Mark Few’s roster puzzle is still coming together, but Gonzaga’s picture for the 2026-27 season got a lot sharper after Kraziness in the Kennel on Saturday.
The Bulldogs are still waiting on four players in eligibility limbo, and with less than a month to go before the opener against Purdue, the lineup remains tied to a few big ifs. But assuming eligibility for Xaivian Lee, Javon Bennett, Chauncey Wiggins, and international big man Izan Almansa, the contours of Gonzaga’s starting five are starting to take shape.
At center, Diop looks like the newest anchor. The 7-foot-1 transfer from Arizona State was Gonzaga’s top offseason addition, and the appeal is obvious: rim protection, lob finishing, and the kind of interior presence the Bulldogs haven’t had since Chet Holmgren in 2021-22.
Diop was a little raw on Saturday, finishing with six points on 2-for-4 shooting and four fouls, but the ceiling is enormous. It would not be a shock if he quickly grows into one of the best big men in the country.
Next to him, Braden Huff is back for a fifth year in Spokane and looked sharp while shaking off the rust from the knee injury that kept him out for the entire second half of last season. Once he’s fully back, Huff should be Gonzaga’s main scoring option inside. The expectation is that he can push 20 points per game and even enter the Pac-12 Player of the Year race, with an All-American mention also in play.
On the wing, the loudest performance belonged to Davis Fogle, but Isiah Harwell made a strong case of his own. The 6-foot-6 sophomore scored 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, hit 4 of 5 from deep, and added three rebounds, an assist, and a block in 17 minutes.
Harwell has been viewed as a starter-level contender at small forward alongside Wiggins, though Wiggins remains ineligible for now after the new ruling in the Georgia lawsuit. Harwell’s Saturday showing suggested he can hold that spot regardless, while Wiggins projects as a valuable sixth- or seventh-man shooter if he’s cleared.
Fogle, meanwhile, looks ready for a leap. He’s one of only two returners from last season and the clearest breakout candidate on the roster.
After going from deep reserve to rotation piece last year, the 6-foot-7 wing now has the chance to become Gonzaga’s primary perimeter scorer. His 30-point outing on 11-for-15 shooting in 20 minutes on Saturday only added to the buzz, and he could be part of the All-American conversation by March if that scoring carries over.
Lee appears to be the lone one of the four eligibility-limbo players projected to crack the starting group. Gonzaga landed the former Princeton and Florida guard in late August after Mario Saint-Supery’s sudden departure in mid-July forced the staff to scramble for a new point guard.
Lee looked the part on Saturday, scoring nine points with four assists and four rebounds while going 3-for-6 from three. His ability to create, attack downhill, and defend at the point of attack gives Gonzaga another high-level piece, especially alongside Fogle and Harwell, if he is cleared.
The first chance to see how it all fits together comes Saturday, Oct. 24, when Gonzaga meets Arkansas and John Calipari in an exhibition in Fayetteville. The time and TV details are still to come.
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Boise State Already Looms Large In Gonzagas Pac-12 Debut
Gonzagas move to the Pac-12 in 2026-27 will mark a major shift after 46 years in the West Coast Conference, and the new league should immediately give the Bulldogs a different kind of weekly grind. With nine programs in the rebuilt Pac-12, Gonzagas schedule will feature 16 conference games with home-and-away matchups, setting up a regular slate that looks and feels far broader than the one it has known for decades.
Among the most intriguing pieces of that future schedule is Boise State, a program that already stands out as one of several notable opponents Gonzaga will see in league play. Washington State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Utah State are also in the mix, giving the Bulldogs a new set of regional rivalries and measuring sticks as they settle into the Pac-12 era. [Read more 🡒]