Gonzaga draws electric second round matchup in latest Bracketology projection

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs wrapped up November with a tidy 7-1 record, although the team's early-season momentum came to a grinding halt last Wednesday after a 40-point drubbing at the hands of Michigan.

Gonzaga remains among the top teams in the country despite the loss, coming in at No. 5 in the inaugural NET rankings, and at No. 11 in both the AP and Coaches Poll to begin the month of December.

The Zags remain one of the best teams in the country on both ends of the floor, and are on track to get back to the top of the NCAA Tournament bracket this March after earning a lowly 8-seed last season.

The latest bracketology projection from ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Gonzaga as a No. 2 seed in the West Region, where they would play in Portland against No. 15 seed Austin Peay, the projected automatic qualifier out of the Atlantic Sun conference.

The 7-10 matchup in Gonzaga's pod is a wildly fun game between No. 7 Baylor and No. 10 UCLA, which would give the Zags an incredible storyline in the Round of 32 regardless of who wins. Either Gonzaga would face Baylor, who they lost to in the 2021 National Championship, or UCLA, who they beat on the way to said championship, as well as in 2023 on their way to the Elite Eight.

As if that isn't enough of a compelling storyline for this bracket, the No. 1 seed in the region is none other than Arizona, coached by longtime Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd. Few and Lloyd have not faced each other since Tommy took the Arizona job in 2021, and the first matchup between these longtime friends, being an Elite Eight game - as the top two seeds - is pure cinema and a dream come true for college basketball fans everywhere.

Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd takes a post-game interview after defeating the UCLA Bruins 69-65 at Intuit Dome. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Lunardi still has the WCC as a two-bid league, with Saint Mary's checking in as a No. 7 seed in the South Region, where they would also open up in Portland and would face No. 10 Ohio State, with a potential second-round matchup against former WCC foe and projected No. 2 seed BYU.

Santa Clara was listed by Lunardi as the first team out of the NCAA Tournament picture, ahead of Miami, VCU, and Creighton. Former Zag Michael Ajayi and the Butler Bulldogs are among the last four in, while UCLA is barely hanging on to a spot after last week's loss to Cal.

In addition to Saint Mary's (7 seed) and UCLA (10 seed), Gonzaga will end up facing three other teams in Lunardi's projected Field of 68: Michigan (1 seed), Alabama (3), and Kentucky (6). Notably, Oregon, Maryland, Creighton, Oklahoma, and Arizona State are not in Lunardi's updated field, although Creighton is on the bubble and the others have plenty of Quad 1 opportunities remaining with conference play just around the corner.

Next up for Gonzaga is No. 18 Kentucky on Friday, Dec. 5, in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena. The game will tip at 4:00 PM PT and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

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