Gonzaga slides out of the Top 10 in early preseason Top 25 after Mario Saint-Supery departure

Gonzaga’s preseason outlook took an early wobble when Mario Saint-Supery’s departure prompted CBS Sports to adjust its College basketball rankings. In the publication’s early Top 25 and 1, the Zags slipped out of the top 10 after what CBS framed as the program’s second starter-level loss over a roughly two-month span.

At this point in the offseason calendar, most teams have already absorbed the roster volatility that tends to define July into the start of practices. Eligibility runs out, the NBA Draft offers an exit, or players make decisions through the transfer portal. CBS’s ranking logic reflects that reality by treating certain departures as less likely to be offset by major additions after the fact.

The ranking movement matters because Gonzaga is often evaluated as much by what it does to replace production as by the name on the roster at the start of November. When a program loses a starter, the rest of the rotation has to redistribute minutes, roles, and shot creation, and opponents spend the early nonconference stretch adjusting game plans for a revised team identity.

CBS’s early Top 25 and 1 update also underscores how quickly “preseason” can become a moving target. The publication described Saint-Supery’s exit as sudden, and it connected the drop to the cumulative effect of losing multiple starter-level contributors recently. Even when the remaining roster is talented, the absence of a prior season’s roles can compress a team’s margin for error early in the schedule.

Still, the fall from the top 10 is not the same as a season verdict. Preseason rankings are inherently conditional, and college basketball depth typically gets clarified only after coaches can install offensive timing, defensive communication, and lineup continuity in practice. For Gonzaga, the key question becomes how quickly the program can re-form the on-court structure that determines late-game execution.

What to watch next is whether Gonzaga’s internal development and any recruiting or transfer additions (if they occur) are positioned to stabilize the rotation around the remaining core. If the Zags can replicate the balance of scoring, ball-handling, and defensive assignments that they had prior to these departures, the preseason dip may prove temporary.

For CBS’s broader ranking picture, Saint-Supery’s departure is a reminder that preseason consensus shifts can happen even before the offseason’s biggest chess moves fully play out. The Top 25 will likely continue to evolve as rosters finalize and teams begin preseason preparation, but Gonzaga’s early drop sets the tone for how voters may view its readiness at tipoff.