Gonzaga Basketball: 5 takeaways from 2022-23 non-conference campaign

Dec 12, 2022; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Ben Gregg (33) and forward Drew Timme (2) celebrate after a play against the Northern Illinois Huskies in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Gonzaga won 88-67. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /

1 of 6

Gonzaga Basketball: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /

Historically, Gonzaga Basketball has always played a tough non-conference campaign under head coach Mark Few. Since they play in a WCC league that typically gets 1-2 bids at most to the NCAA Tournament, they need to find some strong opponents to not only have an at-large bid but also make a case for a top-tier seed in March as well.

This season, however, the Bulldogs’ slate of games was as brutal as possible, taking on four preseason top-15 teams in Kentucky, Alabama, Baylor, and Texas. They also had rival Washington on the schedule, as well as three games in the PK85 Legacy Tournament. And as luck turned out, the toughest opponent Gonzaga would face was there in Purdue, who is currently the No. 1 team in the country.

The Boilermakers dominated the Bulldogs, winning by 18 points. It’s one of three defeats to this point for the 11-3 squad, also losing to Big 12 programs, Texas and Baylor. None of those losses are bad by any means, certainly Quad 1 games going forward. The good news for the Bulldogs is that they managed to pull off some good wins as well, including over Michigan State, Kentucky, Xavier, and Alabama, all of which could be Quad 1 by March.

Gonzaga still has a game against Chicago State at the very end of the regular season but barring a historical upset, they should win each of them by 30+ points. There’s plenty to take away from what happened in the first 14 games for the 11-3 Bulldogs, here are the top five.