FanHouse MicahDowns

This week, FanHouse is taking an early look at the top teams heading into 2008 with a BlogPoll decided on by our college hoops bloggers. To help with the team capsules, we've brought in some of the top fan bloggers around the internets to give us insights on their teams.

Today, we have enlisted Zach Bell and Max Mandel of the The Kennel Report to break down the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Gonzaga has become one of the most recognizable college basketball programs in the nation. During his tenure, Mark Few has elevated the small, Jesuit institution to the forefront of college basketball. He's had guys like Adam Morrison, Ronny Turiaf, and Dan Dickau but the talent he has for the 2008 season is the best he has ever had at Gonzaga.

Every year Cinderella captures our hearts in the NCAA Tournament. They begin fittings for their glass slippers in November, though. They Do Not Come From Nowhere introduces you to the teams that will be busting brackets nationwide come March.

Our first potential Cinderella is no stranger to the Big Dance. Mark Few has taken the Bulldogs to the ball in each of the last nine seasons. They no longer have to remind people how to pronounce the school's name or rely on the memory of John Stockton to tell people that they've been around a good long while. Still, they play in the West Coast Conference and are thus consigned to mid-majordom.

They return two talented guards in Jeremy Pargo and Matt Bouldin which means they won't miss departed leading scorer Derek Raivio all that much. Throw in Micah Downs and you have a typical Few team. They fill it up from the outside, move the ball well and put up points in bunches. Typically Few's teams also struggle defensively and that may be where this year's version surpasses recent versions.

The freshman Austin Daye is 6'10" with a 7'5" wingspan and could make life difficult on the perimeter for shooters used to open looks at the Bulldog hoop. He has eight blocks in his first two games and adds a new dimension to their defense. He's their leading scorer to boot and could be a major factor come tournament time.