Gonzaga lost two first-round NBA draft picks and six players from last year’s team are earning paychecks professionally, but the program’s high expectations remain.
The preseason AP college basketball poll released Monday confirmed as much with Gonzaga checking in at No. 8, matching the 2006 Zags for the program’s second highest preseason rating.
Washington received the most votes among unranked teams.
Preseason AP Top 25
First-place votes in parentheses
1. Michigan State (60)
2. Kentucky (2)
3. Kansas (3)
4. Duke
5. Louisville
6. Florida
7. Maryland
8.