# 2016–17 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2016–17 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Gonzaga University in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Mark Few, who was in his 18th season as head coach. The team played its home games at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington. The Bulldogs (also informally referred to as the Zags) played in their 37th season as a member of the West Coast Conference.
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. Przemek Karnowski and Josh Perkins were selected to the All-WCC preseason team.
The Bulldogs were ranked No. 14 in the preseason AP poll and No. 13 in the preseason Coaches Poll.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes
#### Departures

| Name | Position | Year at Gonzaga | Alma Mater (year) | Reason for Departure |
| Jennifer Nyland | Athletic Trainer | 17th | Washington State (1998) | Left team |
| Mike Hart | Video Coordinator | 2nd | Gonzaga (2012) | Assistant coach at Colorado College |
| Doug Wojcik | Special Assistant to the Head Coach | 1st | Navy (1987) | Left team |

#### Additions to staff

| Name | Position | Year at Gonzaga | Alma Mater (year) | Previous Job |
| Ken Bone | Special Assistant to the Head Coach | 1st | Seattle Pacific (1982) | Associate Head Coach at Montana |
| Ken Nakagawa | Graduate Assistant | 1st | Long Beach State (2014) | Graduate Assistant at Long Beach State |
| Josh Therrien | Athletic Trainer | 1st | Washington State (2007) | Assistant Athletic Trainer at Oregon State baseball |

### Player departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Eric McClellan | 23 | G | 6'4" | 184 | Senior (Redshirt) | Austin, TX | Graduated |
| Kyle Wiltjer | 33 | F | 6'10" | 243 | Senior (Redshirt) | Portland, OR | Graduated |
| Kyle Dranginis | 3 | G | 6'5" | 203 | Senior (Redshirt) | Nampa, ID | Graduated |
| Domantas Sabonis | 11 | F | 6'11" | 240 | Sophomore | Kaunas, Lithuania | Entered the 2016 NBA draft |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School | Years Remaining | Date Eligible |
| Jordan Mathews | G | 6'4" | 203 | Senior | San Francisco, CA | California | 1 | Oct. 1, 2016 |

### 2016 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Zach Collins C | Las Vegas, NV | Bishop Gorman | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Mar 16, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| Killian Tillie F | Cagnes-sur-Mer, France | INSEP | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Aug 29, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Zach Norvell G | Chicago, IL | Simeon | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Nov 2, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Jacob Larsen C | Holte, Denmark | Falkonergårdens Gymnasium SISU Copenhagen | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Nov 12, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Rui Hachimura F | Sendai, Japan | Meisei | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Nov 20, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #14 Rivals: #13 247Sports: #10 ESPN: #21 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 Gonzaga Rivals Commits". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2015. "2016 Gonzaga Scout Commits". Scout.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2015. "2016 Gonzaga ESPN Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2015. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved November 20, 2015. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 20, 2015. "2016 Gonzaga 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2015. ||||||

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Corey Kispert SF | Seattle, WA | King's | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | May 4, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Gonzaga Rivals Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 4, 2016. "2017 Gonzaga Scout Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved May 4, 2016. "2017 Gonzaga ESPN Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 4, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved May 4, 2016. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 4, 2016. "2017 Gonzaga 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved May 4, 2016. |||||||

## Roster

* 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. 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.

### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Year at Gonzaga | Alma Mater (year) |
| Mark Few | Head coach | 18th | Oregon (1987) |
| Tommy Lloyd | Associate Head Coach | 16th | Whitman (1998) |
| Donny Daniels | Assistant coach | 7th | Cal State Fullerton (1976) |
| Brian Michaelson | Assistant coach | 4th | Gonzaga (2005) |
| Ken Bone | Special Assistant to the Head Coach | 1st | Seattle Pacific (1982) |
| Ken Nakagawa | Graduate Assistant | 1st | Long Beach State (2014) |
| John Jakus | Director of Basketball Operations | 3rd | Trinity International (1999) |
| Riccardo Fois | Director of Analytics | 3rd | Pepperdine (2009) |
| Josh Therrien | Athletic Trainer | 1st | Washington State (2007) |
| Travis Knight | Strength & Conditioning Coach | 11th | Gonzaga (2000) |

