Spokane, Wash. • The to-do list for the Gonzaga basketball team got shorter Monday: For the first time, the Zags were ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Sweet, but it may get bumpier from there.
Next: Avoiding the potholes that have stopped every other No. 1 this season, then finding a way to the Final Four.
"It’s an honor that people would think this highly of all of us in the program," coach Mark Few said in a prepared statement Monday afternoon. "It’s great for the program, great for the school, great for the city of Spokane and the region and the entire Northwest.
"We still have a lot more to accomplish starting this weekend in Las Vegas and moving forward to the NCAA tournament," said Few, who reportedly went fishing on Monday. "We’re looking forward to the rest of the season and making it last as long as we can."
Staying No. 1 has been tough this season, with Gonzaga the fifth school to hold the spot after replacing Indiana this week. The others were Duke, Louisville and Michigan.
"We don’t believe there is any jinx," assistant coach Tommy Lloyd said earlier Monday. "Obviously, it’s a dream for us, the ultimate accomplishment."
Gonzaga, a small Jesuit school, is where crooner Bing Crosby went and where John Stockton threaded pinpoint passes. It has the best record in Division I at 29-2 following weekend wins against BYU and Portland. The Hoosiers, beaten by Minnesota last week, dropped to No. 2.
The Zags are the 57th school to be ranked No. 1 since the AP poll began in January 1949.
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