Gonzaga could face former rival in ESPN NCAA Tournament bracketology

The NCAA Tournament will officially expand to 76 teams starting in 2027

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Erik Smith

Mark Few has taken the Gonzaga Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament every single year he has been the head coach, and he never needed an expanded 76-team field to get there.

And even as the program transitions into the new look Pac-12 in 2026-27, Gonzaga isn't projected to rely on added at-large bids to go dancing - at least not according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi.

Lunardi released an updated bracketology projection on Thursday, with the news that the NCAA Tournament will officially expand to 76 teams in 2027.

Gonzaga replicated last year's No. 3 seed in Lunardi's bracket, where they'd face No. 14 seed St. Thomas at the Spokane Arena.

The real fun is on the other side of Gonzaga's pod, where No. 6 seed Nebraska is projected to meet the winner of a play-in game between No. 11 Clemson and No. 11 Arizona State - now led by former Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett.

Few and Bennett have had many battles over the last two decades, but have obviously never met in the NCAA Tournament due to both being in the WCC. However, with Few and the Zags in the Pac-12 and Bennett now coaching in the Big 12, a potential showdown in the Big Dance would be one of the most anticipated early-round games in Zag basketball history - especially if it were to happen in 2027.

Not only is there a rich history between Few and Bennett, but these programs 'traded' players this offseason as well, with Gonzaga guard Emmanuel Innocenti transferring to Arizona State while ASU big man Massamba Diop recently committed to the Zags.

Gonzaga is set to play five teams projected in the updated field during the non-conference slate; Duke (No. 1 seed), Michigan State (No. 2), Purdue (No. 5), Kentucky (No. 8) and Creighton (No. 10). The Zags are also potentially going to play UCLA (No. 10) and Oregon (No. 11) although neither game is confirmed as of this writing.

Problem in the Pac?

Unfortunately, even with a 76-team field, Gonzaga is the lone team projected to make the tournament from the Pac-12, at least as of now.

Utah State - who has a new coach in Ben Jacobson coming over from Northern Iowa - is among the first four out, joining West Virginia, Florida State, and Maryland, while San Diego State, Boise State, and Colorado State are nowhere to be found.

Popular analytics site Bart Torvik released his 2027 projections and has San Diego State at No. 61 overall, ranking second in the Pac-12 behind No. 7 Gonzaga. Colorado State (77) and Utah State (80) follow suit, putting the conference in the danger zone of being a one-bid league in 2027.

Of course, rosters are far from set across the country, and it would not be a surprise at all to see one or two of these teams outperform expectations in the new conference once the season rolls around in November.