Gonzaga up to No. 3 in ESPN's Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings

The Zags are behind only Kansas and Houston

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike / James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

The Gonzaga men's basketball program has had a very productive offseason so far, and national media outlets are paying attention.

In ESPN's updated Way-Too-Early Top 25 college basketball rankings, Jeff Borzello bumped Gonzaga up one spot to No. 3 in the country. The Zags are behind No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Houston.

Rounding out ESPN's Top 10 are No. 4 Baylor, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 UConn, No. 8 Duke, No. 9 North Carolina and No. 10 Arizona.

Borzello notes there isn't much separation between the Top 10 teams: "On paper, there would be 10 teams with an argument to be in the preseason No. 1 discussion."

Mark Few recently landed Arkansas transfer guard Khalif Battle and is reportedly in the mix for Colgate transfer guard Braeden Smith. Adding Smith, the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, would give the Zags the kind of depth they had in 2020-21 when Julian Strawther and Oumar Ballo were battling for minutes as the 8th and 9th players in the rotation.

Few returns four of five starters and has added Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi and Battle through the portal. Gonzaga's projected starting lineup of Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman, Ajayi, Ben Gregg and Graham Ike is widely considered one of the best in the country.

The Zags ended last season ranked No. 15 in the AP Top 25 poll after finishing 27-8 and advancing to their ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. They thumped Kansas 89-68 in the second round of the tourney, but the Jayhawks have reloaded through the transfer portal and are currently the preseason favorites heading into 2024-25.