College Basketball

College basketball 2022-23 countdown: No. 2 Gonzaga

Updated Nov. 3, 2022 8:41 p.m. ET

College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter

Editor's note: John Fanta is counting down his top 15 college basketball teams leading up to the start of the 2022-23 season. Checking in at No. 2 is Gonzaga.

Few in college basketball have it better than Mark Few. He’s built a dynasty in Spokane that has been an unstoppable freight train, and it has only sped up in the last half-decade. The Bulldogs, who have been to the NCAA Tournament every season there has been one since 1999 (it was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19), will once again contend for the one thing they lack: a national championship.

Gonzaga is 192-18 in its last six seasons and has not lost more than five games in a campaign since 2015-16. The Bulldogs have won at least 28 games in 10 straight seasons and have made seven consecutive appearances in the Sweet 16. To go a step further, the Zags haven’t endured a season with double-digit losses in 11 years.

The ridiculous numbers associated with this program go on and on, and as Gonzaga enters 2022-23, there’s no reason to believe the Bulldogs are going to slow down.

All-American Drew Timme is back for his senior season. A pair of other starters, Julian Strawther and Rasir Bolton, look poised to take on even bigger roles. Reigning Southern Conference Player of the Year Malachi Smith transferred into the program along with former LSU big man Efton Reid. To add to all of that, the Zags have a couple of former highly-touted recruits who will have a door open for them to step up with Andrew Nembhard and Chet Holmgren gone.

While those two talents are certainly difficult to replace, the Bulldogs bring everybody else back to the core. There’s certainly a case for them to be the preseason No. 1 team in the country — no, don’t overreact to an exhibition loss to Tennessee — and the Zags could very well spend some time in that top spot this season.

If you’re making an argument that the Bulldogs don’t play in a conference as tough as others, Few does as much as humanly possible to combat that. Gonzaga will play Michigan State, Texas, Kentucky, Purdue or West Virginia (PK 85), Baylor, Alabama and possibly Duke in their nonconference slate. That’s yet another nonconference gauntlet for Gonzaga, and the only one of those games that will be played in Spokane comes against Kentucky, part of a new six-year series agreed upon by Few and John Calipari.

There are certain things the Zags have to figure out if they are to become a national championship-caliber team. But then again, everyone else does, too. That's just part of life in a college basketball marathon. What’s amazing about that is Gonzaga now seems to be in this position every season.

Here’s a breakdown of what to watch for on the roster.

Who’s back for the Zags?

It all starts with Timme, who has a 90-7 career record at Gonzaga. The 6-foot-10 Texan averaged 18.4 points and 6.8 rebounds last season on 59% shooting from the floor, and we can only wonder what’s in store for him in his senior act. He’s already shattered Gonzaga’s program records for points, field goals made and free throws made in the NCAA Tournament. The fact that he’s back in Spokane is outstanding for college basketball and another positive result of having NIL in college sports.

Strawther’s development at the wing position is one of the biggest storylines for Gonzaga. The 6-foot-7 junior will have the ball in his hands more frequently, and he can present matchup problems for opposing teams. His versatility is a big strength for Few, and the length he has makes him a plus defender for the Zags. One of his best offensive attributes is a floater game that has really come on.

Can Strawther go from a guy who averages 11.8 points to one who hits 15-16 points on a nightly basis? That’s the expectation level from Few.

Then there’s Bolton, a 6-foot-3 fifth-year senior who averaged 11.2 points on 50% from the floor and 46% from 3-point range last season. As one of the best shooters in the country, he provided scoring bursts for the Zags in big spots, with 16 points against Texas, 15 against Texas Tech and 17 in a victory over Memphis in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Bolton’s experience and ability to create in transition gives the Zags an edge in fast-break scenarios. He will aim to carry over his late-season consistency — 13.1 points per game over his last six contests.

Timme, Strawther and Bolton are the known commodities. But it’s a pair of sophomores, guards Nolan Hickman and Hunter Sallis, who could end up determining just how great the Zags become.

