Gonzaga draws potential rivalry matchup in ESPN's latest Bracketology report

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs took care of business last week, securing a crucial road win over Santa Clara on Saturday to reclaim first place in the West Coast Conference.

Gonzaga (25-2, 13-1) is now firmly in the driver's seat to win the WCC one final time before moving to the new look Pac-12 in 2026-27. They also boast a 6-1 record in Quad 1 games and rank tenth in the country in wins above bubble, an important metric for the Selection Sunday committee ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

All that has led the Zags back up to a No. 3 seed in Joe Lunardi's latest NCAA Tournament projections. Gonzaga has been trending toward a No. 4 seed, which could land them in Portland in the West Region, but Lunardi now puts them as a No. 3 in the Midwest Region...which also plays at the Moda Center in Portland.

They line up against the projected automatic qualifier in the WAC, Cal Baptist, who sit 19-7 overall and 9-4 in conference play. The Lancers picked up non-con wins over a pair of WCC teams in San Diego and Oregon State, but fell to all three power conference opponents they faced - Colorado, BYU, and Utah.

Should Gonzaga advance, they would face the winner between No. 6 Tennessee and whichever No. 11 seed wins the play-in game between UCLA and San Diego State.

Obviously, a rematch with UCLA would capture plenty of attention, as the two schools have played multiple epic games in the Big Dance over the past 20 years. UCLA pulled off a massive comeback to down the Zags in 2006, ending the prolific college career of Adam Morrison, while the Zags took down UCLA in the 2021 Final Four on Jalen Suggs' 37-foot buzzer beater, and again in 2023 on a game-winner from Julian Strawther to send Gonzaga to the Elite Eight.

Mar 23, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; The Gonzaga Bulldogs bench reacts after guard Julian Strawther (0) made a game-winning three-point basket against the UCLA Bruins during the second half at T-Mobile Arena. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

A matchup against Brian Dutcher and the Aztecs of San Diego State would be a preview of what is expected to be an excellent Pac-12 rivalry starting next year, with both programs joining the new league.

Of course, a No. 3 vs No. 6 game against Tennessee would be electric as well, matching up two of the most successful active coaches in the sport in Mark Few and Rick Barnes. Gonzaga is 3-1 against the Vols dating back to 2008, including a road win back in January of 2009 and a win in the Battle in Seattle in 2015.

Lunardi's move of Gonzaga to the Midwest eliminates a potential Gonzaga-Arizona matchup before the Final Four, instead setting up the Zags with a tough matchup against No. 2 seed Iowa State, which just took down Houston on Monday night. Should the Zags advance to the Elite Eight, they would have to get by No. 1 overall seed Michigan, which beat Gonzaga by 40 in the Players Era Championship back on Nov. 26.

UCLA and Michigan are two of six teams in the field of 68 that Gonzaga has faced this season, alongside Alabama (4 seed), Kentucky (6), and two WCC programs in Saint Mary's (9) and Santa Clara (11), who are both projected to get at-large bids even if they do not win the WCC Tournament.

Next up for Gonzaga is a road matchup at the Chase Center against San Francisco on Wednesday, Feb. 18. The game is set to tip off at 8:00 PM PT on ESPN2.

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