Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are one of many college basketball programs with a roster featuring multiple players in eligibility limbo, even as the season rapidly approaches.
That has made preseason projections a nearly impossible task this offseason, and yet many are still doing the best they can with the information they have.
Joe Lunardi, ESPN's longtime resident bracketologist, published a way-too-early look at the 2027 NCAA Tournament picture – while acknowledging the difficulty of such a task this offseason.
Gonzaga ended up in a similar spot as last year, with Lunardi projecting a No. 3 seed for the Zags and placing them at home in Spokane in the Midwest Region, with an opening matchup against No. 14 Akron and a pod that also includes No. 6 USC and two play-in No. 11 seeds in TCU and Marquette.
Gonzaga has plenty of upside – if everyone is available
Gonzaga's complete roster, on paper, should finish higher than a 3-seed. A lineup featuring elite facilitator Xaivian Lee, potential breakout star Davis Fogle, 6'10 three-point specialist Chauncey Wiggins, and one of the best frontcourts in the country in Braden Huff and Massamba Diop is among the ten best starting squads in the country – and having depth weapons like guards Javon Bennett, Isiah Harwell, Luca Foster, and forward Izan Almansa makes this among the most dangerous nine-man rotations in the sport.
But, as of this writing, Wiggins, Bennett, and Almansa are currently ineligible to suit up for Gonzaga – along with 23-year-old French point guard Nathan de Sousa. And while Lee is currently eligible thanks to a TRO granted in the state of California, that could change if the NCAA is granted a stay request by the court of appeals, which happened in both Ohio and Georgia to render Bennett and Wiggins ineligible, respectively.
A roster without the fifth year seniors suddenly looks more vulnerable, relying heavily on a breakout from Harwell and a strong freshman campaign from Foster, while depth players like Sam Funches, Parker Jefferson, and Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa could have to step up as well.
Gonzaga is the Pac-12's lone projected team
Gonzaga is the lone team from the new Pac-12 conference in Lunardi's projections, even with the field expanded to 76 teams. More concerningly, Lunardi does not even have Utah State or San Diego State among the first four or next four out, meaning they are outside his top 84 rankings at the moment.
San Diego State's roster is unproven, but there's virtually no reason to have Utah State on the outside looking in. Returning superstar Mason Falslev is enough to put the Aggies in the top 60, and if Virginia transfer Dallin Hall is eligible, this team will very likely finish in the top 50 under coach Ben Jacobson.
Gonzaga's non-conference schedule features multiple teams projected in Lunardi's field, including top overall seed Duke (No. 1), Michigan State (2), Purdue (6), UCLA (7), Creighton (10), Oregon (11), LSU (11), and Montana State (15).
The Zags also have a scheduled exhibition game against No. 4 Arkansas in Fayetteville, and will play either Baylor (No. 11) or Alabama (4) in the second game of the Player's Era Festival.
Today's best reads
- 5 questions that will define Gonzaga basketball's 2026-27 season
- Ranking Gonzaga's 11 newcomers by projected impact in 2026-27
- Gonzaga's Chauncey Wiggins loses eligibility after latest NCAA ruling
- Gonzaga is counting on a breakout sophomore season from Isiah Harwell
- Mark Few delivers powerful message on college sports chaos: 'We really, really need help'
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/gonzaga as Gonzaga could be headed back to Spokane for March Madness.