For second straight year, Gonzaga preseason No. 1
Gonzaga carried a No. 1 ranking all last season before falling a win short of becoming college basketball’s first unbeaten national champion in 45 years.
Mark Few’s Bulldogs start this season in the same position, hoping to complete that final step this time around.
The Zags were the runaway top choice in the Associated Press Top 25 men’s preseason poll released Monday. They earned 55 of 63 first-place votes to easily outdistance No. 2 UCLA, which earned the other eight. Kansas, Villanova and Texas rounded out the top five. Reigning national champion Baylor checked in at No. 8. Traditional bluebloods Duke (No. 9) and Kentucky (No. 10) follow.
“It is quite an honor to be selected preseason No. 1 for the second consecutive year,“Few said in a statement. “Our returning players realize the challenge of playing up to that level all year and look forward to it.”
Gonzaga lost AP All-Americans Corey Kispert and Jalen Suggs to the NBA, but secondteam selection Drew Timme (19 points, 7 rebounds per game) and guard Andrew Nembhard return. The Zags also bring in a top recruiting class featuring the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit in 7-footer Chet Holmgren and a five-star guard in Hunter Sallis.
⏩ ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale said he has been diagnosed with cancer again. The Basketball Hall of Fame announcer said test results show he has lymphoma. He said in August that he had surgeries to remove melanoma.
NHL: Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny scored, Carter Hart stopped 24 shots and the Flyers spoiled former head coach Dave Hakstol’s return to Philadelphia with a 6-1 win over the Seattle Kraken. Joel Farabee, Derick Brassard, Ryan Ellis and Justin Braun also scored for Philly.
⏩ Artemi Panarin scored in overtime, Igor Shesterkin stopped 40 shots and the visiting New York Rangers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1. Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist for New York. Michael Bunting scored for Toronto.
⏩ Jamie Drysdale scored in overtime as the Anaheim Ducks beat the Flames in Calgary 3-2.
⏩ Jordan Kyrou and Klim Kostin each scored twice and visiting St. Louis rode a five-goal second period to a 7-4 win over the Arizona Coyotes.
Olympics: Three activists protesting human rights abuses in China sneaked into the archaeological site in southern Greece hosting the flame lighting ceremony for the 2022 Beijing Winter
Olympics. They ran toward the newly lit torch holding a Tibetan flag and a banner reading “No genocide games.” They were detained by police.
College football: Mississippi quarterback Matt Corral’s availibility is uncertain Saturday against LSU. Corral rushed 30 times for 195 yards in the 12thranked Rebels’ 31-26 win over Tennessee. The SEC also fined Tennessee $250,000 after fans stopped that game for about 20 minutes, throwing debris onto the field late in the game.
⏩ Cal, Stanford and San Jose State announced kickoff times for Oct. 30 home games. The Spartans take on Wyoming at 1 p.m. (FS2), the Bears face Oregon State at 4 p.m. (Pac-12 Network) and the Cardinal meet Washington at 7:30 p.m. (FS1).