The 2016–17 season was arguably the greatest season in Gonzaga's 109-year basketball history. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 32–1 record, only blemished by a loss to BYU on February 25. They finished ranked second in the AP Poll, the highest final national ranking in school history prior to the 2020–21 season. They won both the West Coast Conference regular season and tournament championships, and advanced to the first NCAA National Championship game in the school's history—the deepest NCAA Tournament run for a WCC team since San Francisco advanced to its third consecutive Final Four in 1957. With a victory over South Carolina in the regional semifinal, the Bulldogs tied the NCAA Division I record for the second-most wins in a season. They lost in the NCAA National Championship game to North Carolina.
Previous season
The Bulldogs team finished the 2015–16 season 28–8, 15–3 in WCC play to earn a share for the WCC regular season championship. They defeated Portland, BYU, and Saint Mary's to win the WCC tournament and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament; the Bulldogs have sequentially earned a place in this tournament for the past 18 years. As a No. 11 seed, they defeated No. 6 seed Seton Hall and No. 3 seed Utah to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. There they lost to No. 10 seed and eventual Final Four participant Syracuse.
Preseason
The Bulldogs were picked to finish first in the WCC preseason poll.[1] Przemek Karnowski and Josh Perkins were selected to the All-WCC preseason team.[1]
The Bulldogs were ranked No. 14 in the preseason AP poll and No. 13 in the preseason Coaches Poll.
Offseason
Coaching changes
Departures
Additions to staff
Player departures
Incoming transfers
2016 recruiting class
2017 recruiting class
Roster
The Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Quinnipiac Bobcats play in the Quarterfinals at the 2016 AdvoCare Invitational.
Roster is subject to change as/if players transfer or leave the program for other reasons.
Przemek Karnowski received a medical hardship waiver and decided to play his final season of eligibility at Gonzaga in 2016–17.[9] He played the first five games for the Zags in 2015–16, but due to back problems, which eventually forced him to undergo surgery, he missed the rest of the season.[10]
Jesse Wade graduated high school in 2015, but before enrolling in college at Gonzaga, he left for a 2-year LDS mission in Lyon, France, and will arrive on campus as a freshman in Fall 2017.[11]
Jacob Larsen suffered a season-ending knee injury in a preseason practice, forcing him to redshirt the 2016–17 season. Larsen will have 4 years of eligibility remaining at the start of the 2017–18 season.[12]
Jack Beach did not suit up for Gonzaga's season opener against Utah Valley and decided to redshirt the 2016–17 season. Beach will have 3 years of eligibility remaining at the start of the 2017–18 season.[13]
Zach Norvell decided to redshirt the 2016–17 season to recover from summer knee surgery on his meniscus. Norvell will have 4 years of eligibility remaining at the start of the 2017–18 season.[14]
Coaching staff
Schedule and results
Gonzaga's non-conference schedule included a matchup with Washington[15] as well as neutral court games against Tennessee (in Nashville)[16] and Arizona (in Los Angeles).[17] The Zags were invited to play in the AdvoCare Invitational in Florida, where they ultimately played against Quinnipiac, Florida, and Iowa State.[18] Gonzaga played 18 conference games (home-and-home) within a nine-week span, beginning on December 29, 2016.[19] The Zags also played in and won the single-elimination WCC Tournament, which took place March 2–7, 2017 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. This year's tournament was the first under a new 3-year contract with that venue.[20][21]
Rankings
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings
Notes
References
^ a b"2016-17 WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, All-WCC Team Unveiled | News". | Official Athletics Site. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
^"Cal's Jordan Mathews To Transfer To Gonzaga". June 23, 2016. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
^"Zach Collins commits to Zags". March 16, 2015.
^"French forward Killian Tillie commits to Gonzaga". August 29, 2015.
^"Gonzaga men add Zach Norvell, another top 100 recruit". November 2, 2015.
^"Gonzaga adds Jacob Larsen, another big man from Europe". November 12, 2015.
^"Zags sign Japanese forward Rui Hachimura". November 20, 2015.
^"Kispert commits to Gonzaga". November 20, 2015.
^"Karnowski Decides to Return for 2016-17 season". May 24, 2016. Archived from the original on May 29, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
^"Gonzaga's Przemek Karnowski needs back surgery, out for season". December 31, 2015.
^"Priorities of a point guard – Gonzaga recruit Jesse Wade puts basketball on hold for LDS mission". January 24, 2015.
^"Walk-on Jack Beach isn't suited up. He is redshirting". November 11, 2016.
^Meehan, Jim (February 7, 2017). "Gonzaga redshirt Zach Norvell Jr. maintains positive attitude, work ethic". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, WA.
^"UW, Gonzaga to renew series Dec. 7 in Spokane". April 13, 2016.
^"Barnes: Top-10 programs need top-10 schedules". May 11, 2016.
^"Staples Center to Host First-Ever Hoophall LA". April 27, 2016. Archived from the original on April 30, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
^"Gonzaga, Iowa St, Miami, Florida, Stanford, Seton Hall, Indiana St, & Quinnpiac are in the 2016 Orlando Classic, sources told @CBSSports". October 29, 2015.
^"WCC's scheduling experiment will end". January 26, 2016.
^"2016–17 Championship Schedule". Archived from the original on April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
^"West Coast Conference, Orleans Arena Announce Three-Year Extension". May 12, 2016. Archived from the original on May 17, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
