NCAA Basketball: Top 25 offseason winners entering 2024-25 season

No. 10 - Gonzaga Bulldogs: Can this be the year?

Many will look at Gonzaga’s shortcomings last season and call it a “down” year. Sure, the last time Gonzaga lost eight or more games was in 2016. The last time they did not win the WCC regular season was in 2012. However, the Zags still made it to the second weekend. They still won 27 games. And now the core of that team returns.  

Can this be “the year” for Mark Few?

The Zags had a tremendous offseason, returning nearly 81% of their minutes from last season. According to BartTorvik’spreseason rankings, no team ranked inside the top 50 returns a higher percentage of minutes than Gonzaga.

The backcourt of Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman returns. Last year’s leading scorer Graham Ike returns. Benn Gregg and Dusty Stromer return. High-scoring guard Khalif Battle (Arkansas) -- who averaged nearly 30 PPG during the Razorbacks’ final seven games last season -- enters the mix. Double-double machine Michael Ajayi (Pepperdine) was among the better players in the WCC. He expects to be a key contributor.

Despite the unfortunate news with Steele Venters, who will miss his second-straight season after suffering a left Achilles tendon injury, Mark Few has this year’s group locked and loaded. Returning experience supplemented by proven transfers is a nice blend to use at one's disposal, making the Gonzaga Bulldogs among the top 25 offseason winners entering the 2024-25 season.