College Basketball Power 10: Seven of Top 10 Went Down Last Week
By Jeremy Karll
1. Gonzaga (22-0)
Gonzaga beat San Diego by 36 and Pepperdine by 47 to improve to 22-0 this year. Until the NCAA Tournament, traveling to Saint Mary’s in the middle of February is Gonzaga’s only test left in the regular season.
In 10 conference games this season, Gonzaga has only failed to win by fewer than 20 points twice — 15 points at San Francisco and 19 points at Portland. Their ability to demolish bad teams every game without losing focus is impressive.
If last week taught us anything, it’s that even great teams have a tendency to overlook opponents and have it cost them.
A bad game by Gonzaga still might not be enough for a team like San Diego or Pepperdine to beat them, but the Bulldogs have shown their focus by not even letting a team in their conference hang around.
Gonzaga is as well-rounded as any team in the nation, too. They can score inside or on the perimeter, and they have three of the best post defenders in the nation in Zach Collins, Przemek Karnowski and Killian Tillie.
Gonzaga’s historic start has led to them being ranked no. 1 by the Associated Press for just the second time in school history and first time in the regular season.
Next: NBA Power Rankings: Week 15
Gonzaga’s quest for regular season perfection continues this week at BYU and at home against Santa Clara.