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Gonzaga Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Bulldogs

By Karl Heiser

Apr 5, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few reacts on the bench against the Baylor Bears in the second half during the national championship game in the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few reacts on the bench against the Baylor Bears in the second half during the national championship game in the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Chet Holmgren Minnehaha Academy Red Hawks (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
Chet Holmgren Minnehaha Academy Red Hawks (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Gonzaga Basketball Outlook and Expectations

Gonzaga is the preseason No. 1 team in the country and hopefully, this preview gave readers a sense of how much they deserve that ranking. Few teams can match their combination of big-time talent, offensive efficiency, and high-level coaching. Their defense may take a slight step backward but their team-oriented play should prevent too big a slide in that area.

The WCC is not a bad conference by any stretch of the imagination and has steadily improved over the years, but the fact that everyone assumes it’s a lowly conference goes to show how dangerous Gonzaga has been. They will likely cruise through conference play with minimal resistance, but success in their grueling non-conference schedule will be critical in preparing them for the NCAA Tournament where they figure to be a top seed yet again.

Look for Drew Timme to be in the conversation for National Player of the Year and for Chet Holmgren to put himself in the running for National Freshman of the Year. The Gonzaga frontcourt will be nasty, but the backcourt should show out as well with Nembhard, Bolton, Sallis, and Hickman. As previously indicated, this team is so talented that there are multiple renditions of their starting lineup that would all work extremely well.

Some have claimed that Gonzaga won’t be nearly as good as they were last season and thus won’t win the national title. I don’t know if such a premise is even true. They are still a very complete team with the ability to beat anyone in the country. On both sides of the ball, the Bulldogs project to have very few flaws. The question marks on defense don’t currently present to be a big issue. They return key veterans from last season’s runner-up squad while also adding highly-touted recruits.

Next. Ranking all 358 D-I Progams for 2021-22. dark

Mark Few’s team can be less dominant than they were in 2020-21 and still be the last team standing when all is said and done. Never count out the Zags. They are definitely in the mix for a title.