Gonzaga could be headed back to Spokane for March Madness

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are one of many college basketball programs with a roster featuring multiple players in eligibility limbo, even as the season rapidly approaches.

That has made preseason projections a nearly impossible task this offseason, and yet many are still doing the best they can with the information they have.

Advertisement

Joe Lunardi, ESPN’s longtime resident bracketologist, published a way-too-early look at the 2027 NCAA Tournament picture – while acknowledging the difficulty of such a task this offseason.

Gonzaga ended up in a similar spot as last year, with Lunardi projecting a No. 3 seed for the Zags and placing them at home in Spokane in the Midwest Region, with an opening matchup against No. 14 Akron and a pod that also includes No. 6 USC and two play-in No. 11 seeds in TCU and Marquette.

Gonzaga has plenty of upside – if everyone is available

Mar 22, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Florida Gators guard Xaivian Lee (1) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Gonzaga’s complete roster, on paper, should finish higher than a 3-seed. A lineup featuring elite facilitator Xaivian Lee, potential breakout star Davis Fogle, 6’10 three-point specialist Chauncey Wiggins, and one of the best frontcourts in the country in Braden Huff and Massamba Diop is among the ten best starting squads in the country – and having depth weapons like guards Javon Bennett, Isiah Harwell, Luca Foster, and forward Izan Almansa makes this among the most dangerous nine-man rotations in the sport.

Advertisement

But, as of this writing, Wiggins, Bennett, and Almansa are currently ineligible to suit up for Gonzaga – along with 23-year-old French point guard Nathan de Sousa. And while Lee is currently eligible thanks to a TRO granted in the state of California, that could change if the NCAA is granted a stay request by the court of appeals, which happened in both Ohio and Georgia to render Bennett and Wiggins ineligible, respectively.

A roster without the fifth year seniors suddenly looks more vulnerable,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/gonzaga-could-headed-back-spokane-194054729.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-09-15 19:40:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.