Superstars align on sixth-ranked Gonzaga’s nonconference schedule

Oct. 31—It’s apparent No. 6 Gonzaga has a demanding nonconference schedule when two are in the preseason AP top eight, four are in the Top 25, two potential foes are in the poll — including another in the top 10 — and four are receiving votes.

So, barring upsets at the Battle 4 Atlantis, only one of GU’s nine power conference opponents isn’t ranked or receiving votes at the outset of the season.

That would be West Virginia in the opening round in the Bahamas. The Mountaineers are No. 85 in KenPom’s ratings, which roughly translates to a Quad 2 matchup on a neutral floor.

Matching the quality of the team matchups is the top-tier individual talent on Gonzaga’s nonconference slate. There are probable top-five draft picks, fab freshmen, savvy seniors, prized transfers, national champions, All-Americans, a former Zag or two and possibly a former Gael.

It all begins with Monday’s showdown against No. 8 Baylor at the Arena. In order of appearance (or possible appearance) on the Zags’ schedule, here is the best player on the best squads GU will run into before the new calendar year.

VJ Edgecombe, Baylor

Ah, the age-old debate of the likely one-and-done freshman vs. the ultraproductive senior transfer (or transfers, in Baylor’s case). Edgecombe, a 6-foot-5 freshman, was a five-star recruit and he’s a projected lottery pick that could give Duke’s Cooper Flagg a run for No. 1.

Edgecombe won’t necessarily have to carry the offensive load on a Baylor team with transfers Jeremy Roach (Duke) and Norchad Omier (Miami). All three are on the preseason watch list for Naismith Trophy player of the year.

Edgecombe played for his native Bahamas in FIBA qualifying tournaments last summer with Golden State’s Buddy Hield and Portland’s Deandre Ayton and contributed 16.5 points, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

BJ Freeman, Arizona State

The senior guard brings his scorer’s mentality to the Sun Devils after two standout seasons at UW Milwaukee. The 6-6 wing was 17th nationally and led the Horizon League at 21.1 points last year, the most by a Panther since 1994-95. Freeman is a two-time, second-team All-Horizon League selection.

Freeman averaged 31.3 minutes, 19.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in two seasons at UW Milwaukee. He made 47.1% from the field, 34.3% on 3-pointers and 82.7% at the foul line. Freeman joined Gonzaga’s Michael Ajayi on the preseason watch list for the Julius Erving Small Forward Award.

Nick Boyd, San Diego State

Boyd didn’t post eye-catching stats during three seasons at Florida Atlantic, but the 6-3 guard is an experienced leader, capable scorer and he’s performed well on college basketball’s biggest stage. He gets the nod over senior guard Reese Waters, who is expected to miss five to seven weeks and likely the Gonzaga game on Nov. 18, with a stress fracture in his foot.

Boyd started and contributed 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists while hitting 40% behind the 3-point line as the Owls reached the 2023 Final Four before falling to San Diego State. He chipped in a career-best 9.3 points per game last season as FAU made its second straight appearance in March Madness. Boyd recently was cleared to practice after spending two months in protective boot with a foot injury.

Tucker DeVries, West Virginia

One of the best players who might still be a little under the national radar. He was twice named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, including last season when he averaged 21.6 points before following his dad/coach, Darian, who left Drake to take the West Virginia job. The 6-7, 220-pound Tucker is a creative scorer and made at least 75 3-pointers in each of his three seasons as a starter at Drake. He hit 36% from distance and made frequent trips to the foul line, where he connects on 81.2%.

DeVries is accustomed to heavy minutes and will be the centerpiece of WVU’s offense. He’s ranked No. 33 by ESPN and No. 30 by Field of 68 in the top 100 players. He’s on watch lists for the Julius Erving Award and Naismith Player of the Year.

Oumar Ballo, Indiana?

