Not to make too much of the Gonzaga women’s basketball team, afterall, the Zags are just one of four D-I teams on our property, but, let’s face it - this team is poised for the best season any of our teams have ever had.

Of course, last year probably already qualifies as the best-ever since GU became the first local program to make it to the NCAA Tournament a second time and the first to win a NCAA Tournament game.

However, this team should be better. First though, we take you back to ESPN.com, which ranks the Zags No. 1 among mid-majors, lists Friday’s season-opener at South Dakota State as one of the more and has Heather Bowman as the No. 2 power forward and Courtney Vandersloot the No. 5 point guard in player rankings, which make for an interesting debate. All that just three days after a bunch more national pub.

Graham Hays of ESPN hints that the Gonzaga women are a darkhorse to do the unthinkable - reach the Final Four and touts junior point guard Courtney Vandersloot. And Michelle Voepel of ESPN has five questions for the new season, one of which involves Tennessee and U-Hi grad Angie Bjorklund. Stanford is also part of the questions and there is one involving Baylor’s 6-foot-8 freshman, who dunked in an exhibition game. (By the way Baylor opens up at Tennessee on Sunday, ESPN2, 2 p.m., Idaho is at the Baylor Thanksgiving Tournament and GU sees Baylor in Vegas next month. WSU isn’t the only team facing Stanford, the Zags take a trip to Palo Alto at the end of the month)

While we’re at it, here’s our preseason feature on Bulldog senor Tiffany Shives to go with the preseason caps for GU, Washington State, Idaho and Eastern Washington.

The season opens this weekend. Here are the openers and home openers.

Friday: Gonzaga at last year’s mid-major power South Dakota State.

Saturday: Eastern at Portland

Sunday: UC Davis (and CV grad Heidi Heintz) at WSU

Monday: Gonzaga at Idaho.

Thursday: Idaho at Eastern; USC at Gonzaga.

It could be a great warmup season for 2010-11 when Spokane will spend two weekends in the postseason spotlight.

Keep reading for our preseason Top 25 and All-American team.

 

The NCAA Women’s Basketball Committee has selected Gonzaga to host the first two rounds of the 2011 tournament at McCarthey Athletic Center with the regional finals the next weekend at the Arena, hosted by Washington State.