Once upon a time, the Gonzaga Bulldogs were the loveable College basketball betting underdog of the NCAA Tournament. This tiny and obscure Jesuit Catholic university is hidden in Spokane, Washington. The Zags became a favorite of squares and sharps. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Gonzaga earned fame for being a Giant Killer in March Madness. But under the leadership of head coach Mark Few, now in his 24th season, the Bulldogs became a powerhouse. Gonzaga is no longer the cuddly teddy bear of the NCAA Tournament. Now, they are a perennial top-tier favorite.
2023-24 Gonzaga Bulldogs Basketball Preview
| National Championship Odds: | +2500 |
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2023-24 Gonzaga Bulldogs Basketball Outlook
The Zags have made the NCAA national championship game twice since 2017 but lost both times. Since 2015, Gonzaga has had five Elite Eights and eight Sweet Sixteen berths. Now, a new online wagering era in Spokane begins. Mark Few and Gonzaga Basketball enter the season with high expectations per usual. But without the given answers that many fans and national onlookers have grown accustomed to over the last four seasons. Namely, Drew Timme.
After breaking the school’s all-time scoring record and putting up monstrous NCAABB betting figures, Timme opted to move on. Cause by his desire to start a professional career. The Texas big had the 27th-highest possession percentage in college basketball. Accordingly, he served as the hub of Few’s offense. The decision vacates Gonzaga’s not just in points (21.2 per game) but also rebounds (7.5 per game) and assists (3.2 per game).
And Timme isn’t the only notable piece that departed at the end of last spring. Correlate Julian Strawther, Gonzaga’s leading three-point shooter and scoring option in the backcourt, and lead bench scorer, Malachi Smith, opted to go pro. Starting guard Rasir Bolton ran out of eligibility.
Key bench piece and former five-star recruit Hunter Sallis transferred to Wake Forest. And big man Efton Reid joined him after one year in Spokane. Meanwhile, Dominick Harris is departing for Loyola Marymount for a fresh start.
That leaves Gonzaga without seven of their ten top-minute earners last season. And five of their eight rotational pieces. But the cupboard is never truly bare for this program. To show, the Zags had two freshmen on the bench preparing for their opportunity with Braden Huff and Jun Seok Yeo. That latter pair joined the program midway into their season.
But where the Zags really added to their roster was once again from the transfer portal. The two biggest acquisitions this summer were Creighton point guard Ryan Nembhard and Wyoming post player Graham Ike picking Gonzaga. To help replace the loss of upperclassmen, the staff also landed the transfer commitment of EWU’s Steele Venters. Accordingly, Venters won Big Sky Most Valuable Player last season.
Of course, the preseason conference ranking doesn’t mean anything. Neither does Gonzaga’s national 11th-place ranking in the AP Preseason Poll. There is enough history with this program and how it operates to give them the benefit of the doubt. But this feels like the program is headed into a different era. In turn, Gonzaga will be different than it was for the last six or so seasons.
If this Gonzaga team can resemble the success of last season or years prior, this will be one of the greatest coaching achievements of Few’s career. Previously, Few coached his tail off. He was able to bridge the obvious glaring gaps that were a constant challenge.