Gonzaga Bulldogs ranked No. 19 in CBS Sports' preseason Top 25 rankings

Zags face seven opponents ranked in CBS Sports' preseason top 25

CBS Sports' Gary Parrish updated his "Top 25 and 1" college basketball preseason rankings on Monday, and his latest version has the Gonzaga Bulldogs at No. 19. 

Here's what Parrish wrote about the Zags:

This ranking is based on the Zags returning three of the top seven scorers - Anton Watson, Nolan Hickman and Ben Gregg - from a team that shared the West Coast Conference title with Saint Mary's before making the Elite Eight of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Mark Few will combine that core with a recruiting class headlined by transfers Ryan Nembhard (Creighton), Graham Ike (Wyoming) and Steele Venters (Eastern Washington).

Parrish also ranked the Zags at No. 19 in his earlier preseason rankings from June. Since then, Few brought in Croatian guard Luka Krajnovic, while former Kansas transfer Marcus Adams Jr. committed and decommitted from the program within a five-week span. The addition of Krajnovic didn't change Parrish's outlook on the Zags, though.

Six known opponents on Gonzaga's schedule were ranked in Parrish's top 25, including Purdue (No. 2), UConn (No. 8), USC (No. 12), San Diego State (No. 13), Kentucky (No. 16) and Saint Mary's (No. 21). The Zags could potentially face Tennessee (No. 14) and either Kansas (No. 1) or Marquette (No. 6) at the 2023 Maui Invitational as well.

Other analysts are higher on Few's new-look squad heading into the season. 

ESPN's early preseason rankings from Sept. 5 ranked Gonzaga at No. 7. Here's what Jeff Borzello had to say about the Zags:

We knew Mark Few would find a way to reload his roster following the departures of Drew Timme, Julian Strawther, Rasir Bolton and Malachi Smith -- and he landed three transfers to help offset the losses: Ryan Nembhard (Creighton), Graham Ike (Wyoming) and Steele Venters (Eastern Washington). The Zags also received positive news on deadline day, with Anton Watson deciding to return to Spokane, Washington, for another year up front.

The Athletic ranked the Zags at No. 17 in its preseason rankings released Aug. 28, though Krajnovic, who committed on Aug. 12, was omitted from the projected lineup.

Gonzaga hasn't been ranked outside the top 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll since it came in at No. 18 to start the 2017-18 season. That team, similar to this year's squad, lost its top two scorers from the season prior in Nigel Williams-Goss and Pzremek Karnowksi. The Zags have rebounded from star players departing in the past, as they look to do the same with a revamped roster full of newcomers in 2023-24.