## Schedule and results

Gonzaga's non-conference schedule included a matchup with Washington as well as neutral court games against Tennessee (in Nashville) and Arizona (in Los Angeles). The Zags were invited to play in the AdvoCare Invitational in Florida, where they ultimately played against Quinnipiac, Florida, and Iowa State. Gonzaga played 18 conference games (home-and-home) within a nine-week span, beginning on December 29, 2016. 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.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct. 29* | No. 14 | Baylor Secret Scrimmage | T | – | – | – | – | - Oklahoma City, OK |
| Nov. 5* 6:00 PM, KHQ | No. 14 | West Georgia Exhibition Game | W 122–76 | – | 20 – Williams-Goss | 14 – Williams | 5 – Williams-Goss | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov. 11* 6:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ | No. 14 | Utah Valley | W 92–69 | 1–0 | 17 – Melson | 9 – Tillie | 6 – Williams-Goss | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Nov. 14* 9:00 PM, ESPN2 | No. 14 | San Diego State College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon | W 69–48 | 2–0 | 17 – Mathews | 10 – Tillie | 3 – Williams-Goss | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Nov. 18* 5:30 PM, KHQ/RTNW | No. 14 | Bryant | W 109–70 | 3–0 | 22 – Karnowski | 8 – Tied | 5 – Williams-Goss | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Nov. 24* 3:30 PM, ESPN2 | No. 11 | vs. Quinnipiac AdvoCare Invitational Quarterfinals | W 82–62 | 4–0 | 13 – Tied | 8 – Karnowski | 8 – Williams-Goss | HP Field House (1,949) Bay Lake, FL |
| Nov. 25* 6:30 PM, ESPNU | No. 11 | vs. Florida AdvoCare Invitational Semifinals | W 77–72 | 5–0 | 18 – Perkins | 6 – Tillie | 3 – 3 Tied | HP Field House (2,941) Bay Lake, FL |
| Nov. 27* 10:30 AM, ESPN | No. 11 | vs. No. 21 Iowa State AdvoCare Invitational Championship | W 73–71 | 6–0 | 18 – Williams-Goss | 8 – Karnowski | 5 – Tied | HP Field House (2,305) Bay Lake, FL |
| Dec. 1* 6:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW | No. 8 | Mississippi Valley State | W 97–63 | 7–0 | 15 – Tied | 9 – Tied | 5 – Williams-Goss | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Dec. 3* 2:30 PM, ESPN | No. 8 | vs. No. 16 Arizona HoopHall LA | W 69–62 | 8–0 | 18 – Karnowski | 8 – Collins | 3 – Williams-Goss | Staples Center Los Angeles, CA |
| Dec. 7* 8:00 PM, ESPN2 | No. 8 | Washington Rivalry | W 98–71 | 9–0 | 23 – Williams-Goss | 8 – Karnowski | 5 – Tied | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Dec. 10* 5:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ | No. 8 | Akron | W 61–43 | 10–0 | 14 – Karnowski | 8 – Karnowski | 5 – Williams-Goss | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Dec. 18* 1:00 M, ESPN2 | No. 8 | vs. Tennessee Nashville Showcase | W 86–76 | 11–0 | 20 – Williams-Goss | 9 – Tied | 8 – Williams-Goss | Bridgestone Arena (13,784) Nashville, TN |
| Dec. 21* 6:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ | No. 7 | South Dakota | W 102–65 | 12–0 | 21 – Collins | 9 – Williams-Goss | 5 – Tied | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| WCC regular season |||||||||
| Dec. 29 6:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ | No. 7 | Pepperdine | W 92–62 | 13–0 (1–0) | 16 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 8 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Dec. 31 5:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ | No. 7 | at Pacific | W 81–61 | 14–0 (2–0) | 19 – Karnowski | 6 – Tied | 7 – Karnowski | Alex G. Spanos Center (2,859) Stockton, CA |
| Jan. 5 6:00 PM, ESPN2 | No. 5 | at San Francisco | W 95–80 | 15–0 (3–0) | 36 – Williams-Goss | 11 – Williams-Goss | 6 – Tied | War Memorial Gymnasium (3,814) San Francisco, CA |
| Jan. 12 6:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ | No. 5 | Loyola Marymount | W 93–55 | 16–0 (4–0) | 17 – Karnowski | 9 – Collins | 5 – Tied | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Jan. 14 7:00 PM, ESPN2 | No. 5 | No. 21 Saint Mary's Rivalry | W 79–56 | 17–0 (5–0) | 19 – Williams-Goss | 6 – Karnowski | 6 – Williams-Goss | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Jan. 19 8:00 PM, ESPNU | No. 4 | at Santa Clara | W 88–57 | 18–0 (6–0) | 19 – Karnowski | 10 – Williams-Goss | 4 – Perkins | Leavey Center (4,738) Santa Clara, CA |
