NCAA Basketball: Top 25 team frontcourts for 2022-23 season
2. Gonzaga Bulldogs
The return of Drew Timme instantly makes Gonzaga a national title contender once again. The multiple-time All-American and WCC Player of the Year averaged 18.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, and 2.8 rpg last season, which actually was a slight dip compared to the year prior. The 6’10 big man had some huge games, including a career-high 37 points in a win over Texas, 23 points and 10 rebounds against Alabama, and 30 points in a win over BYU.
Timme also historically steps up in the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 25 ppg in nine postseason games and played well in all of them outside of the Baylor loss in the national title game. The senior center is arguably the best and most consistent post scorer in NCAA Basketball and makes things easier for the rest of the Gonzaga players.
I didn’t include Julian Strawther in the backcourt article but he could be the second-best player on this year’s team. He averaged 11.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg on 50% shooting and 37% from three-point range. He struggled in the second half of the season but did have some big early performances, including 20 points against BYU and 20 points and 12 rebounds versus Duke. Strawther can play both forward positions and can space the floor at the four-spot if needed.
The other potential starter at power forward could be senior Anton Watson. He’s an elite defender and passer for Gonzaga and while he isn’t much of a scorer, is one of the best “glue guys” in all of NCAA Basketball. The Bulldogs also added transfer Efton Reid, a former five-star prospect from LSU. He started most of last season and is a good defender with long-term potential. He’ll be Timme’s backup at the five-spot and few teams can say they have a better backup.
The fact that the Bulldogs have a trio of top-60 prospects (Ben Gregg, Kaden Perry, Braden Huff) that have little chance at playing time this upcoming season, shows how much frontcourt depth they have. And the only reason why they aren’t No. 1 with Timme back is that a National Player of the Year actually returned for another year.