College basketball rankings: Mario Saint-Supery's sudden departure sends Gonzaga falling in early Top 25 And 1
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- Mario Saint-Supery, Gonzaga's projected starting point guard, signed a four-year contract with EuroLeague club Valencia in Spain worth more than $15 million, prompting Gonzaga's drop from No. 9 to No. 14 in CBS Sports' Preseason Top 25 And 1.
- Gonzaga has now lost two projected starters in two months: Saint-Supery to Valencia and previous commit Jack Kayil, who opted to stay in the 2026 NBA Draft despite being slotted as a second-round pick.
- Florida retained the No. 1 ranking based on a projection that the Gators will return six of their top seven scorers — Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Boogie Fland, Rueben Chinyelu, Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown — from a squad that went 27-8 and earned a No. 1 seed.
- Gonzaga finished 31-4 last season and reached the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, and remains the favorite in its first season in the new-look Pac-12 despite the roster turnover.
- Mark Few's program is weighing options including using the freed money to chase another international prospect, asking 2027 top-30 commit Dooney Johnson to reclassify to 2026, or pursuing a fifth-year senior whose eligibility hinges on a Hamilton County judge's ruling that the NCAA may appeal.
Why it matters: Gonzaga's drop from No. 9 to No. 14 hinges on the loss of two projected starters in eight weeks — Saint-Supery's $15M-plus EuroLeague deal and Kayil staying in the NBA Draft — eroding the ceiling of a 31-4 team entering the new-look Pac-12 and shrinking Few's margin for roster recovery with limited options left on the market.
