The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll returns this week with a light schedule, featuring just one ranked matchup. No. 14 Gonzaga will host No. 22 UCLA on Saturday at home in a high-stakes game that could impact NCAA Tournament seeding.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few is looking ahead to the matchup after a win over Bucknell over the weekend. The team has been practicing and plans to return for Christmas Day for a workout to prepare for the Bruins. The Bulldogs have won two straight games since their last loss to Kentucky and UConn.
UCLA, meanwhile, is coming off a tough loss to North Carolina in New York’s Madison Square Garden, where they blew a 16-point lead. Head coach Mick Cronin acknowledged that the team needs to improve on free throws and end-game ball security to succeed at this level.
The game against UCLA will be the first of two meetings between the teams under a two-year series agreement. Next year’s matchup will take place in Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.
With 12 of the 25 ranked teams not playing this week, the holiday break provides an opportunity for teams to rest and recover before conference play resumes next week. The AP Top 25 rankings show Tennessee, Auburn, and Duke as top-tier teams, while Gonzaga ranks No. 14 in the poll.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-25-ucla-gonzaga-01a42297650514dd89911360fe3593eb