Top-ranked Gonzaga to fall after loss to BYU

SPOKANE, WASH. >> Topranked Gonzaga had an undefeated regular season in its sights, facing a 20-point underdog in the final game at The Kennel.

Instead of racing toward history, the Zags fell flat, losing 79-71 to Brigham Young on Saturday night. The undefeated season is history. So is Gonzaga’s No. 1 ranking, possibly its No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, too.

Now the Zags face the same question every other previously undefeated team gets asked after its first loss: Will this long run?

“I don’t know,” Gonzaga senior center Przemek Karnowski said after his final home game. “We’ll have to see what happens.”

Gonzaga (29-1, 17-1) still won their fifth straight WCC title and will be the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament next week in Las Vegas.

But the Zags will undoubtedly drop from the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 on Monday and may get bypassed as the No. 1 seed in the West Regional, where they were in the selection committee’s preliminary rankings.

And with the loss, the usual help them in the chorus of Gonzaga-is-overrated has already begun. The Zags have wins over Arizona, Florida, Iowa State, Tennessee and Saint Mary’s twice, so it kind of falls flat, but then they’re used to it by now.

“To be 29-1 and be where we’re at?” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “We’d have taken that if offered every time.”

Gonzaga opens the WCC Tournament in the quarterfinals on Saturday in Las Vegas. VILLANOVA FALLS >> The top of the AP Top 25 could see some changes after No. 2 Villanova lost at home to No. 22 Butler. The Wildcats (27-3, 14-3 Big East) will likely drop at least a spot or two in the AP Top 25, but the big question is whether they remain the top overall seed or even a No. 1 seed at all.

The defending national champions have a strong resume — they beat No. 23 Creighton on Saturday — and were the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s initial bracket. The Wildcats may not be No. 1 overall after their loss and Kansas and North Carolina both winning this week, but should still be in good position to be tops in the East without a slipup in the Big East Tournament.