ESPN's Joe Lunardi believes Gonzaga will be first AP Top 25 team knocked out of 2024 NCAA Tournament

Bracketologist projects Bulldogs to earn a 3-seed at the Big Dance, but he doesn't believe they'll advance to their ninth-straight Sweet 16

No matter which way it is spun, the hype surrounding the Gonzaga Bulldogs is tapered compared to previous seasons.

The national media has raved about Mark Few's efforts to rebuild the program through the transfer portal, namely the additions of Ryan Nembhard (Creighton) and Graham Ike (Wyoming). Both are early contenders for prestigious awards, with Nembhard in contention for the Bob Cousy Award (point guard) and the Naismith Trophy, while Ike is on the preseason watch list for the Karl Malone Award (power forward). Program staple Anton Watson earned national praise for the first time in his career by being named to the Julius Erving Award (small forward) watch list.

Yet despite the talented pieces on the roster, it's still a "wait and see" mentality given the abundance of newcomers. Gonzaga wasn't picked to win the West Coast Conference for the first time since the 2017-18 season and was ranked outside the top 10 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. It's hard to bet against Few given the program's unrivaled consistency over the last quarter-decade, but the national media has begun to cast doubt on the Bulldogs going into the 2023-24 season.

ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi believes Gonzaga will be the first preseason AP Top 25 team to exit the 2024 NCAA Tournament, which would result in the program losing in the first round for the first time in 15 years. Lunardi's latest Bracketology has the Zags as the No. 3 seed in the South Region, though he doesn't foresee them advancing past the first weekend of the tournament.

Similarly, CBS Sports college basketball analyst Gary Parrish indirectly predicted that Gonzaga won't make it to the Sweet 16 on an episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast. Parrish parodied "November Rain" by Guns N' Roses to make his prediction.

"Nothing lasts forever, even Gonzaga's Sweet 16 streak," Parrish hummed.

The national media's faith in the Bulldogs has been echoed by the sportsbooks in Las Vegas. Gonzaga is listed at +3000 odds to win the national championship on Bet MGM, FanDuel, Caesars Sportsbook, Bet Rivers and UniBet. While it's among the top 10 shortest odds listed for any team, the Zags have been accustomed to heading into a season as one of the favorites to cut down the nets in April.

Still, odds and preseason predictions don't always hold their value by season's end. Perhaps the lack of pressure from the outside noise is just what Gonzaga needs for the 2023-24 season.

"I think there's a few question marks out there nationally, but that's perfectly fine," Dan Dickau said on the Gonzaga Nation podcast. "It gives them time to kind of build and gel and learn out of the national limelight."

Adam Morrison believes Braden Huff could move into Gonzaga's starting lineup