ESPN analyst calls Gonzaga a national championship sleeper team

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are off to a stellar 5-0 start heading into a trio of marquee matchups in Las Vegas as part of the Players Era Festival.

With three wins over power conference teams, including a 27-point thrashing of then No. 23 ranked Creighton, Gonzaga has displayed elite offense and defense in the early part of the campaign - and the national media is starting to take notice.

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas posted a clip on his Instagram account Saturday morning detailing two sleeper teams he believes can compete for a national championship: the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

"Now Gonzaga doesn't sound like it should be a sleeper given the success that Mark Few has had over the years, but this team's a little bit different," Bilas said. "They're outstanding defensively, they've got good depth. They're an older team, and they've got a great player in the pivot in Graham Ike, the lefty."

Gonzaga has very consistently had one of the best offenses in the country, but this year it is the relentless, high-pressure defense that is catching the eye of folks around the sport.

ESPN's Jay Bilas. | Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

For seven straight years from 2019-2025, Gonzaga finished the season ranked No. 6 or better in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency, finishing first in four of those years. However the team's adjusted defensive efficiency was only in the top 10 once in that stretch, and hit a low of No. 73 back in 2023.

This year - through the first five games - Gonzaga has the ninth best offense and third best defense at KenPom, which would be the team's highest ranking since 2017, when they finished first.

That year Gonzaga went all the way to its first national championship before falling to North Carolina in a game they were leading in the second half.

Gonzaga still has a long way to go to prove they are on the same level as that ridiculously stacked 2016-17 team, which featured All-American Nigel Williams-Goss, lottery pick Zach Collins, and solid veteran players Josh Perkins, Przemek Karnowski, Johnathan Williams, and Jordan Mathews.

However, there are plenty of similarities. This year's group has tremendous depth at every position, able to play nine or even ten players deep without sacrificing on court production. It allows the players on the floor to give 100% effort on every possession, with the knowledge there is someone who can come in behind them and keep the team rolling.

Gonzaga Bulldogs Braeden Smith (left), Graham Ike (middle) and Braden Huff (right). | Photo by Myk Crawford

This year's group also has outstanding post play in Ike and Braden Huff, elite toughness and physicality on the perimeter in Tyon Grant-Foster, Jalen Warley, Emmanuel Innocenti and Mario Saint-Supery, and strong outside shooters to space the floor in Adam Miller and Steele Venters.

The biggest test of Gonzaga's season to date will come on Monday, Nov. 24 in Las Vegas against a very talented and well-coached Alabama squad - which will give fans a better sense of how high the ceiling is for Mark Few's team in their final season as members of the West Coast Conference.

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