Almost exactly a year ago, the Gonzaga University men’s basketball team dropped to 7-3 on the young season after two backbreaking losses to No. 4 Kentucky by one and No. 18 UConn by six. Two weeks later, GU failed to capitalize on another big game opportunity, falling by three points to No. 22 UCLA at the Intuit Dome, flailing to 9-4 and damaging its tournament resume by leaving key ranked wins on the board prior to West Coast Conference play.
Fast forward to Monday, and the 2025-26 Zags are 9-1 with (then) ranked wins over No. 23 Creighton, No.