The second to the last regular season game of the season for
Gonzaga is pretty important. A victory
would give the Zags the WCC title outright. This would be pretty nice because
the Zags lost their streak of consecutive WCC Titles last season and the
players would like to get back on track as champions.
Also, with #1 ranked Indiana
falling to Minnesota ,
there is the chance that the Zags could reach the elusive #1 position in the
National Polls. This is something no mid-major team has ever done. Gonzaga did
manage to get to #3 the last year Ronny Turiaf and Adam Morrison played
together. Some say Gonzaga plays in the weaker WCC Conference and would not
deserve a #1 ranking but, they had a strong out of conference schedule again
that included quality wins over such teams as ranked Oklahoma State, ranked
Kansas State, Oklahoma, Davidson, Clemson, Baylor and St. Mary’s twice. If
teams above them keep losing, and the Zags keep winning, it might become
impossible for them not to ascend to the top. It would be a remarkable feat for
sure.
Additionally, they need to keep winning in order to possibly
secure a one seed in the NCAA Tournament. If they win vs. BYU and manage to
beat Portland
on their final regular season game, they could secure a #1 seed. My feeling is
that they will get bumped to the 2 line no matter what, as teams from Power 6
conferences will be juggling for the 4 one seeds. The Selection Committee will
pass over the Zags for a blue blood program such as Michigan
State or Kansas , right? If they do, so be it. If not,
it would be another remarkable accomplishment.
Lastly, the Zags just need to close out the season strong, if
nothing more than for momentum heading into the NCAA Tournament. Having won 10
games in a row (only losing to Butler
on a bad pass and a miracle shot), the Zags find themselves in a very good
position. They cannot afford to slip up now or everything that is on the line
is, well, off line.
I recall a couple of seasons ago Zag fans were super excited
at the prospect of Gonzaga being seeded to play in Spokane during the NCAA
Tournament. All the Zags had to do was keep winning, but they tripped up. The
Selection Committee rewarded them by sending them packing across the country to
Syracuse ’ back yard
and we all know how that went. So, much indeed is at stake.
Can Gonzaga keep it rolling? I have a good feeling about
this year’s team. They have played well on the road, in hostile arenas, and
seem to be able to either grind out wins or run opponents off the court. With
so much on the line, my gut feeling is that they will pull out a victory in Provo and keep on track
for bigger and better things ahead.
6 comments:
I agree that we will probably get pushed down to a 2 seed, but if we keep winning (and everyone else keeps losing) that "2" in our loss column might be too big to ignore. Remember, the committee looks at close losses, and the Butler game is about as close as a loss can get.
Lol... what I'm saying is, I agree with you Gaz and I wouldn't be surprised if we were a 2, but if there was ever a year that we could swing a 1 seed, this would be it.
A lot of people have been griping about the prospect (see: Indiana fans) but perhaps they are just reluctent to change, lol.
That "2" in our loss column could very well be our demise. If I recall correctly, the Selection Committee has been known to seed us based on our losses. 2 losses= a 2 seed, 3 losses = a three seed.
All I know is that I am tired of hearing how Indiana will get a #1 no matter wht happens. Or, if they were to lose to Mich, or Ohio State gets hot, or Kansas, we will get passed over.
We can only do what we can do. Win the last two, convincingly, and hope the blue bloods lose in the best possible scenarios that will favor a Zag one seed.
Depending on matchups though....we might be better off with a 2. We shall see.
But first things first. No way should we be looking past BYU. The Marriot Center is a tough place to pull a victory out of!
OMG.....0-14 Penn State upsets Michigan!
I wonder IF that finally excuses Michigan from being in the discussion as possibly passing us for a #1 seed!
What a CrAzY year!!~
Well I think Kelly said it best and I totally share his sentiments, "I wish we could start all over and do it again!"
In a year when scoring is down and upsets abound GU has bucked the trends. Tell the truth, what college team is the most fun to watch this year?
I have enjoyed every minute of this season immensely. Would just be a shame if that final game didn't feature GU.
Isn't Memphis a mid-major and weren't they #1 in the polls once?
Yes they were...in 1982 & in 2008, but my understanding was that those seasons were marred by infractions, regular season wins were "vacated" as well as NCAA wins, all vacated.
So IMO, nothing they did those seasons counts, lol.
Wikipedia has the info on their site.
You are correct though, they were once ranked #1... But does it count? I say no.
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