Gonzaga\u2019s nonconference slate for the 25-26 season is absolutely stacked with players who can take over a game by themselves. From proven scorers who already torched the Zags last season to five-star prospects stepping onto the big stage for the first time, this year\u2019s schedule reads like a gauntlet of individual stars as much as marquee team matchups. Before conference play even begins, Gonzaga will have to stare down NBA lottery talent, sixth-year veterans, and guards who make their living blowing up defensive game plans. Here\u2019s a look at some of the most dangerous players Gonzaga will face in nonconference play.<\/p>\n
Jayden Quaintance \u2014 Kentucky, Forward\/Center, 6\u20199\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n I wrote a similar article to this one around this time last year, and Jayden Quaintance was on that one, too. Gonzaga saw Jayden Quaintance early last season when they handled the Sun Devils 88-80, a game where the 17-year-old freshman logged 28 minutes but finished with just 9 points and just 1 rebound. My estimation on his danger may have been inflated then, but there\u2019s plenty reason to suspect it won\u2019t be this year. The Sun Devils spiraled to a 4\u201316 conference record, yet Quaintance\u2019s year gathered momentum before a torn ACL in February cut it short: he averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 boards, and an absolutely astonishing 2.6 blocks per game, with performances like a 15-point, 12-rebound night against West Virginia hinting at why he\u2019s viewed as a potential NBA lottery pick. His transfer to Kentucky this spring returns him to the program he originally committed to out of high school before reclassifying and joining the dumpster fire that was Sun Devils basketball. He\u2019s still very young but his upside is unheard of, making his recovery one of the most closely watched storylines of Mark Pope\u2019s second season in Lexington.<\/p>\n If healthy, he\u2019ll continue to protect the rim and finish above it (way above it), a presence who forces opponents to recalibrate every possession near the paint. Gonzaga\u2019s frontcourt will need to do everything it can to keep him away from the ball defensively, keeping him moving laterally rather than letting him settle as a shot-blocking anchor. The Zags also carry a rare edge of familiarity: Adam Miller, now in Spokane, was Quaintance\u2019s teammate at ASU, giving them a potentially valuable insider\u2019s view of his game (though, there\u2019s not much that\u2019s secretive about his game, he\u2019s a freak athlete and could have gone in the first round of this year\u2019s NBA draft had he met the age threshold). Kentucky\u2019s system and talent will put him in better positions than Bobby Hurley ever did, making him one of the most formidable opponents Gonzaga could face this season.<\/p>\n Nijel Pack \u2014 Oklahoma, Guard, 6\u20190\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Nijel Pack arrives at Oklahoma as one of the most accomplished transfers in the 2025 portal, a sixth-year guard whose path has run from Kansas State to Miami and now into the SEC. He played only nine games last year before a foot injury cut his season short, but still averaged 13.9 points per game for the Hurricanes and came into the offseason with a proven track record: a first-team All-Big 12 nod at Kansas State, a Final Four run at Miami in 2023, and career averages that hover in the mid-teens as a scorer with range well beyond the arc. Pack\u2019s waiver for a sixth season gives Porter Moser a centerpiece to rebuild around after Oklahoma\u2019s roster churn, and his combination of shot-making, experience, and pick-and-roll craft make him one of the most dangerous backcourt studs Gonzaga will see all year.<\/p>\n For the Zags, the defensive assignments on Pack will be crucial. Adam Miller\u2019s size and familiarity with high-major guards gives Gonzaga one option, but much of the attention will fall to Braeden Smith, who redshirted last season and has yet to log a single defensive possession in Spokane. Smith\u2019s first real test comes against a guard who punishes mistakes from three and thrives when defenders slip under screens, and that matchup will double as Gonzaga fans\u2019 first true glimpse of whether their new young point guard can anchor the perimeter defensively without breaking down. Keeping Pack off balance, forcing him inside the arc, and throwing multiple looks at him will be necessary if the Zags hopes to prevent the kind of perimeter heater that can decide a game.<\/p>\n Donovan Dent \u2014 UCLA, Guard, 6\u20192\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Donovan Dent arrives at UCLA after a junior season at New Mexico that put him in rare company, averaging 20.4 points and 6.4 assists to become the first player in Mountain West history to clear both marks in the same year. He scored 715 points and handed out 224 assists in 2024\u201325, each among the best single-season totals in Lobos history, and left Albuquerque ranked top-20 all-time in scoring and top-10 in assists. The production came with signature performances: 40 points against VCU, 17 points and 11 assists against Boise State, and another 17-and-11 line against USC. By season\u2019s end he was Mountain West Player of the Year and ESPN\u2019s top-rated transfer, and when he committed to UCLA in March, it carried both the weight of a homecoming and the price tag of a reported $3 million NIL package.<\/p>\n For Gonzaga, Dent is precisely the kind of downhill guard who can expose defensive lapses on the perimeter, a major stumbling block for the first half of last season. His first step is sharp enough to beat most matchups clean, and his ability to finish or spray to shooters forces defenses into quick rotations. That puts heavy pressure on Gonzaga\u2019s backcourt to show they can stay attached in space, and it leaves Adam Miller and Mario Saint-Supery vulnerable to being attacked in isolation. The Zags will need to help early and rotate behind the play, using length from the wings to close passing lanes and close out shooters before the ball can swing that way, because Dent\u2019s command of pace and ball screens makes him capable of controlling the game if given room to operate.