The "Breaking Point" Zag Tracks...

I don't know about you all...but I need some basketball in my life immediately. As a native Coloradan, my beloved Broncos and Buffs seemed to have peaked a tad too soon and the hopes of glory in football this year may be lost and gone. Gonzaga basketball is a welcome home to take my mind off the depressing football season and look with optimism on the upcoming season. I'm sure my football season sorrows is not falling upon deaf ears as I'm guessing that a solid majority of the readers of this blog are Washington sports fans. Now that I've had that little bit of therapy, let's see what kind of news we can dig up regarding Gonzaga...

-- A website dedicated to NCAA Basketball sports betting slates the WCC as the 16th best storyline heading into the season. Basically what everyone wants to know is if last year's three teams in the tournament was a fluke or will it become a trend. A pretty well written piece, the author notes that just like last season, there would have to be another perfect storm in the WCC tournament. This storm is something Gonzaga is trying to avoid because if they win the conference tournament, you have to think we are looking at a 3-4 seed at worst. Losing the tourney would hurt us but help the WCC because you have to think the conference will easily get two teams in no matter what but three could be a stretch.

-- If I had to break down the top point guards in the NCAA, I may have an eerily similar list to the one Rivals just put out. The leading source in basketball and football recruiting has Jeremy Pargo listed as the fourth best point guard in the nation. He takes his place behind Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, and A.J. Price. You can't really argue you with the top three because they are all solid and proven players and you have to like Jeremy being right between A.J. Price and Levance Fields. I respect the fact that he has Curry low on the list and does not have Jrue Holiday or Patty Mills listed. While I think that Mills will be a top point guard come season end, he does not belong there before the season. This list is light years better than the one Doug Gottleib put out a little over a month ago.

-- Sticking with our Gary Parrish obsession at TKR, the national blogger for CBS Sportsline recently pegged Josh Heytvelt as the 27th best big man in the nation. Does he have the potential to be higher? Of course. But for right now and with all the issues that Josh has had in college it seems like a fair ranking. Ironically enough, Josh is listed one spot behind Luke Babbitt who is a freshman that Mark Few and the Zags were after big time. Imagine our front court if Babbitt was a Zag.

-- Josh Heytvelt's ranking as the 27th best big man gives the Zags four players listed in Gary Parrish's annual position breakdowns. Heytvelt joins Pargo, Bouldin, and Daye on Parrish's list and that is tied for the team with the most players listed. The other schools that have four players in the rankings are North Carolina, Syracuse, and Connecticut. Not bad company at all.

-- Preseason polls will be released as soon as Thursday it seems and hopefully before that myself and maxZag will put out our top 25. Thank God it's almost here. Just five days til they take the court Zag fans.