NCAA Basketball: Purdue, Duke, fall in latest top 25 power ranking
By Joey Loose
8. Gonzaga (6-1)
Things haven’t always gone according to plan this season, with Gonzaga relegated to the loser’s bracket of the Maui Invitational, but they’ve still played solid ball early in the year. Wins against Syracuse and UCLA in Hawaii were the best part of a November that wasn’t full of the chances they imagined, though there’s no shame in losing to then-top-rated Purdue.
This latest week started on Tuesday with an 81-65 victory at home over Cal State Bakersfield. Six of Gonzaga’s eight who played scored in double figures, led by Ryan Nembhard’s 22 points and Anton Watson’s double-double. The weekend produced a more impressive win, as the Bulldogs turned a fast start into an 89-76 win against USC in Las Vegas, with all seven of their players scoring at least 9, including Graham Ike’s double-double.
Having a pair of wins over those Pac-12 schools from southern California is nice and the Bulldogs certainly look like the heavy favorite in the WCC yet again. It’s hard to say how this team compares to some of the truly elite Gonzaga team of recent past, but Nembhard and Watson at the very least are a formidable duo who’ll do serious damage. Next week features yet another challenge against the Pac-12, with a road test at Washington.