Mark Few and Gonzaga basketball have accomplished a lot over the last few decades. But how will things look in the new Pac-12?
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Gonzaga basketball.
For the first time since 2014, Gonzaga basketball failed to reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight time. The Bulldogs had not only turned into a dominant mid-major, but one that continued to make runs in March. However, despite winning 31 games, they were bounced by Texas in the round of 32.
This year the Bulldogs will have their eyes set on making a deep run in the big dance. They lose a lot of talent in Graham Ike and Tyon Grant-Foster – two players who really led on and off the court as grad-seniors. But they also return experience like Braden Huff and Davis Fogle, who should be primed to carry the torch and continue the winning tradition.
But as Gonzaga basketball steps into a new-look Pac-12, the challenge will be a little bit more. They’ll now face San Diego State, Utah State, Colorado State, Boise State, and other teams from that geographical region. Saint Mary’s didn’t make the cut, but the overall conference is an improvement from the WCC.
But one thing doesn’t change, and that’s Gonzaga being the favorite in their league. They got a transfer portal haul in Xaivian Lee (Florida), Isiah Harwell (Houston), Massamba Diop (Arizona State), Javon Bennett (Dayton), and Chauncey Wiggins (Florida State). Together, this makes for a great top seven.
But the depth comes from a pair of international recruits and four-star Luca Foster, which seems like a bit of a shot in the dark. It could play out well, or it could wind up limiting Few’s bench.
Still, the Zags have a roster that should not only compete in the Pac-12, but hold up against any team in college basketball. And we’ll be able to tell if that holds true or not for sure, as the Bulldogs have an insane non-conference schedule per usual.
Head coach: Mark Few (28th season overall, all at Gonzaga)
2025-26 record: 31-4 (16-2)
2026 postseason finish: Lost to Texas (74-68) in second round of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Graham Ike (19.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.4 APG)
- Tyon Grant-Foster (11.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.2 APG)
- Mario Saint-Supery (8.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.8 APG)
- Adam Miller (7.3 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 1.0 APG)
- Jalen Warley (7.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.1 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Purdue (Nov. 2) – Las Vegas, NV
- vs. LSU (Nov. 14)
- vs. Kansas State (Nov. 24)- Players Era
- vs. Alabama OR Baylor (Nov. 26) – Players Era
- TBD (Nov. 27) – Players Era
- vs. UCLA (Dec. 5) – Anaheim, CA
- at Creighton (Dec. 12)
- vs. Michigan State (Dec. 19) – Palm Desert, CA
Projected Rotation
PG: Isiah Harwell (6-6, 216, So.)
2025-26 stats: 3.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.6 SPG (Houston)
SG: Xaivian Lee (6-4, 185, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 11.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 42.0 FG%, 76.5 FT% (Florida)
*Pending eligibility
SF: Davis Fogle (6-7, 200, So.)
2025-26 stats: 8.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 51.8 FG%, 35.0 3P%, 72.3 FT%
PF: Braden Huff (6-10, 250, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 17.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 66.2 FG%
C: Massamba Diop (7-1, 245, So.)
2025-26 stats: 13.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, 2.1 BPG, 56.9 FG%, 71.5 FT% (Arizona State)
6: Javon Bennett (5-10, 165, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 15.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 89.8 FT% (Dayton)
*Pending eligibility
7: Chauncey Wiggins (6-11, 225, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 13.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 0.9 APG, 47.9 FG%, 38.7 3P%, 85.1 FT% (Florida State)
8: Izan Almansa (6-10, 220, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 4.2 PPG, 1.9 RPG (Spain)
9: Luca Foster (6-5, 195, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 60 ranked recruit
10: Nathan De Sousa (6-3, 200, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 5.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.7 APG (France)
Gonzaga basketball team MVP: Braden Huff
While Davis Fogle has true breakout potential and would also be a great choice here, Braden Huff has already done it at that level and is poised to take the keys from Ike and hold the fort down along with Diop.
Huff is your typical Gonzaga basketball big man – nothing flashy, just paint points and rebounds. He’s really not a huge defensive asset, but when you average 17.8 and 5.6, you’re clearly still a big man with a lot of talent.
And it’s also been great to watch Huff navigate through this Gonzaga basketball program. He played in every game as a freshman and showed huge potential, but didn’t earn a full-time starting spot until last year, as a junior. That’s a lot of trust and commitment to Mark Few and this program, and it has paid off.
Gonzaga basketball make-or-break player: Isiah Harwell
When you talk about players who could see massive changes in improvement and stats, Isiah Harwell is one of the first names who comes to mind. He’s a former five-star recruit who went to Houston and was a legitimate part of the rotation, but only for 13.8 minutes per game. Now, Harwell comes to the Zags as a projected guard and has a chance to really show why he was labeled as one of the top recruits in the Class of 2025.
With Harwell, it’s crucial to watch game tape and not stats. It’s tough being the main option for as long as you can remember and then being limited to a bench role. Harwell’s efficiency took a hit, but when you watch the tape, you see a guy who knows how to play within himself and could break out with the chance to truly lead a program. Now he’s got that, and the Zags hope it pays off.
Key statistic: Assists per game
One thing Gonzaga did very well last year was playmake for each other. The team averaged 18.4 assists per game, good for ninth in the nation. It wasn’t just one player dishing out all the dimes for himself. It was a team effort of players who bought into Few’s system, and it worked for a top-notch offense.
This year, Harwell has to buy in first and foremost. As a guard, lots of things will run through him. But luckily, he’s got Xaivian Lee in his corner, a fifth-year player who can mentor and take a lead role in that department. The rest of the Zags are all willing passers, and Bennett is a guy who averaged about three assists a game at Dayton, which is a valuable asset off the bench.
When the whole team buys into playmaking, it’s obvious. Watching a team have an offense that flows is a beautiful thing and Gonzaga basketball has had that for a while now.
Gonzaga basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 1st in the Pac-12
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance