Projected Starting Lineup
G – Jeremy Pargo 6-2 Sr. (33.9 MPG, 12.1 PPG, 6.0 APG)
G – Matt Bouldin 6-5 Jr. (32.0 MPG, 12.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG)
G – Micah Downs 6-8 Sr. (23.8 MPG, 7.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG)
F – Austin Daye 6-10 So. (18.5 MPG, 10.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG)
F – Josh Heytvelt 6-11 Sr. (20.6 MPG, 10.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG)

Impact Bench Players
G – Demetri Goodson 6-0 Fr. (3-Star Prospect)
G – Steven Gray 6-4 So. (26.6 MPG, 8.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG)
C – Robert Sacre 7-0 So. (9.3 MPG, 2.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG)

Guards
Gonzaga returns the majority of its guards in this lineup that is backcourt oriented. PG Jeremy Pargo returns as the senior leader and one of the best players in the conference. He’s not a strong perimeter shooter but he’s a great penetrator. Matt Bouldin also returns to the starting lineup, where he led the team in points last season. Bouldin will probably be the most active deep shooter, and he also brings good defense to the table. Micah Downs is one of three senior starters, and he likes to play on the wing despite the bigger frame. Coming off the bench once again will be Steven Gray. Gray is generally pretty quiet when he’s out there, as he’s usually used as a 3 point specialist. Freshman Demetri Goodson will also likely be involved as the teams backup PG. Much like Pargo, he’s not known to be a deep threat from deep, but is a great passer.


Forwards
Gonzaga’s starting forwards aren’t set in stone since they usually change it up quite a bit and sometimes go with a 4 guard attack. Nevertheless, Austin Daye and Josh Heytvelt are their two best big men and they both averaged double digit points per game last season. One thing is for sure, and that’s that both will be very active when they are on the court. Daye is the better rebounder and defender of the two, while Heytvelt will play primarily in the paint and is probably a little more effective in the post. Depth may be a little bit of a problem after losing senior Abdullahi Kuso. Robert Sacre didn’t play a ton as a freshman but will likely see an increased role. Although we didn’t see him much last season, he didn’t blow anyone’s socks off.

Final Thoughts
There’s no question that senior David Pendergraph, who started every game last season for the Zags will be missed thanks to his deadly accurate shooting and smart playing overall. That’s not to say that Gonzaga won’t be good this season because other than that, they pretty much only lost Kuso. That leaves them as the favorites in the West Coast Conference once again, although the Gaels will challenge them. Generally, Gonzaga has really struggled defensively, but they were much better in that regard last season. A big part of that improvement were the additions of freshmen Daye and Sacre. Opposing defenses will try and shutdown their interior game, but that might not work so well because guys like Downs and Daye have range. There’s no reason to think that these Bulldogs won’t be much improved from a year ago and do something they’ve only done once since 2001: advance to at least the Sweet 16.