8. Gonzaga (7-1)
Basketball life at Gonzaga has gone pretty well in recent memory and this program shows no signs of slowing down. Their future lies in the Pac-12, but a few more seasons of dominating the WCC await for the Bulldogs, who got this season off to a sensational start. Hoping to stockpile success in nonconference play, Gonzaga headed to the Battle 4 Atlantis this past week.
Things did not go as expected, as the Bulldogs fell 86-78 in overtime to West Virginia in quite the upset despite 19 points off the bench from Braden Huff. They would bounce back nicely on Thanksgiving, moving forward with an 89-73 win over a ranked Indiana squad. Six different Bulldogs scored in double-figures, including an 11-point, 13-assist game from Ryan Nembhard. The trip ended on another positive note with a 90-65 win against Davidson for 5th place, this time led by Ben Gregg and his 24 points.
While this early resume does boast a few very nice performances, that overtime loss to West Virginia is a bit of a head scratcher. The Bulldogs have been far from perfect and that was certainly their worst team performance in November. Regardless, the offense bounced back nicely in the latter games in the Bahamas and Gonzaga still looks to have great potential, though it’ll be tested next week against Kentucky.