NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga, Kansas drops, Duke, UNC rises in latest top 25 power ranking

24. Saint Mary’s Gaels – 18-4 (7-0 WCC)

While Gonzaga got all of the headlines in the WCC for its shocking upset loss to LMU, the Gaels have just quietly been rolling along in league play. On Thursday, they took on Pepperdine, one of the higher-scoring teams in the country, on the road.

And yet Saint Mary’s made them look utterly incompetent on the offensive end, limiting the Waves to just 44 points on 30% shooting in a 29-point blowout victory. Logan Johnson led all players with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Alex Ducas had 16 points and seven rebounds. Guard Augustas Marciulionis dished out seven assists off the bench.

The Gaels were at home on the weekend, taking on a dangerous Santa Clara squad, coming off a win over BYU. The Broncos were competitive in the first half and made Saint Mary’s sweat a bit before a big second-half run by the home team turned into another blowout. They won 77-58, led by 20 points from freshman Aidan Mahaney. Johnson and Ducas each had 13 points as well.

The Gaels are now alone in first place in the WCC but take on its toughest challenge to date, going into Provo to take on BYU. It’s potentially the last time since the Cougars are heading to the Big 12 after this season so let’s see if they can end the series with a road win.