Is Gonzaga amongst the top contenders in College Basketball?

Gonzaga is off to one of the hottest starts of any team in college basketball in Mark Few's 26th season at the helm. The week one AP poll tabbed the Bulldogs as the nation's 19th-best team, but I think they've already proved that they are better than that.

Gonzaga is now 3-0 on the season. On opening night, they won in blowout fashion over Texas Southern, a solid mid-major program that's won the SWAC conference in three of the last five seasons. What really impressed me, though, was their convincing wins over Oklahoma and #23 Creighton. Both were NCAA tournament teams last season. Last Friday night, in Spokane, they took on an Oklahoma team that had put together a really impressive transfer portal class this offseason. The Zags ended up winning by a score of 83-68. The game was pretty much already won by halftime, as they led 49-30 and already had a 98.5% chance of winning by ESPN's win probability index. Graham Ike led the way with a 19-point double-double, with four other Zags scoring in double figures, including Braden Huff, Jalen Warley, and Tyon-Grant Foster.

On Tuesday night, Gonzaga would face #23 Creighton at home, a team that is just four spots behind them in the week one AP Poll. The game was a blowout; Gonzaga won by a score of 90-63 and already had a 99% chance to win with 12 minutes remaining in the second half. This was a Creighton team that loaded up on talent in the transfer portal this offseason and is supposed to be a contender in the Big East conference. Graham Ike led the way again for the Zags, with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Ike has had a double-double in all three games this season. Gonzaga had three other players score in double figures in this game: Braden Huff, Adam Miller, and Mario Saint-Supery.

This year's Gonzaga team has all the makings of a national title contender in my eyes. 6-foot-9 Graham Ike is clearly one of the best players in the country. The sixth-year senior is an elite rebounder and post player. Ike has made first-team all-conference in each of the last two seasons, but this looks like it could be the year he plays at an All-American level. They've also got 6-foot-10 junior Braden Huff as their other star player in the frontcourt. Huff has seen a minutes increase this season, and he's made the most of it so far, averaging 13.7 points and 5.3 rebounds, starting in every game. 6-foot-7, fifth-year senior Tyon Grant-Foster was arguably Mark Few's biggest get out of the portal. The former player of the year in the WAC conference has made a strong impact so far this season after transferring in from Grand Canyon. Arizona State transfer Adam Miller and Virginia transfer Jalen Warley are two other guards Mark Few brought in from the portal. Both have starting experience at power-conference programs, and they both have looked impressive this season, averaging in double figures. The Zags also have two pretty good freshmen in Mario Saint-Supery out of Spain and Davis Fogle, who was a top-40 recruit. 6-foot point guard Braeden Smith and 6-foot-5 shooting guard Steele Venters are two other key pieces off the bench. Smith is a former conference player of the year in the Patriot League at Colgate, and Venters was the player of the year in the Big Sky during his time at Eastern Washington.

There are very few teams in college basketball that are able to compete with the experience and depth that the Zags have on their roster this season. Mark Few's squad is led by one of the top frontcourt duos in Braden Huff and Graham Ike. They also have an outstanding backcourt with five guys who either dominated at the mid-major level or were solid players for power-conference programs. Not to mention one of the best coaches in the country, in Mark Few, and a very easy conference schedule. In my eyes, there's no reason for Gonzaga not to compete for a national title this season. In fact, the Zags really shouldn't lose more than two or three games all season.