Gonzaga Basketball: Bulldogs Ranked No. 13 in Coaches Poll

Gonzaga basketball got its first official ranking with the release of the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 13 in this first poll.

What does this mean for the Zags?

Well, it does not actually mean a whole lot in terms of what they will or will not accomplish this season. However, it does show where the popular consensus view of this team in the context of the other top teams in the nation lies.

Kentucky, Arizona and Duke lead the pack in the top three places. Gonzaga just misses out on the Top 10 in this first poll but finds itself ranked higher than traditional powerhouses such as Michigan State, Michigan, Syracuse and the reigning national champion Connecticut.

In looking at this poll, it becomes clear that Gonzaga’s talent and depth are deeply respected by coaches across the nation. The Bulldogs have been a constant within the rankings over the past few years, and to be ranked this high to begin the season is a testament to the reputation the Zags have established for excellence.

Beyond gleaning something about the Bulldogs from this poll, we can also look at what coaches think about the caliber of talent that Gonzaga will be playing against this season.

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Gonzaga is scheduled to play two teams ranked in this poll. Arizona is ranked No. 2, and Southern Methodist is ranked at No. 22.

Other nonconference opponents—Memphis and UCLA—received votes that would rank them No. 31 and No. 33, respectively. 

Only one other West Coast Conference team received votes in the first USA Today Coaches Poll. St. Mary’s received one vote and was team No. 48 in the poll.

BYU, who returns high-volume scoring guard Tyler Haws and the majority of the team that placed second behind Gonzaga last season in the conference, did not receive a single vote.

Looking at this initial poll, it becomes clear that not only is Gonzaga well-recognized as a talented team this season, but it also has a challenging road of opponents ahead of it.

With so much of preseason rankings being subjective, it will be interesting to see where the Bulldogs lie when the Associated Press Preseason Poll is released in the coming weeks.