Gonzaga Men’s Basketball: What to Expect this Season

The Gonzaga Men’s basketball team is looking strong this season. Here’s what you can expect from them in the coming months.

Introduction

This season, the Gonzaga men’s Basketball team is expected to be one of the best in the nation. Led by star player Rui Hachimura, the team is loaded with talent and should be a force to be reckoned with come tournament time. Here’s a look at what to expect from the Bulldogs this season.

The Team

Gonzaga is coming off a season in which they went 27-7 and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament Mark Few returns for his 17th season as Head Coach The Bulldogs have grown accustomed to being a top-10 team, and this year is no different as they enter the season ranked 7th in the nation. With that said, let’s take a look at the team.

Gonzaga has a lot of talent and experience returning this season. Three starters return from last year’s squad, including seniors Jordan Mathews and Przemek Karnowski. Karnowski, a 7-footer from Poland, is one of the best big men in college basketball He averaged 12.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season while shooting 61 percent from the field. Mathews is Gonzaga’s leading returning scorer after averaging 13 points per game last year. He also shot 43 percent from three-point range last season and will look to be Gonzaga’s main outside threat again this year.

The other starter returning for Gonzaga is junior Josh Perkins. Perkins took over as starting point guard midway through last season and did a great job running the offense. He averaged 9 points and 5 assists per game last season and will be counted on to be even better this year.

The Bulldogs also have some promising newcomers who should make an immediate impact this season. Freshmen Zach Collins and Killian Tillie are both McDonald’s All-Americans and should provide a spark off the bench for Gonzaga. Tillie is a 6-10 forward from France who can shoot threes and block shots while Collins is a 6-11 center who is extremely athletic for his size. Both guys have the potential to be very good players right away at the college level.

Overall, Gonzaga has a lot of talent on their roster and should be one of the best teams in college basketball this season. They have experience, athleticism, size, shooting, and depth all coming together to form a very dangerous squad. If everything clicks, this could be another deep run in March for the Bulldogs

The Schedule

Gonzaga will open the 2019-20 season with an exhibition game against Rocky Mountain College on Oct. 29 at the Kennel. The Bulldogs will host Texas Southern in their regular-season opener Nov. 5 before embarking on a three-game road trip that includes stops at Baylor (Nov. 12), Washington (Nov. 15) and Arizona (Nov. 19). Gonzaga will close out November by hosting Iowa (Nov. 25) and Montana State (Nov. 28) in Spokane.

The Roster

This season, the Gonzaga Men’s basketball team will have a very young and inexperienced roster. There will only be two seniors on the team, and the starting lineup is likely to feature several freshmen and sophomores. Despite their lack of experience, this team has a lot of potential. They are very athletic and have a lot of size. They also have a new head coach Mark Few, who is known for his ability to develop players and get the most out of them.

Expectations are high for this team, as they are currently ranked #3 in the country. They are expected to compete for a National Championship However, with such a young and inexperienced roster, there is always the possibility that they could struggle at times during the season. But overall, this should be a very fun team to watch and they should be one of the best teams in the country.

The Coaches

Gonzaga men’s basketball is led by Mark Few, who is in his 21st season as the Bulldogs’ Head Coach Few is the winningest coach in Gonzaga history, with a career record of 524-170 (.754). In his 20+ years at Gonzaga, Few has led the Bulldogs to 19 consecutive NCAA tournaments – including 17 straight appearances in the Sweet 16 or beyond. This year’s squad is looking to make it 20 NCAA tournaments in a row, which would tie Duke for the second-longest streak in NCAA history.

Under Few’s leadership, the Bulldogs have been to five Final Fours (1999, 2000, 2015, 2017, and 2019) and have won 31 or more games in 11 different seasons. In 2017, he was named USA Today’s national Coach of the Year and Sporting News’ College basketball coach of the Year.

Few isn’t the only one with coaching credentials on this year’s team. Assistant Coach Tommy Lloyd has been with Gonzaga for 18 years – longer than any current player has been alive. In that time, Lloyd has helped lead Gonzaga to 16 NCAA tournaments, five Sweet Sixteens, four Elite Eights, and two Final Fours. He is widely recognized as one of the best assistant coaches in College Basketball and was recently named by CBS Sports as one of “10 Assistant coaches who could be head coaches soon.”

The Fans

Without question, the fans are the Heart and Soul of Gonzaga men’s basketball. The “Zags” have some of the most loyal and passionate fans in the country, and they always create a great atmosphere inside the McCarthey Athletic Center. This season will be no different, as the fans will be cheering on their team every step of the way.

The Media

The 2017-2018 season for the Gonzaga Men’s Basketball team is one shrouded in uncertainty. This is due in part to the loss of some key members from last year’s team, as well as the addition of some new, unproven players. However, despite all of this uncertainty, one thing is for sure: the media will be watching closely.

This season, the media will be focused on a few key storylines. First and foremost will be how Head coach Mark Few leader his team through what promises to be a challenging season. Additionally, the media will also be keeping an eye on how the new players adapt to playing at the collegiate level and whether or not they can make an impact.

Last but not least, the media will also be curious to see if Gonzaga can continue their streak of success in conference play The Bulldogs have won or shared the conference title in each of the last six seasons, but with so many changes to the roster, it remains to be seen if they can keep up their winning ways.

Whatever happens this season, one thing is for sure: the media will be there to document it every step of the way.

The Predictions

Gonzaga is coming off a disappointing loss in the NCAA Tournament but they have reloaded and are poised for another run at a National Championship The Zags have an experienced core of players return, led by junior forward Rui Hachimura. They also have added some key pieces in the form of 5-star recruit Zach Norvell Jr. and graduate transfer Geno Crandall. With these new pieces, along with the returners, Gonzaga has the potential to be even better than last year’s team.

So what can we expect from this year’s team? Here are some predictions:

-Gonzaga will once again be one of the best teams in the country. They will have a solid mix of experience and youth that will help them contend for a National Championship
-Hachimura will be one of the best players in the country. He has improved his game each year he has been at Gonzaga and should be in contention for National Player of the Year honors.
-Norvell will be a key contributor right away. His shooting ability will be a big asset for Gonzaga and he should see significant minutes as a freshman.
-Crandall will provide a steadying influence at point guard He is a good shooter and an experienced ball-handler that will help Gonzaga run their offense smoothly.
-Gonzaga will once again be one of the Top Defensive Teams in the country. Their length and athleticism will give opponents fits and they should be near the top of the nation in defensive efficiency once again.

The Results

It’s been a long offseason for Gonzaga Basketball fans. After a heart-breaking loss to North Carolina in the NCAA championship game, the Bulldogs have been working hard to get back to the big dance.

With a mix of experienced veterans and talented newcomers, this Gonzaga team has the potential to be one of the best in school history. Here are three things you can expect from the Bulldogs this season:

1. Another deep run in the NCAA tournament
2. A high-powered offense that can scoring at will
3. A rabid homecourt advantage at the McCarthey Athletic Center

Gonzaga fans have high expectations for this season, and rightly so. This is a team that has the talent and experience to make another run at a National Championship

Conclusion

The Gonzaga Bulldogs men’s basketball team is primed for another great season. Fans can expect the team to compete for a conference title and make a deep run in the NCAA tournament The Bulldogs have a talented roster that features several experienced players. With good coaching, Gonzaga should be a force to reckoned with this season.