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.
| 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 |
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.