SPOKANE, Wash. — The Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team sits as the No. 8 ranked team in the nation in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.
The rankings, released on Monday morning, have Gonzaga at No. 8 behind perennial powerhouses such as Duke, Kansas, and Kentucky, to name a few.
West Coast Conference rival Saint Mary's is the WCC's other ranked team at No. 20. With two teams ranked in the top 25, the WCC matches the Pac 12 Conference.
KREM Sports Director Brenna Greene said on Twitter after the poll was released that if the Bulldogs receive a four-seed or higher in the NCAA Tournament at the end of the year, Gonzaga could play the opening weekend in Spokane.
The Bulldogs received 1,096 points from the voters, 38 points less than No. 7 Maryland and 36 more than No. 9 North Carolina.
Gonzaga's highest-ranked opponent for the upcoming season is No. 9 North Carolina, who the Bulldogs will play at home on Dec. 18. They will also face No. 21 Arizona on the road.
Gonzaga could also face No. 15 Oregon in the second round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament on Nov. 28. They could also see No. 12 Seton Hall and No. 9 North Carolina in the tournament.
Another one of Gonzaga's opponents this season, the Washington Huskies, were just 29 points away from cracking the top 25.
A hopeful sign for Zags fans is the fact that the Bulldogs beat No. 1 Michigan State 103-87 in a preseason scrimmage this year. Gonzaga played without star Killian Tillie in that scrimmage.
The Bulldogs were ranked No. 3 in last year's preseason AP Top 25 poll.
The ACC, Big Ten and SEC led all conference with four teams each ranked in the poll.
The following video is a preview of the 2019-2020 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team roster.