Weekly Zag Briefing

We’ve had a little bit of a winter hiatus with the Weekly Zag Briefing but we’re back after taking some time to monitor the air travel debacles (plural!) that have been going on across the country over the last few weeks. From a Gonzaga content standpoint, things have been slow outside of this website with the Zags mostly staying under the national radar over the last few weeks. I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing as our teams transition into conference play.

• Speaking of the conference, Gonzaga and BYU face off in the Marriott Center for the final time as WCC rivals. Notice I didn’t say conference rivals, since the Big XII door is theoretically still ajar. In the interim, The Deseret looks back on how the rivalry between these two programs has played out over the last 12 years.
• A reminder that the Zags will be hosting Zoom Diallo, the top Washington recruit in the 2024 class, for his official visit during the Portland game this weekend.
• In his annual Hoop Thoughts Stock Report, Seth Davis rates the Zags as a “buy” candidate based on the assumption that they will continue to top the WCC and develop from where they started the season. Davis also thinks you should “buy” on Kentucky, which I have to say, does not look like a good position based on what’s going on down in Lexington...
• ESPN’s Myron Medcalf put together a rundown of the key storylines in each conference now that teams have transitioned to league play. In the WCC? Whether Gonzaga’s inconsistent backcourt will open the door for Saint Mary’s to top the league this season. It’s a fair question to ask, particularly when you consider that the Gaels are sitting five spots above the Zags in the KenPom ratings.
• Speaking of the Gaels, Kyle Boone of CBS Sports tabs them as one of seven teams who started slow but appear poised for a hot streak. I think you could argue the Zags should also be on that list, relative to their preseason expectations.