Gonzaga inside top 20 of latest college basketball preseason rankings

Sleepers Media ranked the Bulldogs No. 20 in their updated preseason rank

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Gonzaga basketball returns in two weeks when Mark Few's club takes the floor for Kraziness in the Kennel on Oct. 4, which will provide fans a first glimpse at newcomers Adam Miller, Mario Saint-Supery, Davis, Fogle, and Parker Jefferson.

The actual season begins not long after on Nov. 3, with many college basketball analysts starting to release their preseason rankings. The latest comes from Sleepers Media, which revealed its top 25 on social media Friday morning.

Gonzaga came in at No. 20 overall, which is in line with many other media outlets. Jon Rothstein of CBS has the Zags at No. 18, Gary Parrish has them at No. 21, and the recently updated top 25 at On3 has Gonzaga at No. 24.

Gonzaga is among the toughest teams to accurately assess heading into the 2025-26 season. For starters, the team's prized transfer portal addition - Grand Canyon wing Tyon Grant-Foster - is still awaiting a waiver from the NCAA to be eligible this year. Even if he does end up getting his waiver approved, the 6'7 wing won't have spent any time with his new teammates or coaching staff, and learning the ropes of coach Few's offense with less than 50 days until the season begins is a tall task.

Grant-Foster is an elite scorer who won WAC Player of the Year in 2023-24 after averaging 20.1 points for the 'Lopes, along with 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. An ankle injury slowed him down in 2024-25, though, limiting him to just 26 games where he scored 14.8 points with a field goal percentage under 40%.

Mar 21, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Grand Canyon Antelopes guard Tyon Grant-Foster (7) drives the ball during the first half against Maryland Terrapins at Climate Pledge Arena. | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Which version of Grant-Foster arrives in Spokane — if one even does — is a huge question mark currently looming over Gonzaga's head, although it's far from the only one.

The Zags did get back an elite pair of frontcourt talents in Graham Ike and Braden Huff, who are expected to start together this season after doing so in the final three games last year. The depth behind them is limited, however, with sophomore Ismaila Diagne only playing 66 total minutes last year. Incoming freshman Parker Jefferson could end up being the team's fourth big, or the Zags could turn to 6'7 wing Steele Venters to play some small-ball four, although he has missed each of the past two seasons with knee and ankle injuries, respectively.

Gonzaga also has questions in the backcourt, with Colgate transfer Braeden Smith and Virginia transfer Jalen Warley set to take on big roles after redshirting in Spokane last year. Joining them will be Spanish freshman Mario Saint-Supery, coming off an excellent run with Spain at EuroBasket.

The talent is undeniably there, but none of those players — including Miller and Grant-Foster — have played for Gonzaga, which could lead to a rocky start in Spokane even with Smith and Warley spending time around the program last year.

Gonzaga will have plenty of chances to prove itself this season against elite competition, with Sleepers ranking five of the team's non-conference opponents: Kentucky (5), UCLA (14), Alabama (15), Creighton (23), and Oregon (25).