Gonzaga makes notable jump in ESPN’s updated top 25 rankings

The Zags lost 11 players from last year's roster

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Mario Saint-Supery. | Photo by Myk Crawford

Mark Few has built the Gonzaga Bulldogs into one of the most consistently excellent college basketball programs of all-time, with their presence in the top 25 week after week serving as a constant over the past quarter century.

So it shouldn't be much of a surprise that, after losing 11 players from last year's roster - including All-American Graham Ike - the Zags are still comfortably considered one of the best teams in the sport heading into 2026-27 and the new-look Pac-12 conference.

Jeff Borzello of ESPN did a way-too-early top 25 ranking as soon as the national championship game ended in early April, and then refreshed it a few weeks later after the dust settled on the transfer portal.

He went ahead and updated again on Monday to kick off the month of June, while also revisiting rosters that were impacted by the NBA draft withdrawal deadline last week.

Borzello moved Gonzaga from No. 24 up to No. 17 in his latest update, with the team's addition of star big man Massamba Diop playing a major role in the Zags' rise.

"[Braden] Huff is one of the most efficient low-post scorers in the country, and Diop has an incredibly high ceiling and will make a massive impact as a rim protector," Borzello wrote of Gonzaga. "With international recruit Jack Kayil opting to stay in the NBA draft, there will be a lot of responsibility for Houston transfer and former five-star prospect Isiah Harwell."

Never too early to talk college hoops 👀@jeffborzello gives his NCAA men's basketball Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings ⤵️https://t.co/0GCMnZ7a9E pic.twitter.com/6zqfLoKdet

— ESPN (@espn) June 1, 2026

Gonzaga returns three key players from last year's team in Huff and sophomores Davis Fogle and Mario Saint-Supery. Those three, along with Harwell and Diop, are who Borzello projects to start for Gonzaga this upcoming season, giving them a very young - but very talented - starting five.

Depth remains the biggest area of concern for the Zags at the moment, with no one else on the roster who has played even a single minute of college basketball. Gonzaga will hope the age and international experience of Izan Almansa, as well as Parker Jefferson's time redshirting last year, will acclimate them quickly to a rotation role in 2026-27.

Still, the backcourt only really features one other player outside of the starting trio of Saint-Supery, Harwell, and Fogle, and that's incoming 4-star freshman wing, Luca Foster. Adding more depth to the backcourt is crucial for coach Few's team after the loss of Jack Kayil, a 20-year-old German guard who opted to stay in the NBA draft process rather than coming to Spokane.

Gonzaga has matchups already scheduled with three other top 25 teams in Duke (No. 2), Michigan State (No. 8) and Purdue (No. 24). They could also end up playing a handful of these teams in Las Vegas during the Players Era Festival, with Alabama (No. 15) a potential rematch from last year.

Gonzaga will begin the season facing Purdue on Nov. 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas and will take on Michigan State on Dec. 19 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs before a huge showdown with Duke on Feb. 20 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

Florida takes the No. 1 spot in ESPN's rankings, followed by Duke, Michigan, Illinois, and UConn.