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Gonzaga Basketball: Ranking Bulldogs 2020 non-conference opponents

By Tristan Freeman

TUCSON, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 14: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs reacts from the sidelines of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Center on December 14, 2019 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
TUCSON, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 14: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs reacts from the sidelines of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Center on December 14, 2019 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /
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Gonzaga Basketball
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON – FEBRUARY 20: A basketball sets on the court next to the Bulldogs logo (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

The non-conference schedule for Gonzaga Basketball has been released. Which are the toughest future opponents for the Bulldogs?

There are few programs in college basketball that rely more on tough scheduling than Gonzaga Basketball, who has now become a national powerhouse in the sport. In the 20+ years as head coach, Mark Few has typically scheduled quality opponents from the power conferences in order to have the metrics good enough to be an at-large contender.

The WCC has more often than not been a one-bid league, getting two bids whenever the Bulldogs don’t get the automatic ticket to the NCAA Tournament. So for Gonzaga, the bulk of their resume building has to come through the non-conference. The good news for them is that by making the Big Dance every season, the program has not only been able to get “home and home” agreements with top-tier programs but has gotten quality neutral site matchups and tournaments thanks to media and advertisers.

Last season, the Bulldogs went 14-1 in the non-conference, with the lone loss coming to the Michigan Wolverines in the Battle 4 Atlantis. They got major wins over both Arizona and Oregon, while also beating Texas A&M, North Carolina, and Washington. The others came from smaller programs that mostly were no match for the Bulldogs.

Once again, Gonzaga Basketball is going to have a loaded non-conference schedule, featuring multiple preseason top-25 teams and a huge tournament. For this piece, I’ll be ranking each of the confirmed opponents, along with taking a separate look at the participants of the 2020 Orlando Invitational.