NCAA Basketball top 25 rankings: Gonzaga, Providence rise, Alabama falls

4. Gonzaga (9-2)

This week presented another opportunity for the Bulldogs against a very solid opponent and this time they took advantage. Coming off recent losses to Duke and Alabama, Gonzaga needed to take advantage of their last bigtime nonconference foe before the doldrums of WCC play begin in a few weeks. Early Saturday they scored a 69-55 over a ranked Texas Tech that’s been playing fantastic defense, with Andrew Nembhard scoring 16 points and leading a solid long-range attack.

This team is getting back on track after slipping up these last few weeks and has certainly asserted themselves as one of the nation’s best teams again. The next few months will have limited opportunities for Gonzaga to prove themselves on the national stage, but stockpiling wins is the most they can do in conference play. This coming week provides a home date with Northern Arizona, which should be drama-free, while their first WCC game isn’t until December 30th.

Last year, Gonzaga was unbeaten all the way until the national championship game, but that doesn’t mean this year’s team, with two losses already, can’t make another deep run in the Big Dance. Opportunity presents itself in the coming months for Gonzaga to figure things out against their WCC foes, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Bulldogs making another splash in the NCAA Tournament come March.