Hickman, a former four-star recruit from Seattle, will be counted on to take over the role that Nembhard had as the team’s primary ball handler. What he does at the point guard position may be the single biggest factor in Gonzaga’s season because he has shoes to fill, and his role was limited in his freshman season.

As for Sallis, we’ll see if the 6-foot-5 wing can find a rhythm in a reserve role. The hope is that he can serve as an X-factor in his second season.

The other returnee to monitor is 6-foot-8 forward Anton Watson. The senior scored in double-figures 13 times last season, averaging 7.3 points and 4.7 boards per game while shooting over 59% from the floor. He has started at the four slot in both exhibition games so far this fall, alongside Timme, Bolton, Strawther and Hickman.

Who’s new on the roster?

The 6-foot-7 Smith, who shined for Chattanooga last season and charged the Mocs to the NCAA Tournament, was one of the best transfer adds in the country this past offseason. Averaging 19.6 points, 6.3 boards and 4.3 assists, Smith’s ball handling and playmaking ability should have a major impact on Gonzaga’s identity. With the unknown of what Hickman will do at the point guard slot, Smith could make a huge impact and give Few another option to handle point guard duties.

While it came at a different level, the SoCon is one of the better mid-major leagues in the country, and Smith should be able to handle the transition to Spokane well. He was the only player in Division I basketball last season who posted at least 600 points, 200 rebounds, 50 assists, 50 steals and 50 3-point field goals during the 2021-22 season.

The other impact transfer, Reid, is a 7-footer who can allow Few to change up Gonzaga’s look and play bigger with him and Timme on the floor together. In his lone season at LSU, Reid averaged 6.3 points and 4.3 boards in 19.6 minutes per game on 52% shooting. With Few’s history of developing bigs like Killian Tillie, Filip Petrusev, Domantas Sabonis, Przemek Karnowski and others, it’s safe to say Reid is going to get better in his second season of college basketball. It looks like at least to start the season, Reid will be the first post player off the bench.

For more of an indication of how Few may manage minutes, check out the box score from the Zags’ exhibition win over Division II Warner Pacific on Wednesday night.

The key questions for the Zags to answer …

How will Gonzaga fare with rim protection? That’s a major question with Holmgren gone, as the unicorn freshman tallied 117 blocks in his lone year in Spokane. That mark tied for the most in a single season in program history. We shall see how Timme, Reid and Watson handle interior defense, but there’s no question the Zags will be significantly easier to attack inside with the reigning WCC Defensive Player of the Year gone.

The other big question should not be a surprise based on what we’ve discussed above: What happens for the Zags at the point guard position? Will Hickman take the projected sophomore leap, or will Smith grab the keys to the car and shoulder the playmaking duties?

That’s an interesting situation for Few to navigate, and it’s not like Gonzaga’s schedule allows for a lot of time to figure things out. Having Strawther and Bolton back is huge for this program, but the setup man is going to be a key question to answer.

The big picture

The Zags have once again reloaded and will enter March with another opportunity to capture that elusive national title. The questions at the point guard slot are present, and the defensive identity of this team will need to grow, but this team should be one of the best in the country yet again. Timme’s return was a huge decision, and the transfer adds of Smith and Reid were quality pickups.

The Zags remain in the title conversation, and while I don’t feel as great about this Gonzaga team as opposed to the previous two, you know this team will have as good a chance as anyone to successfully navigate the madness of March.

Scheduling highlights

Friday, Nov. 11: Michigan State (USS Abraham Lincoln, San Diego, CA)
Wednesday, Nov. 16: at Texas
Sunday, Nov. 20: Kentucky (Spokane Arena)
Friday, Nov. 25: PK85 Invitational final matchup (Duke, Florida or Xavier - Portland, OR)
Friday, Dec. 2: Baylor (Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls, SD)
Friday, Dec. 9: Washington
Saturday, Dec. 17: Alabama (Birmingham, AL)
Thursday, Jan. 12: at BYU
Saturday, Feb. 4: at Saint Mary’s
Saturday, Feb. 11: BYU
Saturday, Feb. 25: Saint Mary’s

Top 15 countdown:

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.