MEN'S TEAMS
GONZAGA BULLDOGS
There's a lot of déjà vu for the Zags this season. Again, they're national championship contenders (ranked No. 2 in preseason polls). Again, Drew Timme returns and is the favorite to win national player of the year. And again, the team will only be judged by NCAA tournament results by most onlookers. With Julian Strawther, Rasir Bolton and Anton Watson also returning, plenty of sophomores with potential like Nolan Hickman and Hunter Sallis, and transfer guard Malachi Smith (who won the Lou Henson Award, as the best mid-major player in the country last season) the team has enough firepower to be cutting down the nets in March. But, again, only time will tell.
Game to watch: Nov. 20 vs. Kentucky at Spokane Arena (ESPN)
WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS
Coming off their best season in a decade, which ended with a trip to the NIT semifinals, WSU hopes to finally return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007-08. CBS analyst Matt Norlander has tabbed Senegalese center Mouhamed Gueye as the breakout player in the Pac-12 (he's first team preseason Pac-12). Head coach Kyle Smith looks to keep that momentum going and fill the Tommy Lloyd-shaped hole in Inland Northwest international recruiting, landing two starters from France's under-18 national team (Kymany Houinsou and Maël Hamon-Crespin) plus another Senegalese standout in 7-footer Adrame Diongue (ESPN's No. 43 ranked recruit). Throw Tennessee transfer guard Justin Powell into the mix and you've got the makings of a team that could be fighting for an at-large NCAA tourney bid come February.
Game to watch: Dec. 30 vs. UCLA (Pac-12 Network)
EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES
It's all about building the program for second-year EWU coach David Riley. The Eagles are only picked to finish in the middle of the pack in the Big Sky, but there are positive building blocks in place. Ellensburg redshirt sophomore guard/forward Steele Venters was an ace behind the arc last season, finishing sixth in the entire nation in 3-point shooting accuracy (43.2 percent), and is a preseason All-Big Sky pick, while English forward Ethan Price was the Big Sky Freshman of the Year for 2021-22 (averaging nearly 10 points and five rebounds per game while leading the team in blocked shots). The Eagles certainly aren't going to be a pushover this season (possibly even being in the conference contender mix come Big Sky tourney time), and are shaping up to be a force in the Big Sky in the seasons to come.
Game to watch: Nov. 21 vs. Washington State at Spokane Arena (SWX)
IDAHO VANDALS
It's a make-or-break season for head coach Zac Claus, who enters the final year of his contract with a 14-66 record against Division I opponents. After losing their top two scorers, the Vandals will need to lean on senior guard Rashad Smith for leadership. Claus brought in a whopping 10 new players (six transfers, four freshman recruits) — including Seattle Pacific (Division II) star guard Divant'e Moffitt and Northern Kentucky forward/center John Harge — in hopes of adding a much needed boost to a program picked to finish second to last in the Big Sky (only ahead of Idaho State). Ummm... at least Idaho football is actually good this year?
Game to watch: Jan. 16 vs. Montana State (ESPN+)
WHITWORTH PIRATES
Following a season that saw the Pirates make the NCAA Division III tournament, coach Damion Jablonski has a bit of a roster overhaul on his hands. While leading scorer JT McDermott returns, Whitworth also welcomes a massive infusion of new talent via a nine-player recruiting class, including former Division I starting guard Michael Smith. A tough nonconference schedule that features multiple ranked teams should put the Pirates to the test (Whitworth received votes themselves, but didn't quite crack the preseason Top 25), but the squad will hopefully extend their 20-game home winning streak in the cozy confines of Whitworth Fieldhouse and use that home cooking to propel the team to another tournament appearance.
Game to watch: Dec 21 vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor
WOMEN'S TEAMS
GONZAGA BULLDOGS
In terms of familiarity, this year's Zags squad will certainly be led by the Preseason All-WCC guard combo of twin sisters Kayleigh and Kaylynne Truong. But the Bulldogs ceiling will likely come down to a newcomer — Utah grad transfer sharpshooter Brynna Maxwell. The Gig Harbor native was a former Pac-12 All-Freshman team honoree and has already been tabbed as a preseason candidate for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award. With reigning WCC Sixth Woman of the Year Yvonne Ejim set to be a force down low, GU — picked just outside of the Top 25 in the preseason AP Poll — looks poised to roll through the WCC and possibly make a deeper NCAA tournament run.
Game to watch: Dec. 17 vs. BYU (SWX)
WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS
The Pac-12 is an absolute gauntlet when it comes to women's hoops. So when you see that the Cougs were picked 7th in the preseason conference polls, that doesn't mean this year's squad won't be very good (heck, they still received a vote in the preseason AP Poll). Junior Kiwi shooting guard Charlisse Leger-Walker and senior Rwandan center Bella Murekatete both were named to their respective watch lists for the best player in the country at their positions. After two straight NCAA berths, coach Kamie Ethridge is committed to making March basketball a regular tradition for WSU.
Game to watch: Feb. 3 vs. Stanford ♦
