Gonzaga takes No. 7 spot in ESPN’s ‘Way-Too-Early Top 25’

Even with the loss of four starters, Gonzaga is still expected to be a top-10 team, according to ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early Top 25” rankings, which were released Thursday.

The Bulldogs take the No. 7 spot in the rankings, which is topped by Michigan State, Kentucky and Kansas, in that order.

“We still expect Mark Few to win 30 games this season, but the makeup of the personnel is different. Corey Kispert, Killian Tillie and Filip Petrusev return up front, and Few brings in three ESPN 100 frontcourt players,” ESPN staff writer Jeff Borzello wrote.

Four of Gonzaga’s opponents next season also made the list: North Carolina (No. 6), Arizona (15), Saint Mary’s (19) and Washington (21).

The Bulldogs could also play several ranked teams in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament in November, including the Tar Heels and Seton Hall (13).

An average of 10 national preseason rankings from prominent analysts has the Zags at No. 16.