With an experienced roster, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are ranked No. 7 in the CBS Sports Top 25 and 1 rankings for the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Mark Few, who made his ninth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, is expected to return with most of the 2023-24 team except fifth-year player Anton Watson. The Zags could take Michael Ajayi, a 6-foot-7 wing who was All-WCC at Pepperdine last season, if they do not submit to the NBA Draft. Steele Venters, the 2022-23 Big Sky Player of the Year, is expected to return after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. All these works have garnered high expectations from audiences across the country.
Here's what CBS Sports' Gary Parrish had to say about the Bulldogs in the rankings:
This ranking is based on Mark Few's Zags returning every rotation piece other than Anton Watson from the team that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga should be back in the NCAA Tournament next March for an incredible 26th straight time.
Parrish isn't the only reliable source ranking the Zags among the top 10 teams heading into the offseason. ESPN, The Athletic and 247 Sports have Gonzaga No. 2 in their respective rankings, while FOX Sports, Sports Illustrated and Field of 68 have it hovering around the top five.
After starting the season 11-5, the Bulldogs have won 15 of their last 18 games and posted the third-best offensive efficiency numbers during that span. Their effective field goal percentage of 59.8% during this period was the best in the nation, and their turnover rate was also the second best at 12.2%. Gonzaga University had a 2-point shooting percentage of 59.7% and a 3-point shooting percentage of 40.1%, both of which were in the top 10 in the country.
