Lisa Fortier’s Gonzaga women are entering the new Pac-12 with something that’s getting harder to find in college basketball: almost the same team back.
That continuity is showing up in the numbers, too. Bart Torvik’s updated projections have Gonzaga sitting not just at the top of the Pac-12, but as the highest-rated team outside the Power 5 structure as well, checking in at No. 46 overall. In a league that’s adding fresh faces like Oregon State, Colorado State, and San Diego State, the Zags are separated from the pack in a big way.
Oregon State is next among Pac-12 teams at No. 70, followed by Colorado State at No. 78 and San Diego State at No. 95.
The reason Gonzaga looks so stable is simple: almost everybody is back. The Zags lost only three players from last season’s group, and those departures came from a roster that finished 18-5 over its final 23 games.
Senior forward Sierra Lichtie, freshman guard Paige Lofing, and senior guard Vera Gunaydin are the only exits. Lichtie averaged 2.9 points in 10.7 minutes over 20 games after dealing with injury, Lofing posted 2.2 points in 6.6 minutes across 27 games, and Gunaydin redshirted before transferring to North Alabama.
That kind of retention is unusual anywhere, and Gonzaga’s numbers make the point even louder: the Zags return 95.4% of their scoring, 95.9% of their rebounding, and 94.4% of their total minutes from last season. Add in the eligibility of fifth-year senior Ines Bettencourt - who is currently cleared to play because of a TRO granted in California - and this roster suddenly looks even more loaded. Her status could still change, but the setup is already strong for 2026-27.
At the center of it all is the same one-two punch that powered Gonzaga last season: Lauren Whittaker and Allie Turner.
Whittaker was a force as a freshman, putting up 19.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while winning both WCC Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year. She led the league in points, rebounds, two-point field goal percentage at 58.4%, and overall field goal percentage at 53.6%.
She also shot 35.5% from three and 79.1% at the line. At 6-foot-3, the New Zealander has a real shot to be one of the best frontcourt players in the country this season, and she’s the favorite to win Pac-12 Player of the Year.
Turner was just as important on the perimeter. The sophomore averaged 14.8 points and 3.5 assists while hitting 47.1% from three and 95.6% from the free-throw line. Both marks led the WCC, and she earned her second straight All-WCC First Team selection.
With Whittaker, Turner, Bettencourt, Zee Aokuso, Taylor Smith, and WCC Sixth Woman of the Year Jaiden Haile in the mix, Gonzaga brings depth and experience that should travel well into the new league.
The Zags will get their first look in front of fans at FanFest on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the McCarthey Athletic Center at 2:00 PM PT. Before that, they’ll take the floor for their first exhibition game on Tuesday, Oct. 2, against Westmont College. The regular season begins Nov. 2 in Spokane against North Dakota State.
In Other News...
Boise State Already Looms Large In Gonzagas Pac-12 Debut
Gonzagas move into the Pac-12 in 2026-27 will mark the end of a 46-year run in the West Coast Conference and bring a new weekly rhythm to a program that has long set the standard in its old league. The rebuilt Pac-12 will have nine programs, and the Bulldogs conference slate will include 16 games with home-and-away matchups, a setup that immediately raises the stakes for travel, familiarity and a lot more familiar opponents.
Among the games that stand out right away, Boise State feels like one that could carry extra weight for Gonzaga fans. The conference schedule also brings in Washington State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Utah State, giving the Bulldogs a different kind of map to follow in their new home and a fresh set of rivalries to sort out as the move gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Davis Fogles Early NBA Draft Outlook Just Raised A Bigger Gonzaga Question
NBA draft buzz is already starting to circle around Gonzagas young core, and Davis Fogle is the latest name to get a little national attention. NBA draft scouts at No Ceilings put the sophomore in a composite mock for 2027, slotting him at No. 52 overall and pointing to the scoring ability that makes him interesting to pro evaluators this early in the process.
The bigger question for Gonzaga is what happens if Fogle keeps tracking upward the way scouts think he can. He is being viewed as a player with a path to the first round if his game develops as expected, and he is not the only Zag drawing notice. Massamba Diop is also in the mix on draft boards, with some projections pushing him into the top 15, which only adds to the sense that Gonzagas future may already be getting a long look from the NBA. [Read more 🡒]