Gonzaga Bulldogs NCAA Basketball Betting
Mark Few has done everything except win a national championship over the course of his 25-year tenure with Gonzaga. This 2024-25 team should have a great chance to win the title, and it’ll be interesting to see if the Zags can get over the hump. This year’s team may not have the top-end NBA talent as the 2020-21 and 2021-22 teams did, but the experience across the board has me excited for what they can accomplish.
The lone competitor for Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference following the departure of BYU to the Big 12 has been Saint Mary’s under Randy Bennett. While the Gaels got the better of the Zags in 2023-24, We don’t see any way the Zags drop the regular season conference title race twice in a row. Most have got the Zags to finish first in the WCC, and we think they claim the title by at least two games.
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Starting the group of returners for the Zags is Graham Ike (17 ppg, 7 rpg). Ike joined the Zags last season from Wyoming, having a spectacular first year in the WCC and establishing himself as one of the best post-scorers in the country. The focal point of the Zags post offense now with Anton Watson gone, Ike could see slight upticks in his numbers across the board as he continues to dominate in the WCC.
Ben Gregg (9 ppg, 6 rpg) should start alongside Ike, inserted into the starting lineup halfway through last season and really engineering the Zags' late-season turnaround with his ability to stretch the floor and provide another tall option for the Zags. Braden Huff (9 ppg) had a solid freshman season, but most of his big games came against inferior competition. He doesn’t need to play a big role for the Zags, but there will surely be games where he is called upon to play important minutes in the wake of foul trouble or injury.
Jun Seok Yeo (2 ppg) didn’t feature much in his first season at Gonzaga and will likely suffer the same fate with a handful of very talented guys ahead of him in the frontcourt.
The Zags return all three guards from their primary rotation last season, with Nolan Hickman (14 ppg), Ryan Nembhard (13 ppg, 4 rpg, 7 apg) and Dusty Stromer (5 ppg) all returning. Hickman was the primary scorer in the backcourt for Gonzaga a year ago, a three-level scorer who shoots it well from three (41.3% 3P) and can attack the rim.
Nembhard is the ultra-experienced point guard for the group, averaging nearly seven assists per game last season and controlling the game for the Zags. Stromer was thrust into a bigger role than likely planned in his freshman year after Steele Venters went down just before the beginning of the season. Stromer should find himself in a more comfortable spot this season and, with a year under his belt, should be a positive contributor off the bench for the Zags.
The Zags lost just two players this offseason, with forward Anton Watson (15 ppg, 7 rpg) graduating and Luka Krajnovic (3 ppg) entering the transfer portal. Watson will be a big miss for the Zags, likely their best defender from last season’s team and his departure pokes a hole in a talented lineup. The biggest adjustment for life without Watson will be on the defensive end, but he also provided a lot offensively and on the glass for the Zags.
Michael Ajayi (17 ppg, 10 rpg at Pepperdine) is the guy Mark Few brought in to try to plug the hole of Anton Watson’s departure. Playing at Pepperdine last season, Ajayi has proven himself in the WCC and will now become an important piece for the league’s top team.
Gonzaga remains a national brand that draws attention.
Latest NCAA Tournament Results
| YEAR |
RESULT |
| 2024 |
Lost Sweet Sixteen vs. (1) Purdue 68–80 |
| 2023 |
Lost Elite Eight vs. (4) UConn 54–82 |
| 2022 |
Lost Sweet Sixteen vs. (4) Arkansas, 68–74 |
| 2021 |
Lost National Championship vs. (1) Baylor, 70–86 |
| 2019 |
Lost Elite Eight vs. (3) Texas Tech, 69–75 |
| 2018 |
Lost Sweet Sixteen vs. (9) Florida State, 60–75 |
| 2017 |
Lost National Championship vs. (1) North Carolina, 65–71 |
2024-2025 NCAA Basketball Top Teams
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