Braden Huff is back in Spokane, healthy and ready to anchor Gonzaga’s frontcourt again. CBS Sports, though, didn’t give him a spot on its preseason All-America list.
That omission stands out because Huff put together a monster season in 2025-26 despite the injury-shortened year. In just 25.4 minutes per game, the 6-foot-10 forward averaged 17.8 points while shooting 66.2% from the field.
Those numbers usually get a player noticed. They weren’t enough here.
CBS Sports polled its reporters, analysts, and on-air talent to build a 15-man preseason All-America team for 2026-27, and the list leaned heavily toward the power conferences. Fourteen selections came from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, or SEC, with only Silas Demary of UConn breaking through from outside that group. Huff was left off entirely.
The big men who made the cut ahead of him were David Mirkovic of Illinois, Mo Krivas of Arizona, JT Toppin of Texas Tech, Flory Bidunga of Louisville, Thijs de Ridder of Virginia, and Rueben Chinyelu of Florida. Toppin’s inclusion is especially notable because he’s coming off an ACL injury and could miss the first few months of the season.
There’s not much to suggest Huff won’t be even better this time around. He is fully cleared for Gonzaga and looked fine at Kraziness in the Kennel earlier this month. More importantly, the setup around him has changed in a way that should open things up.
Last season, Huff shared the interior scoring burden with Graham Ike, who was an All-American a year ago. Now he’s playing next to Arizona State transfer Massamba Diop, a strong rim protector and lob threat who doesn’t command the same offensive role Ike did.
That should give Huff more room to work inside, whether that’s on paint touches, short-roll opportunities, or cleaning up on the offensive glass. Gonzaga’s perimeter shooting should also help stretch defenses and create better looks for him.
The schedule won’t make anything easy. Gonzaga’s non-conference slate includes Duke, Michigan State, UCLA, Purdue, Creighton, and LSU, and the Bulldogs will also see tougher opponents such as Utah State and San Diego State in the new-look Pac-12.
That kind of schedule gives Huff plenty of chances to force the issue against elite competition. If he gets near 20 points per game on elite efficiency while leading a top-15 team, the preseason snub will look even more questionable.
Gonzaga opens next Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1:00 PM PT with a road exhibition against Arkansas. The game will air on SECN+.
In Other News...
Gonzagas New Pac-12 Reality Will Feel Different For Zags Fans
Gonzagas move into the reformed Pac-12 is going to change the feel of the season for fans in a way that goes beyond the standings. After nearly 50 years in the WCC, the Bulldogs are entering a new setup that brings a different kind of weekly rhythm, one built around broader visibility and a more prominent national footprint. The full 2026-27 basketball schedule is already mapped out, with game dates, tip-off times and TV channels giving supporters a clearer picture of what this next chapter will look like.
The broadcast side is a big part of the shift, with national coverage spread across CBS, CBS Sports Network, The CW and USA Network. And the non-conference portion still gives the schedule plenty of juice, with matchups that will test Gonzaga early and often before league play really settles in. For a fan base used to a familiar conference landscape, this new Pac-12 reality is going to feel different in more ways than one. [Read more 🡒]
Gonzaga Finally Got One Answer But The Roster Drama Isnt Over
Gonzaga got a much-needed roster boost this week when Javon Bennett was cleared to play after the Ohio Supreme Court stayed a previous appellate ruling tied to the Borovicanin lawsuit. Bennett, who spent the previous stop of his college career at Dayton, is now expected to be available when the Bulldogs open exhibition play against Arkansas on Oct. 24, giving Mark Few another experienced guard option as the season approaches.
The relief, though, only goes so far. Chauncey Wiggins and Izan Almansa are still stuck in limbo because of separate legal and NCAA clearance issues, leaving Gonzaga without two rotation pieces for the time being. The result is a roster picture that has become a little clearer at one spot but still carries enough uncertainty to keep the Bulldogs waiting on more than one front. [Read more 🡒]
Gonzaga's Backcourt Just Got A Huge Boost With One Big Catch
Javon Bennetts path to Gonzaga took another turn this week, and it gives the Bulldogs a little more time to sort out a backcourt that already looked interesting heading into the fall. The Dayton transfer has temporarily regained eligibility for a fifth college season after the Ohio Supreme Court stayed an earlier ruling from the Ohio Court of Appeals, a development tied to the ongoing Borovicanin vs. NCAA lawsuit over 5-in-5 eligibility.
For Gonzaga, the timing matters because the exhibition opener arrives Oct. 24, and Bennett now factors into the mix as the Bulldogs continue building out their rotation. The situation still carries some uncertainty, though, because the legal fight at the center of it all is not finished and Bennetts status remains part of a broader eligibility battle that could keep shifting as the season gets closer. [Read more 🡒]