SPOKANE, Wash. — Basketball season is quickly approaching, and with that, there is a lot of anticipation to see the Zags back in action.
It was announced on Friday that Gonzaga men’s basketball will host Numerica Kraziness in the Kennel on Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. at the McCarthey Athletic Center, with doors opening one hour prior to the event.
This will be the public’s first look at the 2024-25 men’s basketball team. In ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25, written by Jeff Borzello, it has the Bulldogs ranked No. 5 as they return six of their seven starters, losing Anton Watson. With that, according to ESPN’s bracketology by Joe Lunardi, the Zags are projected as a 3-seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Will this be the year for the Zags? Well, if we look at their roster, they will definitely be competitive.
Gonzaga returns Graham Ike (16.5 points per game [ppg]), Nolan Hickman (14 ppg), Ryan Nembhard (12.6 ppg), Braden Huff (9.3 ppg), Ben Gregg (9 ppg), Dusty Stromer (4.8 ppg), Steele Venters (returning from injury, former Big Sky MVP), plus up-and-comer Jun Seok Yeo.
Through the transfer portal, head coach Mark Few landed Michael Ajayi, former Pepperdine All-WCC guard who averaged 17.2, 9.9 rebounds and shot 47% from three and 46.7% from the field last season. Arkansas transfer Khalif Battle, who averaged 14.8 points last season and finished the year averaging 29.6 points in his last seven games, plus other players that will likely play a bigger role later down the road.
If you haven’t heard it already… ‘Zags got dudes’.
This event remains free to attend but, Numerica Kraziness in the Kennel will be a ticketed event with attendees needing to claim a ticket for entry.
A limited number of tickets will be made available to the general public beginning on Oct. 2 at 12 p.m., with a limit of two tickets per account. For Gonzaga students, they can claim tickets from Sept. 27-30.