NCAA Basketball: Top 25 early winners from 2023 offseason moves

By Joey Loose | Apr 29, 2023

Mar 24, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; Houston Cougars guard Tramon Mark (12) reacts after a foul call during the second half of an NCAA tournament Midwest Regional semifinal against the Miami Hurricanes at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports /

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NCAA Basketball Creighton Bluejays guard Ryan Nembhard Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Gonzaga

Fresh off another WCC regular season and conference tournament title, Gonzaga marched to the Elite Eight, yet another deep NCAA Tournament run for the Bulldogs. Mark Few has consistently built national contenders in recent years and has his work cut out for him again. Program legend Drew Timme is gone, as are Anton Watson, Rasir Bolton, and Julian Strawther. Down four starters from an Elite Eight squad, Gonzaga earned their title as a winner for their work in recent weeks.

Four-star forward Dusty Stromer is a great addition, but the Bulldogs landed two of the best transfers in the entire Portal as well in Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike as well as getting Steele Venters from Eastern Washington. Nembhard is a fantastic point guard who was vital at Creighton the last two seasons while Ike averaged 19.5 points and 9.6 rebounds two seasons ago for a strong Wyoming squad before missing last season.

Any team would’ve been fortunate to land either Nembhard or Ike but getting them both will have the Bulldogs make in top shape. There are a lot of moving parts in Spokane this offseason, but these recent moves have them looking strong for next year, likely sitting near the Top 10 in the preseason once again. Gonzaga lost a tremendous amount of talent from recent years but has successfully rebooted this lineup again.

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