Gonzaga could face former conference foe in Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology report

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs bounced back strong from a road loss to the Portland Pilots earlier this month, rattling off four straight wins to move to 26-2 overall and 14-1 in league play.

While the UP loss makes getting a No. 2 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament a tall order, the Zags are still in position to secure a No. 3 seed - at least according to ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi.

Lunardi updated his projections on Friday and slotted Gonzaga in as a No. 3 seed in the West Region, where they would take on No. 14 seed North Dakota State at the Moda Center in Portland, OR. The Bison are 22-6 overall and 12-1 in Summit League play, positioning Dave Richman's team to make the big dance for the first time since 2019.

If Gonzaga were to advance they would face the winner of an insanely intriguing No. 6 vs No. 11 matchup between the BYU Cougars and Miami OH Redhawks.

Gonzaga vs BYU was long one of the best conference matchups in college basketball, before the Cougars made the jump to the Big 12 in 2023-24. BYU ended Gonzaga's undefeated season in 2016-17, and while the Zags have a 24-7 overall record against BYU there have been plenty of very close matchups over the years.

Meanwhile, Miami OH is the lone remaining undefeated team in college basketball, boasting one of the highest scoring and most efficient offenses in the country. They have played one of the weakest overall schedules in college basketball, but there's nothing easy about going 26-0 to start the season.

Gonzaga playing either BYU or Miami OH would make for a great story, while a win could set the Zags up for a rematch against Matt Painter and No. 2 Purdue in the Sweet 16 - with a potential date with Tommy Lloyd and the No. 1 seed Arizona Wildcats in the Elite Eight.

The WCC remains a three bid league per Lunardi's projections, with Saint Mary's (9 seed) and Santa Clara (11 seed) both earning at-large bids. The Broncos are among the last four in, and are projected to play UCLA in a play-in game, with the winner playing No. 6 seed Kentucky.

Kentucky, Saint Mary's, Santa Clara, and UCLA are joined by Michigan (1 seed) and Alabama (4 seed) as Zag opponents in the field of 68.

Michigan, Duke, Houston, and Arizona make up the four No. 1 seeds, while Iowa State, UConn, Purdue, and Illinois are the No. 2 seeds.

Gonzaga hosts Pacific at the Kennel on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 6:00 PM PT, looking for their 23rd straight win over the Tigers. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.