Gonzaga basketball preview: The Bulldogs have size, shooting and depth

That loss cut deep, in part because Gonzaga had never advanced past the Sweet 16 under Mark Few despite making the NCAA Tournament in all 15 years he’s been the coach. It’s a stretch that has made the ‘Zags the country’s preeminent mid-major, but one that also has fans starving for more postseason success. For now, the book on Gonzaga is that they’re a great regular season team in the WCC but struggle to match up with the big boys in March.

That could change this year. Because of the addition of three transfers, a potential impact freshman and one of the best returning backcourts in the country, this could finally be the year Few’s Bulldogs breakthrough. All the markings of a team that can make a deep run in March seem to be here.

When you look at the roster, Gonzaga has three great outside shooters, a slashing wing, size, depth and a terrific coach. What’s not to like? This roster seems like it should create one of the best offenses in college basketball. While the Bulldogs don’t appear to have many great individual defenders, last year’s team still finished No. 15 in defensive efficiency, per KenPom. Over the last three seasons, the ‘Zags have ranked no lower than No. 39 on that end of the floor.

The ‘Zags still got into the tournament last season as a bubble team, but the offense simply wasn’t as dynamic as it typically is. If that changes this year, and it should, you can thank transfers Byron Wesley and Kyle Wiltjer.

Wesley was USC’s best player a year ago, leading the Trojans in scoring and rebounding. You typically don’t find 6’5 wings who averaged close to 18 points per game on the transfer market, but friction between USC and Wesley led to Few pulling one of the biggest transfer coups of the offseason. Wesley just gets buckets: he shot almost 47 percent from the floor last season by taking over 43 percent of his shots at the rim and making over 60 percent of them. Gonzaga hasn’t had a slasher this good in a long time. With Wesley surrounded by shooting, it’s easy to see how this offense could be excellent.

Wiltjer, a transfer from Kentucky, joins the program after sitting out last season. Add Wiltjer to a backcourt of Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr., and Gonzaga potentially has three players who can shoot over 40 percent from the three-point line. It’s a luxury not many teams in the country have.

The final piece is size. Przemek Karnowski might be the biggest player in the country at 7’1, 300 pounds. Backup center Ryan Edwards enters his sophomore year at the exact same size. There’s plenty of pieces here to juggle, but there’s no reason to question Few’s ability to get them to play cohesively.

It’s safe bet that Gonzaga is going to dominate the WCC again, but that’s always a safe bet. This season, their aspirations of a deep run in March could finally come to fruition.

PG Kevin Pangos, senior
SG Gary Bell, Jr., senior
SF Byron Wesley, senior
PF Kyle Wiltjer, junior
C Przemek Karnowski, junior

Key reserves: C Ryan Edwards (sophomore), G Eric McClellan (junior), F Domantas Sabonis (freshman), G/F Kyle Draginis (junior), F Angel Nunez (junior), G Josh Perkins (freshman)

SB Nation community: The Slipper Still Fits

When Olynyk and Harris were around in 2013, Gonzaga put up the No. 2 offense in the country, per KenPom. That team finished No. 8 in the country in effective field goal percentage and did well to limit turnovers and dominate the offensive glass. This year’s squad could be similarly effective in those areas.

With Pangos and Bell entrenched in the backcourt, Gonzaga has two veterans who can handle and shoot the rock. Pangos seems like he’s been at Gonzaga for an eternity as a four-year contributor, but his senior season could be his best one yet because of how strong the supporting cast is. Pangos doesn’t need to do it all this season, he can simply function as a spot-up shooter and part-time facilitator to get Gonzaga’s offense humming.

Bell Jr. doesn’t get the publicity Pangos does, but he’s still a solid starter. Bell enters his senior year after hitting almost 43 percent of his threes last season. He’s a gritty defender who is likely to draw the toughest assignment in the opposing backcourt every night. The backcourt is certainly a bit undersized with both players checking in around 6’2, but with so much size inside, it shouldn’t hurt the Bulldogs too much.

Karnowski has the potential to be among the most dominant big men in the country. He’s simply too huge not to be. As a sophomore, Karnowski averaged 10.4 points per game on nearly 60 percent shooting. He’s not a good foul shooter, so Gonzaga could see teams employ a hack-a-Przemek strategy in late game situations. That’s scary, but Karnowski’s mass and touch will unquestionably been a big positive for the ‘Zags on both ends of the floor.

The bench could be really good, too. All eyes will be on Domantas Sabonis, son of Lithuanian legend Arvydas. Sabonis is considered a strong rebounder and could potentially give the ‘Zags some toughness to complement Wiltjer’s shooting touch on the inside. Because of his last name alone, Sabonis is destined to be one of the most intriguing players in the country this year.

The rest of the bench is talented, as well. Vanderbilt transfer Eric McClellan, junior wing Kyle Draginis, top 100 freshman Josh Perkins and the center Edwards might give Gonzaga one of the better second units in the country.

Having Karnowski in the middle will fix a lot of deficiencies in Gonzaga’s defense, but it does look like this lineup could have several below average defenders. Pangos and Wiltjer are going to be overmatched against strong offensive players, and Wesley isn’t considered a net-positive on that end of the floor, either.

While the ‘Zags typically do put up great defensive numbers, the (lack of) strength of the WCC has a lot to do with it. At this point, the ‘Zags have bigger goals than dominating the conference again. If they defend in the postseason, there’s no ceiling on this team.