Gonzaga Bulldogs

2023-2024 Result: 27-8 record (14-2 WCC), Sweet 16 appearance

Projected Starting Lineup

Head Coach: Mark Few (27th season)

Guard: Ryan Nembhard (SR)

Guard: Nolan Hickman (SR)

Guard: Michael Ayayi (SR)

Forward: Ben Gregg (SR)

Center: Graham Ike (SR)

Key Additions

Michael Ayayi (Pepperdine)

Khalif Battle (Arkansas)

Emmanuel Innocenti (Tarleton State)

Key Losses

Anton Watson

Mark Few’s team has pretty much everyone back from a team that made it to the Sweet 16 last season. The only loss is Anton Watson, who was drafted by the Celtics in the NBA Draft back in June. He will be a tough loss because of his consistent, versatile play, but with the additions that Gonzaga made and who is returning, the Bulldogs should be fine. They brought in Michael Ayayi from Pepperdine, Khalif Battle from Arkansas, and Emmanuel Innocenti from Tarleton State. With the addition of those three and returners like Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman, Ben Gregg, and Graham Ike, Gonzaga should be a dangerous force again in 2024. 

Defensively, Gonzaga was in the top 100 in points allowed per game last season. Part of that has to do with the quality of some of the teams in the West Coast Conference, which will change when Gonzaga officially makes the change to the newfound PAC-12. Gonzaga is very well-coached on the defensive end, but expect some regression this season after losing Anton Watson. Watson was versatile and able to switch on to guards when needed and also play a physical style against big men, despite being undersized. That loss will hurt because Ben Gregg, Graham Ike, and Braden Huff are not known for their defensive play and those three will eat up the Watson minutes. The rim protection will be nonexistent as it has been the last couple of years, so the defense will fall on the backcourt of Nembhard, Hickman, and Ayayi. Ayayi was a nice pickup as a tall, versatile guard who can guard several positions and rebounds very well. Ayayi should help to keep Gonzaga inside the top 50 in defensive rebounds per game as he averaged nearly 10 a night last year at Pepperdine. Gonzaga’s defense will be decent, but not what it was last year. With the lack of a defensive anchor and all the pressure falling on the backcourt, it will limit their ceiling in March. The Bulldogs will be at the top of the WCC in defense, but they will even struggle against a team like St. Mary’s.

Gonzaga’s offense should be very good, per usual, as they averaged the 8th most points in the country last season. They averaged 84.5 points per game. However, against ranked teams, they averaged just 71 and 64.7 against teams in the top five of the country. They struggled to score the ball last season against the nation’s top teams because they do not have great guard play and their interior scoring weapons are good enough in the WCC, but not against the top teams. Gonzaga’s offense will post high numbers because of who they play in the WCC, but I am even more worried this year than last about their ability to score against the best teams because they do not have a go-to scoring option and they no longer have the steadying force of Anton Watson. Watson was not great offensively, but he kept them grounded and could pick up a bucket when needed with his five years of experience. Graham Ike will put up numbers, just as he did as the leading scorer for the Bulldogs last year, but as a more undersized big with subpar athleticism, he struggles against the best teams and athletes in the country. Nembhard and Hickman will need to step up and Ayayi will have to give Gonzaga the kind of production he put up at Pepperdine. Khalif Battle should add a nice scoring punch off the bench, but he has never been the most efficient scorer, so he will need to increase his efficiency for Gonzaga to reach its potential on the offensive end. 5th-year player Ben Gregg is due for a leap on the offensive end, but with his 6 ‘10, 230-pound frame, it seems like he will remain a pick and pop three-point threat and not much more than that. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs lost Steele Venters yet again to injury. Venters transferred from Eastern Washington before the 2023 season, and since then, he has torn his ACL and his Achilles, so he has yet to suit up for Gonzaga. Gonzaga’s offense will be great because of the teams that they play in their conference, but I have hesitation in their ability to score and keep up with some of the best teams in the country.

Gonzaga’s lack of rim protection and go-to scoring options will limit what they can do in the 2024-2025 season. The Bulldogs will be right in the mix with St. Mary’s for another West Coast Conference title, especially with Mark Few at the helm. However, this team just has a bunch of solid players on both ends and is missing the elite talents that Few has had in years past. Gonzaga should get back to March Madness, but a second weekend appearance is likely going to be their ceiling.