Returning Gonzaga Players Will Help Beat Baylor

Baylor vs. Gonzaga, 11:30 ET

You may not even realize it with all of the other sports going on, but today is a big day for hoops fans. College basketball returns today with a packed slate of games. As I write this, the early games have tipped off and we have a million other ones today. I love basketball in general, but this should be a fun opening day of hoops. I've picked one game for us to try and start our season with a win as Baylor takes on Gonzaga. 

Baylor comes into the game as the 8th best team in the country. Baylor hasn't been quite as great of a team as they were a few years ago, but this is still a respectable program. This season, the Bears come in with one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, including VJ Edgecombe, one of the top-ranked players coming into the league and an almost certain lottery pick in next year's NBA draft. They also add Jeremy Roach, who comes over from Duke. Roach averaged 14 points last season with the Blue Devils and should bring a bit of consistency and leadership to Baylor. While normally I would worry about how long it will take for a guard to learn and run the offense, I think that Roach is a smart player. I think he will be able to provide a lift for the team and not be too disruptive for the Bears. Another ACC transfer is Norchad Omier who averaged 17 points and 10 assists with Miami last season. If Roach and Omier can fill in wherever Edgecombe cannot, the team should be fine. 

Baylor coach Scott Drew watches his team during its NCAA men's tournament second-round game against Clemson at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday, March 24, 2024.

Gonzaga hasn't won the championship, but he has one of the best programs in college basketball. The Bulldogs are almost always one of the top teams in the country and they are currently ranked at 6 in the nation. Last year, they won 27 games and they return four of their five starters from last year, providing continuity and stability for the start of the season. It isn't just any four starters that they bring back, either. They have their leading rebounder and scorer coming back in Graham Ike. They also have their starting point guard who led the team in assists last year. Want a bit more reason to like Gonzaga? They return six of their top seven scorers from last year. Scoring really shouldn't be an issue for the team but I do have some questions about how defensively adept they will be, even with this group of talented players. 

In this opening matchup, consistency is a key for teams in the early season. Baylor has a lot less consistency than Gonzaga - it doesn't mean that the Bears can't win the game, it just means that they have to overcome some of the issues that happen when trying to figure out their team. Having a guy like Roach on their team should help alleviate that a bit. However, in this game, I think they will struggle to overcome the Gonzaga depth. I'll back Gonzaga to win this game by the -5.5 spread. 

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