NCAA Basketball: Buy or Sell preseason top 25 teams of 2021-22 after a month
1. Gonzaga Bulldogs
The Bulldogs raced out to a 6-0 record to start out the season, which included wins over top 5 teams, Texas and UCLA that were never in doubt. It looked as if this team was going to go on a run similar to last season. However, Gonzaga has since gone 2-2, losing to both Duke and Alabama, as well as struggling to put away Tarleton State.
Part of the reason has been working out the new-look roster. No. 1 freshman recruit Chet Holmgren has had some ups and downs when it counted but is still averaging over 13 ppg and is 3rd nationally with 3.8 blocks per game. All-American center Drew Timme leads the team with 18.4 ppg and 6.2 rpg and had a career-high 37 points against Texas.
.@ZagMBB Chet Holmgren is a unique player for his size. He has many strengths & his shooting form is “tweakable,” but his narrow frame will be scrutinized by @NBA teams between now & June. pic.twitter.com/ZmvUWPhk7X
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) December 15, 2021
The guards have been a little more sporadic. Senior guard Andrew Nembhard looked great against Texas and UCLA but struggled in losses to Duke and Alabama. Iowa State transfer Rasir Bolton is averaging double figures on 41% shooting from deep, while five-star freshmen Nolan Hickman and Hunter Sallis have done well off the bench in limited minutes.
What makes this team a national title contender has been the emergence of sophomore wing Julian Strawther, second on the team with 14.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg on 42% shooting from deep. He’s not as good as Corey Kispert was but the production provided by this 6’7 small forward only stretches out the defense even more.
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Gonzaga may not be the prohibitive favorite to be No. 1 all season or win the national title but they’ve shown so far that they deserve to be on the shortlist of teams that can. And with Texas Tech coming up, as well as a much improved WCC overall, we’ll see this team continue to get tested.