<\/p>\n Otega Oweh \u2014 Kentucky, Guard, 6\u20194\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Kentucky\u2019s leading scorer from last season is back for one more run, and the ripple effects will be felt across the SEC. Otega Oweh transferred from Oklahoma and immediately broke out in Lexington, averaging 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals while earning Second-Team All-SEC honors. He saved his best for the stretch run, scoring 20-plus eight times in February and March, including back-to-back statement games against his former team where he averaged 27.5 points and hit two game-winners. That surge carried him into the NBA Draft Combine, where he showed enough to draw real interest, but ultimately withdrew to return for his senior season. Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has been effusive about Oweh\u2019s offseason growth, pointing to improvements in both playmaking and defensive versatility, calling him a candidate to be the best defensive player in the country.<\/p>\n For Gonzaga, Oweh presents a different kind of perimeter challenge than someone like Nijel Pack or Donovan Dent. He is less of a pure shooter than a relentless downhill guard who thrives on strength and a willingness to improvise in the paint. Expect the Zags to throw length at Oweh from the wing, shading help toward his drives and rotating early to cut off his lanes. If Gonzaga can\u2019t wall him off, Oweh has shown the ability to single-handedly take things over, and as last season proved, he is most dangerous when the lights are brightest.<\/p>\n Owen Freeman \u2014 Creighton, Forward\/Center, 6\u201910\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n When Ryan Kalkbrenner\u2019s run at Creighton ended, the Bluejays needed a new centerpiece, and they found one in Owen Freeman. A former Iowa standout, Freeman arrives in Omaha as the 2023\u201324 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and one of the most efficient big men in the country. He averaged 10.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks as a true freshman, then bumped that to 16.7 points and 6.7 rebounds on nearly 64 percent shooting before a finger injury shut down his sophomore season. Few players in college basketball improved more year-over-year: his post-up efficiency leapt from the middle of the national pack to sixth overall, and he became the nation\u2019s most efficient transition finisher, shooting 93 percent in those opportunities. Those numbers explain why Gonzaga made a serious run at him in the transfer portal before he chose Creighton, setting the stage for what has quickly become the most anticipated mid-major clash of the 2025\u201326 season.<\/p>\n Freeman represents exactly the kind of positional mismatch that hurt Gonzaga a season ago: a mobile, physical big who can punish them inside while also running the floor. At 6\u201910\u201d, 245 pounds, he is both imposing and efficient, with touch on the block and a motor that thrives in transition. For the Zags, the key may be the presence of Tyon Grant-Foster, pending waiver and eligibility clearance, who could defend from the 4-spot and give Gonzaga a lockdown defensive piece they lacked last year. Otherwise, the burden will fall on Graham Ike\u2019s strength in the post and Braden Huff\u2019s ability to stretch Freeman out, forcing Creighton\u2019s guards to carry more of the offensive load.<\/p>\n Michael Rataj \u2014 Baylor, Forward, 6\u20199\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Gonzaga\u2019s first look at Michael Rataj last season was a brutal reminder of how a single player can win a game on their own. In Corvallis, the Oregon State forward put the Beavers on his back with 29 points and 7 rebounds in 38 minutes, carrying them to a gutsy overtime win in Oregon, a loss that ultimately galvanized Gonzaga\u2019s midseason defensive face-lift. Even when Gonzaga flipped the script in the return game, a 98\u201360 rout once Emmanuel Innocenti was in the starting five, Rataj still led Oregon State with 15 points, underscoring his role as the hub of their offense. He finished the year averaging on 48\/35\/79 shooting splits, earned First Team All-WCC honors, and became one of the most sought-after transfers in the country before committing to Baylor.<\/p>\n Baylor is in full rebuild mode this season, but Rataj is a vital and essential piece of the puzzle \u2014 a proven scorer who can steady a roster built on new faces. What makes him dangerous isn\u2019t raw athleticism so much as the way he bends matchups: too quick for bigger defenders, too strong for smaller ones, able to space the floor while still manufacturing points inside. Gonzaga has already experienced what happens when he catches fire, and even with Innocenti and \u2014 waiver permitting \u2014 Tyon Grant-Foster available as defensive counters, the Zags will need to treat him as a central threat rather than a secondary option. His consistency and versatility make him the type of senior who can swing a game almost quietly, the sort of presence that championship-caliber rebuilds are built around.<\/p>\n Tounde Yessoufou \u2014 Baylor, Guard, 6\u20195\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Scott Drew has made a career out of finding explosive, high-motor guards who can tilt a game with effort and athleticism, and in Tounde Yessoufou he may have landed his next star. A consensus five-star from St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria, California, Yessoufou averaged 32.3 points per game as a junior (not a typo), carried his team to back-to-back CIF State Championship appearances, and hit a buzzer-beater over Sierra Canyon to reach the SoCal Open semifinals. ESPN rated him the No. 2 player in California and one of the top wings in the 2025 class, a unanimous five-star with NBA lottery potential in 2026. His production matched the hype: at least 26 points per game in each of his first three prep seasons and an 86\u201315 record during that span.<\/p>\n Yessoufou\u2019s game is defined by pressure from the opening tip. He drives possessions forward with a straight-line force that puts defenders on their back foot and pushes games into uncomfortable rhythms. Even when his shot isn\u2019t there, he keeps finding ways to bend defenses, turning broken possessions into foul shots or second-chance points. That disruptive style could be Baylor\u2019s best weapon in a rebuilding year, because it forces opponents to play faster and sloppier than they\u2019d like. For Gonzaga, the key won\u2019t necessarily be stopping Yessoufou outright but making sure his energy doesn\u2019t dictate the tempo of the game, because once it does, the rest of the Bears can feed off his momentum.<\/p>\n