What is going on with Gonzaga?

Before the season started, Gonzaga was a trendy pick to (finally) make a run to the Final Four.

They had a loaded front court, headlined by potential lottery pick Elias Harris, and a back court with Steven Gray, Demetri Goodson, and a couple of touted role players.

But eight games into the season, Gonzaga hasn't looked anything like a Final Four team. Hell, they have barely looked like a tournament team.

Last night, the Zags were completely embarrassed by Washington State 81-59. Not Washington, mind you. Washington State. The same Cougar team that finished last in a dismal Pac-10 last season. Gonzaga went scoreless for the first eight minutes of the game. They turned the ball over 25 times. Their 39.6% shooting percentage is only respectable because guys like Sam Dower and Mathis Monninghoff scored some late buckets when the game had already been decided.

Add it all up, and Gonzaga is now 4-4 on the season. They've lost to San Diego State at home. Kansas State blew them out in Kansas City. Illinois rained threes on the Zags in a 12 point win in the Battle in Seattle. And now this mess against Washington State.

Gonzaga's only relevant win came against Marquette, who isn't exactly looking like a world beater at this point in the season.

The Zags better be careful. They still have some impressive non-conference games left on their slate -- Baylor, Xavier, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, Memphis -- so there are still plenty of chances for them to turn things around. But will they be able to? Is this team actually good enough to win any of those games?

There are three issues for Gonzaga right now. The first is the most obvious. Harris, their star forward, is not healthy. He's had a bum shoulder since the preseason and the achilles injury he suffered late in the loss to San Diego State is obviously hampering his explosiveness. He doesn't look like the same athlete as last season.

The second issue is on the defensive end of the floor. Gonzaga can't stop anyone. They allow too much penetration, they don't play any transition defense, and they allow far too many open looks on the perimeter. The past two games, Illinois and Washington State have combined to go 23-44 from three. Even Kansas State, a team not known for their shooting prowess, knocked down 12 threes against the Zags.

The biggest issue, however, is point guard play. Demetri Goodson is a terrific athlete, but he is not a creator. He's not the kind of player that can get into the lane and kick out to open shooters. He struggles when he is forced to be a facilitator for this offense.

Gonzaga really misses Matt Bouldin. Steven Gray is a terrific talent, but he's a scorer and a slasher, not a point guard. Marquise Carter hasn't really developed the way a lot of Gonzaga fans had hoped. The end result is that David Stockton, John's son, is playing a lot of minutes at the point. He's a smart and gutty player, but he's just not athletic enough for Gonzaga's high major opponents. They attack with traps defensively and with isolations offensively.

Harris will get healthy this season. Gonzaga has never been a great defensive team, but that issue is fixable.

But without a guy like Bouldin to run this team on the offensive end, Gonzaga is not an elite basketball team.