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College basketball rankings: Preseason Top 25 – Michigan State No. 1, ACC is loaded

By Mike Phillips

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Michigan State players and coach Tom Izzo at the end of the Div 1 Men's championship - elite eight game between Duke and Michigan State, on March 31, 2019, at Capital One Arena, in Washington D.C. (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Michigan State players and coach Tom Izzo at the end of the Div 1 Men's championship - elite eight game between Duke and Michigan State, on March 31, 2019, at Capital One Arena, in Washington D.C. (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 06: Assistant coach Mark Few of the 2019 USA Men’s Select Team is interviewed during a practice session at the 2019 USA Basketball Men’s National Team World Cup minicamp at the Mendenhall Center at UNLV on August 6, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 06: Assistant coach Mark Few of the 2019 USA Men’s Select Team is interviewed during a practice session at the 2019 USA Basketball Men’s National Team World Cup minicamp at the Mendenhall Center at UNLV on August 6, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

7. Gonzaga

There is no question the Gonzaga Bulldogs, despite playing in the West Coast Conference, have graduated from the ranks of mid-major. Mark Few’s squads haven’t missed the NCAA Tournament since 1998.

Gonzaga stampeded through the regular season, losing only to Tennessee and North Carolina before getting tripped up by St. Mary’s in the WCC Tournament. The selection committee awarded Gonzaga with a one seed anyway, and the Bulldogs got all the way to the Elite Eight after Texas Tech smothered them defensively.

That loss set the stage for a mass exodus from Spokane, with Josh Perkins graduating and Rui Hachimura, Brandon Clarke, and Zach Norvell opting to go pro. Few has done a good job reloading his roster though, building a mix of talented newcomers and grad transfers to join the returning Killian Tillie and Corey Kispert.

Tillie is dealing with injuries once again after undergoing another procedure to clean up his knee, but once he comes back the Bulldogs should be formidable. Even with Tillie out of action, Gonzaga beat Michigan State in a secret scrimmage, a strong showing against one of the nation’s top teams.

With few opportunities to pick up marquee wins in the WCC, Gonzaga has assembled another strong non-conference schedule, with games against North Carolina, Arizona, Washington, and Texas A&M on tap. Don’t be shocked if the Bulldogs are right in the mix for a No. 1 seed on the strength of a strong regular-season performance.