When Mark Few committed to playing in the Maui Invitational, committed to playing at North Carolina and Creighton, committed to a neutral-court showdown with Tennessee, he did so under the assumption his leading returning scorer, Killian Tillie, would be available. But Tillie had ankle surgery in the preseason. So he hasn't been available a single minute -- which is among the reasons it should be unsurprising that one of the nation's toughest non-league schedules has started to add losses to Gonzaga's resume.
This time last week, the Zags were 9-0.
They were ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll.
But now Gonzaga is 9-2 after losing consecutive games to Tennessee and North Carolina -- the latter of which came Saturday by double-digits at the Dean Smith Center. Obviously, that's not great. But it's also neither alarming nor a big deal because Tennessee is good enough to beat anybody on a neutral court, and nobody, outside of maybe Duke, will be expected to win at UNC this season. Plus, don't forget, Gonzaga still has that neutral-court win over Duke in its back pocket. And that, in addition to a likely run through the WCC after Tillie returns, should give the Zags a real shot to still secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Gonzaga is No. 7 in Sunday morning's updated Top 25 And 1.
Kansas remains No. 1.
Sunday's Top 25 And 1
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Dedric Lawson finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's win over Villanova. The Jayhawks' resume includes four wins over top-35 KenPom teams. | -- | 23-11 |
| 2 |  | Admiral Schofield finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's win at Memphis. The Vols' lone loss is an OT loss to Kansas. | -- | 27-9 |
| 3 |  | RJ Barrett finished with 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists in Saturday's win over Yale. He's the first Duke freshman in history to ever have at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in a game. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 4 |  | The Wolf Pack trailed at the half Saturday but rallied to avoid South Dakota State's upset bid. Caleb and Cody Martin combined for 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. | 1 | 26-8 |
| 5 |  | The Cavaliers only allowed VCU to shoot 29.5 percent from the field in Sunday's win over the Rams. Kyle Guy led Virginia with 15 points and six rebounds. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 6 |  | Charles Matthews finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's win over Western Michigan. Barring a huge upset, the Wolverines will finish the non-league portion of their schedule with zero losses. | 1 | 8-24 |
| 7 |  | Gonzaga allowed UNC to shoot 54.7 percent from the field in Saturday's loss at the Dean Smith Center. The Zags will take a two-game losing streak into Tuesday's game with UT Arlington. | 4 | 27-8 |
| 8 |  | The Tigers needed overtime Saturday to get past UAB. Jared Harper led Auburn with a game-high 31 points. | -- | 27-8 |
| 9 |  | The Spartans missed 11 of their 15 3-point attempts Saturday but still got a win at Florida. Michigan State has won eight of its past nine games since that season-opening loss to Kansas. | -- | 20-15 |
| 10 |  | UNC's resume features wins over Gonzaga and UCLA, losses to Michigan and Texas. Cameron Johnson is averaging a team-high 16.6 points in 26.8 minutes per game. | -- | 29-8 |
| 11 |  | The Red Raiders' perfect start features wins over Nebraska, USC and Memphis. Jarrett Culver is averaging a team-high 19.1 points in 29.1 minutes per game. | -- | 23-11 |
| 12 |  | The Seminoles' resume features three wins over top-55 KenPom teams. Terance Mann is averaging a team-high 12.1 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds in 31.2 minutes per game. | -- | 17-16 |
| 13 |  | Nickeil Alexander-Walker got 24 points on 14 field-goal attempts in Saturday's win over Washington. The Hokies' lone loss is a one-point loss at Penn State. | -- | 19-15 |
| 14 |  | The Buckeyes trailed at the half Saturday but rallied to avoid being upset by Bucknell. Kaleb Wesson finished with 22 points on 11 field-goal attempts. | -- | 22-14 |
| 15 |  | Ethan Happ is leading the Badgers in points per game (19.2), rebounds per game (10.8) and assists per game (5.0). Wisconsin's only losses are single-digit losses to Virginia and Marquette away from home. | -- | 22-14 |
| 16 |  | The Terrapins' only losses are single-digit losses to Virginia at home and Purdue on the road. Bruno Fernando is averaging 13.7 points and 9.4 rebounds in 26.9 minutes per game. | -- | 16-17 |
| 17 |  | Arizona State's resume features wins over Mississippi State, Utah State and Georgia .The lone loss is a single-digit loss on a neutral court to Nevada. | -- | 14-18 |
| 18 |  | The Bulldogs made 12 of 23 3-point attempts in Saturday's win over Cincinnati. Mississippi State's lone loss is a neutral-court loss to Arizona State. | -- | 21-14 |
| 19 |  | Tyler Cook and Luka Garza combined for 34 points in Saturday's win at Northern Iowa. The Hawkeyes' two losses are to Michigan State and Wisconsin. | -- | 19-15 |
| 20 |  | The Bulls' undefeated recorded will be at stake twice this week - first at Syracuse, then at Marquette. The 10-0 start is Buffalo's best start since the 1930-31 season. | -- | 4-27 |
| 21 |  | The Cougars own wins over four top-65 KenPom teams - most notably Oregon and LSU. They should be favored in each of their next 13 games. | -- | 32-5 |
| 22 |  | The Sooners' lone loss is a neutral-court loss to Wisconsin. Christian James is averaging a team-high 18.9 points in 32.7 minutes per game. | -- | 20-12 |
| 23 |  | The Bearcats' two losses are both to teams ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 And 1. Jarron Cumberland is averaging a team-high 15.8 points in 28.4 minutes per game. | -- | 22-15 |
| 24 |  | The Huskers' resume features three wins over top-60 KenPom teams. They own a 23-point win over the Seton Hall team that beat Kentucky at Madison Square Garden. | -- | 23-11 |
| 25 |  | Rob Phinisee made a 25-foot jumper at the buzzer Saturday to give Indiana a win over Butler. The Hoosiers have won four straight games since losing at Duke. | -- | 19-14 |
| 26 |  | The Golden Eagles own wins over Wisconsin, Kansas State and Louisville. Both of their losses are to schools ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 And 1 - specifically Kansas and Indiana. | -- | 27-10 |
