Gonzaga is the preseason No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll. The Bulldogs held the No. 1 ranking all last season and reached the national championship game.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few will miss two exhibition games and the first game of the regular season after he was arrested last month on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Arizona has hired longtime Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd as its men’s basketball coach. Lloyd will receive a five-year contract, pending approval by the Arizona Board of Regents.
Michigan’s Juwan Howard is The Associated Press men’s college basketball coach of the year. Howard received 35 of 63 votes from a national media panel.
The last men's college basketball team to go undefeated and win the Division I national championship was Indiana in 1976. Gonzaga is a real threat to end that 45-year drought this year.
UCLA survived a series of nail-biting misses by top-seeded Michigan in the closing seconds for a 51-49 victory that made the Bruins the fifth No. 11 seed ever to reach the Final Four.
Gonzaga’s bid for a perfect season will continue into the Final Four of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Meanwhile, UCLA’s unexpected run through the tournament continues.
Gonzaga will be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament in its bid to complete the first undefeated season in 35 years. The Bulldogs are in the West Region.
Gonzaga and Baylor lead an unchanged quartet atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, while Kansas has returned to the rankings at No. 23.