Gonzaga basketball bold predictions in last season before Pac-12 move
The Gonzaga basketball team started their season on Monday night, and they got it started with a bang as they took on #8 Baylor. This was the marquee matchup of college basketball opening night, and it certainly didn't disappoint Bulldogs fans. Gonzaga cruised to a huge win over Baylor on Monday night to get the season started, and the win showed that this team has the potential to do special things this year. It was obviously just one game and we don't want to get too ahead of ourselves, but it was an impressive showing to start the season.
Year in and year out, the Gonzaga basketball team is one of the best in college hoops, and it looks like that might be the case once again this season. The Bulldogs have had some impressive seasons in recent years as they have finished the regular season undefeated, they have made deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, but they haven't been able to go all the way. That is obviously the main goal this year, and it looks like this team could have the talent to do it.
This is a big season for Gonzaga for a lot of reasons, and one of them is that this is their last year in the West Coast Conference. After this year, Gonzaga will be making the move over to the Pac-12 as the conference has life after losing just about all of their teams to conference realignment. The Bulldogs have dominated the WCC in recent years as they are usually the best team in the conference, and they hope to take home the conference crown in their final year before making the big move.
Seeing what this talented Gonzaga basketball team can do this year will be a fun as their first game showed that this will be an exciting group. Here are three predictions for the Bulldogs' 2024-25 season:
Gonzaga will win the WCC in both ways
This is the final season that Gonzaga will have in the WCC, and they will find a way to take home the conference crown. This isn't really a bold prediction as the Bulldogs are typically the last team standing in this conference, but there are still other good teams in this conference, and Gonzaga actually didn't win the regular season conference title or the conference tournament last year. It was surprising to see as we are used to Gonzaga dominating, but St. Mary's was the best team in the WCC last year.
Last season showed that it's not a guarantee for Gonzaga to take home the conference crown. Other teams will emerge as contenders, but this season, the Bulldogs will return to the top of the conference. They will win the regular season title and the conference tournament.
Gonzaga will be a one seed in the NCAA Tournament
Gonzaga's big regular season will lead to them being a one seed in the NCAA Tournament. We have seen the Bulldogs earn a top seed in the big dance numerous times in recent years, and it will happen again this season. The Bulldogs have some tough games on their non-conference schedule, but once they make it to conference play, the Bulldogs are going to cruise through the rest of the season. They are already starting off the season near the top of the rankings and their big win against Baylor should make them rise. The Bulldogs will be near the top of the rankings all year long and they will be a one seed when the season ends.
Gonzaga will make the Final Four
Yes, it's very early, but seeing what Gonzaga did against Baylor on Monday night has people even higher on the Bulldogs now. The Bears have a good squad, and the Bulldogs completely dominated them for 40 minutes as they ended up winning the game by nearly 40 points. The final score was 101-63. Gonzaga is a very good basketball team, and we are going to see performances like that all year long and into the postseason. They will be one of the final four teams standing, but they won't win it all.
College hoops preview
There was a lot of action around the college basketball world on Monday night as a lot of top teams opened up play, not just the Gonzaga basketball team. There were countless games on Monday as the action started at 11 AM, and there will be games going into Tuesday morning as well. It's been a fun first day of the season, and this should be a fun year. Let's take a look at who some of the best teams in the country are this season.
Starting in the ACC, there are just two ranked teams to start the season, which is a bit of a surprise. This conference is usually loaded with good talent, and there are bound to be some more teams that emerge as contenders. The two teams that are ranked to start the year are #7 Duke and #9 North Carolina, the two in-state rivals. The Blue Devils and Tar Heels both started their seasons with wins.
Moving over to the Big Ten, there are four ranked teams to start the year in the first season in which the conference has 18 teams. Those teams are #14 Purdue, #17 Indiana, #25 Rutgers and #22 UCLA. The Boilermakers are the favorite, but they struggled on opening night. This conference seems pretty open.
The Big East has three ranked teams to start the year, and one that everyone will be watching is #3 UConn. The Huskies have won the last two national championships, and they are hungry for number three. #15 Creighton and #18 Marquette are also in the top-25, and they are hoping to dethrone the Huskies.
One conference that could end up being the best in college basketball is the Big 12. This conference was elite from top to bottom last year, and it's going to be impressive once again. The Big 12 has six ranked teams to start the year as #20 Cincinnati, #4 Houston, #5 Iowa State, #1 Kansas, #10 Arizona and #8 Baylor are all ranked. Five teams in the top ten. That is impressive.
The conference with the most ranked teams to start the year is the SEC as they have nine ranked teams. #23 Kentucky, #12 Tennessee, #2 Alabama, #16 Arkansas, #11 Auburn, #21 Florida, #24 Ole Miss, #19 Texas and #13 Texas A&M are all ranked to start the year. This conference is going to be incredibly fun to watch.
There is one ranked team that is not in any of those conferences. That team would be #6 Gonzaga.
College basketball is back! Buckle up and enjoy the season, folks.
