Gonzaga Basketball: 5 teams that can defeat the Bulldogs in 2020-21

Gonzaga Basketball: 5 teams that can defeat the Bulldogs this 2020-21 season

Jan 7, 2021; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Suggs (1) and Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Drew Timme (2) celebrate a basket and foul during a game against the Brigham Young Cougars in the second half of a WCC menÕs basketball game at McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs won 86-69. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /

1 of 6

Gonzaga Basketball Rich Pedroncelli/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports /

Gonzaga Basketball has entered the season as the No. 1 team in the country and had the loftiest of preseason expectations. They started out the season against annual blue blood juggernaut Kansas and ended up scoring 102 points in the season-opening victory.

The Bulldogs continued to excel against top-10 competition, including wins over West Virginia, Iowa, and Virginia, who ever since losing by 23 points has won seven straight and is now ranked in the top-10 again. But that blowout has only accelerated the chatter about the potential of an undefeated season, something that hasn’t on the men’s side since the Indiana Hoosiers in 1976.

Although they came into WCC play as a heavy favorite, conference action in NCAA Basketball can always be tricky, especially in road and rivalry games. But even Gonzaga has proven to be too much for everyone so far. In 10games played, the Bulldogs have won every game by at least 11 points and have had double-digit leads in each of them by the 10-minute mark in the second.

The wins include BYU, Saint Mary’s, Pepperdine, and San Francisco, the four most talented teams in the conference. And unless teams like LMU and Santa Clara pull off literally historical upsets down the road, it’s hard to imagine the Bulldogs not going undefeated entering the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

But hold on one second.

Gonzaga still has two games left to possibly schedule from the non-conference if they so choose. And for the best interest of the team, they may want to schedule some better competition during the next few weeks to keep them sharp. And it’s not a foreign concept for the program either, as they’ve done things like this in the past; before the season started of course.

The options for the Bulldogs will be limited since everyone is constrained to their respective league’s schedules. But it doesn’t hurt to dream of a scenario of great matchups that could push Gonzaga to its limit this season. There are some teams out there that have the potential to give this team a great 40-minute effort. Here are five I think could pull it off.