The question mark is because the Gonzaga-WVU winner/loser matches up against the No. 17 Indiana/Louisville winner/loser in the second round of the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Zags and Hoosiers will be solid favorites, meaning Ballo, who played one season at Gonzaga before transferring to Arizona for three years before transferring to Indiana for reportedly $1.2 million in NIL, could line up against the GU.

The 7-foot, 260-pound native of Mali was in Gonzaga’s rotation as a freshman, but eventually lost time to Ben Gregg later in the season. He blossomed at Arizona into an interior force at both ends of the court. He was named Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore and was first-team All-Pac-12 the next two years.

Ballo was on teams that won eight conference regular-season and tournaments championships at GU and Arizona and he has a 112-20 record. One of Ballo’s new teammates is guard Myles Rice, who helped Washington State reach the NCAA Tournament last season.

Caleb Love, Arizona?

Another question mark, but man, what an exclamation point of a matchup it would be if Mark Few’s Zags face former GU assistant Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats in the championship game in the Bahamas. Few adheres to an unwritten rule about not scheduling his former assistants and close friends. In fact, a Gonzaga-Arizona game scheduled for early on in Lloyd’s first season with the Wildcats was called off, but a late November meeting this season would be unavoidable if both teams win their first two games on Paradise Island.

The 10th-ranked Wildcats, whose staff includes numerous former Zags staffers and players, are led by fifth-year senior Caleb Love. He was named to the preseason AP first-team All-America team. The 6-3 guard played three years at North Carolina before transferring to Arizona. He is a streaky shooter, but he’s also been clutch in big moments with 30 points in a 2022 Sweet 16 win over UCLA and 28 vs. rival Duke in a national semifinal victory.

Love was the Pac-12 Player of the Year last season after averaging a team-high 18 points. He’s No. 6 on ESPN’s top 100 list and an obvious candidate for national player of the year.

Jaxson Robinson, Kentucky

The Zags have gone against the talented 6-7 wing when he was on Mark Pope’s BYU squad in 2022-23. Robinson averaged 13.5 points in a pair of losses to GU, but he had his best season (14.2 points, career-best 35.4% on 3s) a year ago in the Cougars’ first Big 12 season. Robinson tested the NBA draft waters before opting to accompany Pope, who replaced John Calipari as Kentucky’s coach.

Robinson is in his fifth season and his fourth school — Texas A&M, Arkansas, BYU and now 23rd-ranked Kentucky. He appears primed for a big season. He’ll be a primary scoring option after playing two years of experience in Pope’s offense and his offensive stats have improved each season.

Alex Karaban, UConn

The 6-8, 225-pound forward has been a key cog in the Huskies’ back-to-back NCAA titles. Stats don’t tell the whole story for Karaban, whose court awareness is off the charts. He’s an accomplished 3-point shooter, passer, rebounder, defender and leader. He’s committed 79 career turnovers in 2,352 minutes — an average of one roughly every 30 minutes.

Karaban was projected as a second-round draft pick but chose to return to UConn to shoot for a third straight championship. The third-ranked Huskies don’t appear as strong on paper as the last two teams, but they did add Saint Mary’s guard Aidan Mahaney and five-star freshman Liam McNeeley, a native of Richardson, Texas, hometown of former Zags star Drew Timme.

Karaban narrowly missed making the preseason AP All-America team. He’s No. 10 on ESPN’s top 100.

Dylan Andrews, UCLA

It’s tempting to highlight former Zags guard Dominick Harris, one of the nation’s top 3-point percentage shooters last season at Loyola Marymount, but Andrews has the keys to the offense in his third year in the program. The 6-2 junior guard led the 22nd-ranked Bruins in minutes (35.2), scoring (12.9) and assists (3.7) last season. That scoring average should climb if he elevates his 32.3% 3-point shooting percentage.

Andrews is joined by five returners, six incoming transfers and a trio of freshmen as the Bruins seemingly have the pieces to improve from last year’s 16-17 season. UCLA was picked third in the Big Ten preseason poll despite not having anyone selected to the 10-player preseason All-Big Ten team.