).
The Bulldogs return to the court on Friday against No. 6 Baylor. Tipoff is at 5 p.m.