The Gonzaga Bulldogs are 6-0 on the season, with four of those wins coming against power conference opponents and two of them – including Monday’s thrashing of Alabama – against teams ranked in the top 25.
That has resulted in the Zags moving from preseason No. 21 up to No. 12 in the AP Poll, while services like KenPom, Torvik, and EvanMiya view Mark Few’s team as one of the five best in the country.
Joe Lunardi, ESPN’s resident bracketologist, seems to agree with the computers over the AP voters. His latest bracketology report has Gonzaga at No. 5 overall, putting them as a No. 2 seed in the West Region, where they would play in Portland, OR, against No. 15 seed Montana out of the Big Sky.
The rest of Gonzaga’s pod in Lunardi’s latest projection includes No. 7 seed Ohio State vs. No. 10 seed Creighton, potentially setting up a rematch with the Bluejays after the Zags beat them by 27 points on Nov. 11 at the Kennel.
Gonzaga has also faced both Creighton and Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament previously, defeating the Bluejays in 2021 and Ohio State in 2018.
Should this bracket come together, Gonzaga could end up facing multiple familiar foes on their way to the Final Four – none more crucial than the No. 1 seed in the region, the Arizona Wildcats, led by longtime Zags assistant coach Tommy Lloyd.
Feb 8, 2020; Moraga, California, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few and assistant coach Tommy Lloyd. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
A Gonzaga vs. Arizona Elite Eight matchup would be the game of the year, but both teams would have to get through a region that includes No. 3 Illinois, No. 4 Tennessee, and No. 5 North Carolina.
Gonzaga has already faced two NCAA Tournament teams from Lunardi’s latest projections, No. 10 Creighton and No. 4 Alabama, with matchups still to come against Kentucky (5 seed) on Dec. 5 in Nashville, UCLA (5 seed) on Dec. 13 in Seattle, and Oregon (9 seed) on Dec. 21 in Portland.
Saint Mary’s earned a No. 7 seed in the East Region, where Lunardi has them headed to Philadelphia to square off against No. 10 Nebraska, with a potential second-round date against No. 2 UConn.
While there is a lot of momentum for teams like San Francisco (5-1, No. 70 at KenPom) and Santa Clara (6-0, No. 55 at KenPom) to sneak into the NCAA Tournament from the WCC, Lunardi has both on the outside of the field, with Santa Clara joining Oklahoma in his ‘next four out’ category.
Gonzaga will face off against Maryland, another power conference opponent, on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. A win vs the Terps likely puts coach Few’s team in either the third-place or championship game of the Players Era Festival, which are slated to tip off on Wednesday at 4:00 and 6:30 PM PT, respectively.
MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS
