Gonzaga men’s basketball made it to their ninth straight NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 this past season. Now that Pepperdine transfer and All-WCC wing Michael Ajayi has withdrawn from the 2024 NBA Draft and announced he’ll join the program, the Bulldogs have set themselves up to make a strong push for their first national championship.
ESPN reported that Ajayi will use his final year of college eligibility after putting up 17.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game with the Waves in his first season of Division-I basketball. The 6-foot-7 native of Kent, Washington, led the West Coast Conference in scoring after playing two seasons at the JUCO level. After receiving no Division-I scholarships in high school, Ajayi will garner attention from NBA scouts throughout his senior year in Spokane.
Having a potential pro-level talent is the icing on the cake for a Gonzaga team that’s returning seven of its top eight scorers from last season. Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman, Ben Gregg and Graham Ike are back after playing in the starting five together for much of the latter half of last season. Braden Huff, Dusty Stromer and Jun Seok Yeo each have a full year of college hoops under their belts, while Steele Venters, the 2022-23 Big Sky Player of the Year, will suit up after missing the entire season with a torn ACL.
Arkansas grad transfer Khalif Battle and Tarleton State transfer Emmanuel Innocenti provide much-needed backcourt depth with the potential to play on the wing in small-ball lineups. Colgate transfer and reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, Braeden Smith, is long-term security at the point guard position. Ajayi included, the incoming transfer portal class addresses areas of growth for the Zags from 2023-24 — 3-point shooting, size, defense and overall depth.
Given the sheer amount of returners mixed with the group of newcomers, the Zags figure to be a preseason top-10 team according to notable top-25 rankings from numerous outlets.
Here’s where Gonzaga ranks in way-too-early power rankings following the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline.
The Athletic: No. 2
“Gonzaga’s bench might just be good enough to form a top-25 team by itself,” - CJ Moore, The Athletic
The Bulldogs’ highest preseason ranking to this point in the offseason. The Athletic credited the team’s overall depth and versatility, even going as far as to say that the projected bench could form a top-25 team on its own. Moore predicts Venters will be inserted into the starting five over Ajayi. Few could go in a number of directions with who he puts out on the floor, which is arguably the best problem to have as a coach.
Alabama sat atop The Athletic’s rankings after All-American guard Mark Sears announced his withdrawal from the NBA Draft. Houston, Kansas and Iowa State rounded out the top five. Duke dropped from No. 1 to No. 6, followed by the back-to-back champion UConn at No. 7 after Alex Karaban announced he’s returning to Storrs, Connecticut.
Andy Katz’s Power 36: No. 3
“The Zags, like KU, return a core that is deep and talented enough to get them back to a Final Four,” - Andy Katz, NCAA
Only the Crimson Tide and Jayhawks ranked ahead of the Zags in the latest edition of the Power 36 from Katz, who went as far as to put Final Four expectations on the team given the deep and talented cast of returners. Only four other teams in the country return a higher percentage of their minutes played from last season than Gonzaga (81.4%), according to Bart Torvik. In an era where player movement is at an all-time, the Bulldogs stand out from the pack with their continuity.
Four confirmed nonconference opponents were featured in Katz’s top 36 teams — UConn (No. 5), UCLA (No. 18), Kentucky (No. 20) and San Diego State (No. 33).
ESPN: No. 5
“Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike form one of the best inside-outside duos in the country,” - Jeff Borzello, ESPN
The Zags actually bumped down two spots from their previous ranking in ESPN’s way-too-early top 25, but that had more to do with some of the other NBA Draft decisions. Kansas held onto its spot at No. 1, followed by Alabama, UConn and Houston. Karaban’s decision moved the Huskies up four spots, while Sears’ return put the Crimson Tide up four spots from No. 6.
Borzello projects that Ajayi will start at small forward over Venters. It’ll be interesting to monitor how minutes get distributed between the two and Stromer.
CBS Sports: No. 8
“Graham Ike should be the preseason WCC Player of the Year and main reason Gonzaga makes the NCAA Tournament next March for the 26th straight time,” - Gary Parrish, CBS Sports
Parrish’s Top 25 and 1 for the 2024-25 season is on its 27th edition of the offseason. Many of the previous iterations had the Bulldogs at No. 7, though Sears’ decision moved Alabama up seven spots to No. 2 and subsequently pushed seven other teams down the pecking order. The return of RJ Davis to North Carolina has the Tar Heels at No. 4 in the Top 25 and 1, which is their highest ranking compared to any of the aforementioned outlets.
