Ben Gregg played 1 minute of mop-up duty in Gonzaga’s 2021 national championship loss to Baylor, played 17 minutes off the bench in a 2022 neutral-site loss against the Bears in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and had a much bigger say in how things played out during a third career meeting with Scott Drew’s program Monday night at the Arena.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few said several times leading up to Monday’s season opener against Baylor there’s not much difference between the Zags’ starters and top reserves.
College basketball tends to start the season with ranked teams offering up appetizers against overmatched opponents while college and NFL football are foremost in the minds of many sports fans. So chew on this: No. 6 Gonzaga vs. No. 8 Baylor in Monday’s lid-lifter at the Spokane Arena.
In showdowns between top-10 teams, there are often multiple choices for the key matchup. That’s certainly the case for No. 6 Gonzaga and No. 8 Baylor in Monday’s season opener.
Sixth-ranked Gonzaga returns one of the most experienced rosters in college basketball, bringing back four of its five starters from a team that advanced to the Sweet 16.
Matching the quality of the team matchups is the top-tier individual talent on Gonzaga's non-conference slate. There are probable top five draft picks, fab freshmen, savvy seniors, prized transfers, national champions, All-Americans, a former Zag or two and possibly a former Gael.
Jalen Suggs and Corey Kispert, former Gonzaga teammates taken 10 picks apart in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft, on Monday were rewarded with hefty pay raises when they agreed to rookie contract extensions.