| Jan. 21 5:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ | No. 4 | Portland | W 73–52 | 19–0 (7–0) | 15 – Williams-Goss | 9 – Collins | 6 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Jan. 23 5:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ | No. 3 | at Portland | W 83–64 | 20–0 (8–0) | 13 – Collins | 7 – Williams | 5 – Karnowski | Chiles Center (4,852) Portland, OR |
| Jan. 26 6:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ | No. 3 | San Diego | W 79–43 | 21–0 (9–0) | 25 – Williams-Goss | 12 – Williams | 5 – Tied | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Jan. 28 7:00 PM, ESPN2 | No. 3 | at Pepperdine | W 96–49 | 22–0 (10–0) | 16 – Karnowski | 7 – Williams | 8 – Williams-Goss | Firestone Fieldhouse (3,104) Malibu, CA |
| Feb. 2 8:00 PM, ESPN2 | No. 1 | at BYU Rivalry | W 85–75 | 23–0 (11–0) | 33 – Williams-Goss | 8 – 3 Tied | 4 – 3 Tied | Marriott Center (18,987) Provo, UT |
| Feb. 4 7:00 PM, ESPN2 | No. 1 | Santa Clara | W 90–55 | 24–0 (12–0) | 16 – Mathews | 8 – Collins | 8 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Feb. 9 7:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ | No. 1 | at Loyola Marymount | W 90–60 | 25–0 (13–0) | 19 – Williams-Goss | 11 – Williams-Goss | 3 – Perkins | Gersten Pavilion (4,156) Los Angeles, CA |
| Feb. 11 5:15 PM, ESPN | No. 1 | at No. 20 Saint Mary's College GameDay/Rivalry | W 74–64 | 26–0 (14–0) | 19 – Karnowski | 9 – Tied | 3 – Williams-Goss | McKeon Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| Feb. 16 6:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ | No. 1 | San Francisco | W 96–61 | 27–0 (15–0) | 30 – Williams-Goss | 11 – Williams | 7 – Williams-Goss | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Feb. 18 1:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ | No. 1 | Pacific | W 82–61 | 28–0 (16–0) | 18 – Williams-Goss | 11 – Williams | 7 – Williams-Goss | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Feb. 23 7:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ | No. 1 | at San Diego | W 96–38 | 29–0 (17–0) | 15 – Tied | 19 – Williams | 6 – Perkins | Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100) San Diego, CA |
| Feb. 25 7:00 PM, ESPN | No. 1 | BYU Rivalry | L 71–79 | 29–1 (17–1) | 19 – Williams-Goss | 12 – Williams | 3 – Williams-Goss | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| WCC Tournament |||||||||
| Mar. 4 7:00 PM, ESPN2 | (1) No. 4 | vs. (9) Pacific Quarterfinals | W 82–50 | 30–1 | 22 – Mathews | 9 – Karnowski | 4 – Williams-Goss | Orleans Arena (7,315) Paradise, NV |
| Mar. 6 6:00 PM, ESPN | (1) No. 4 | vs. (4) Santa Clara Semifinals | W 77–68 | 31–1 | 25 – Williams-Goss | 8 – Williams-Goss | 5 – Williams-Goss | Orleans Arena (8,712) Paradise, NV |
| Mar. 7 6:00 PM, ESPN | (1) No. 4 | vs. (2) No. 19 Saint Mary's Championship/Rivalry | W 74–56 | 32–1 | 22 – Williams-Goss | 10 – Karnowski | 6 – Williams-Goss | Orleans Arena (8,179) Paradise, NV |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar. 16* 11:00 AM, TBS | (1 W) No. 2 | vs. (16 W) South Dakota State First Round | W 66–46 | 33–1 | 16 – Mathews | 14 – Williams | 4 – Williams-Goss | Vivint Smart Home Arena (16,952) Salt Lake City, UT |
| Mar. 18* 2:15 PM, CBS | (1 W) No. 2 | vs. (8 W) Northwestern Second Round | W 79–73 | 34–1 | 20 – Williams-Goss | 8 – Williams-Goss | 4 – Williams-Goss | Vivint Smart Home Arena (18,565) Salt Lake City, UT |
| Mar. 23* 4:39 PM, TBS | (1 W) No. 2 | vs. (4 W) No. 13 West Virginia Sweet Sixteen | W 61–58 | 35–1 | 13 – 3 Tied | 7 – Williams-Goss | 2 – Tied | SAP Center (16,884) San Jose, CA |
| Mar. 25* 3:09 PM, TBS | (1 W) No. 2 | vs. (11 W) Xavier Elite Eight | W 83–59 | 36–1 | 23 – Williams-Goss | 8 – Tied | 4 – Williams-Goss | SAP Center (17,011) San Jose, CA |
| Apr. 1* 3:09 PM, CBS | (1 W) No. 2 | vs. (7 E) South Carolina Final Four | W 77–73 | 37–1 | 23 – Williams-Goss | 13 – Collins | 6 – Williams-Goss | University of Phoenix Stadium (77,612) Glendale, AZ |
| Apr. 3* 6:20 PM, CBS | (1 W) No. 2 | vs. (1 S) No. 5 North Carolina National Championship | L 65–71 | 37–2 | 15 – Williams-Goss | 9 – Tied | 6 – Williams-Goss | University of Phoenix Stadium (76,168) Glendale, AZ |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West Region, E=East Region, S=South Region. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 14 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 (2) | 3 (2) | 1 (46) | 1 (59) | 1 (60) | 1 (59) | 4 (2) | 4 (1) | 2 (6) | Not released |
| Coaches | 13 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 (3) | 3 (3) | 1 (24) | 1 (28) | 1 (29) | 1 (29) | 4 (1) | 4 (1) | 2 (1) | 2 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings