The Bulldogs

Gonzaga Bulldogs Roster 2021-22

The Gonzaga Bulldogs performed a nearly flawless season last year and secured a final spot in the championship against the Baylor Bears. Their 31-1 record and impressive talent on the roster is to blame for their achievement in the 2021 season. However, the Bears stood mighty tall against the bulldogs, and they were knocked down in a game no one saw coming. The final score of the game accumulated to 86-70. The Bear’s win spoiled not only Gonzaga’s chance at a perfect season but a National Championship. With vengeance in mind, the bulldogs have a clear vision of how they will go about the 2022 season. No doubt the bulldogs begin playing the season with a highly skilled roster due to recruiting, but the odds are ever in the favor for the Bulldogs to bulldoze through their schedule and clinch the 2022 National Championship.

Building The Zags Roster

The Bulldogs managed to reel in the number one overall prospect in the nation. They obtained new stars that have made their freshman class of 2022 the best in the country. Led by five-star-recruit Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga successfully recruited five-star guard Hunter Sallis, four-start guard Nolan Hickman, and finally four-star center Kaden Perry. The bulldogs already arguably have the nation’s best player in college basketball, Drew Timme. In addition to the return of Timme, other high-level veterans (like Andrew Nembhard) are still on the roster. Thus leaving the Zags in an unfortunate position of being loaded on talent once again. With the addition of multiple muti-starred recruits, the Bulldogs, who were already in a prominent place last season, will vault into an even more favorable position for the national championship with fresh freshman talent.

Offensive Weapons

Rated the top in the nation according to the Kem Pom, Gonzaga’s offensive is surely to be on a roll again primarily to the new set of skills they just acquired. The ADJO, adjusted offensive efficiency, calculates points scored per 100 possessions. The Bulldogs sit up top at 120.4 ADJO with No.2 at 115.6. Their rank takes into perspective the offensive powerhouses Gonzaga has accumulated for the 2021-22 season. November 13th, the Bulldogs faced Texas, the fifth-ranked team. Many criticize Gonzaga because they do not encounter a hard schedule, however, shutting down the Texas Longhorns definitely proves the Bulldogs are out for a championship this season.

Texas is the highest-ranked school to ever play at the Kennel thus calling fans to hold their breath as they thought it would be a tough battle considering what happened with Baylor. Nevertheless, the bulldog’s metal was tested and proven with Drew Timme all over the place. Timme, in just the second game of the season, scored a career-high of 37 points with 22 in the first half alone. Many speculated why Kem Pom rated Gonzaga so high, Drew Timme. We see well into the first minutes of the game, the Zags had offensive control of the game. Their offensive weapons attribute to their high ranking in which Kem Pom awarded them. Along with Timme’s 37 points, he also had seven rebounds.

Timme’s capability to rule the paint on offense fits well with No.1 freshman Chet Holmgren’s perimeter skill and shot-blocking ability. This new frontcourt duo makes the Zags formidable against any defense. However, it is important to keep in mind the talent coach Mark Few has accumulated over the year. Julian Strawther, after Jalen Suggs fouled out last season, briefly showed what he was caple of. Now in the first game of the 2021-22 season, Strawther lead his team in total points and had 10 rebounds. Holmgren in his first NCAA game debut scored 14 points and had 13 rebounds leading the Bulldogs in total rebounds. Standing a 7-feet, Holmgren’s agility and ball-handling skills attribute to the Zag’s dominant offense. Andrew Nembhard was there alongside Timme when they suffered and felt the pain of the title game loss against Baylor.

Andrew Nembhard

Andrew Nembhard transferred from Florida to Gonzaga in the 2020 spring year. Nembhard had a decent first season with the Bulldogs but did not play as much. Coming into the new season, Nembhard is determined to get a championship win.

With the Gators, Nembhard put up average assist numbers per game. Presently, we see him about to surpass his normal assist numbers in the 2021-22 season and it’s only game three. With his success transpiring so early in the season, we can conclude that Nembhard will get the ball to the right people to finish the job.

Nembhard leads the team in weighted assist frequency. He assists to go to many different fellow teammates however, he does frequent a few. Between Nembhard, Timme, Holmgren, Strawther, and lots of the Zags offensive weapons, it is hard not to pick them to win this season. The Gonzaga Bulldogs possess the best odds to win the NCAA Tournament in 2022. Their odds also look fairly good to go undefeated again this year. On paper, it’s unquestionably the best team in the country due to its offensive. Despite a big turnover in their roster, the Zags have all the ingredients to acquire a championship within their skill, knowledge, and coaching. I count on the Bulldogs cutting down the nets in New Orleans.