Gonzaga holds steady in latest Bracketology projection from ESPN

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are 17-1 overall and currently boast a 10 game winning streak, with their lone blemish an ugly 40 point loss to Michigan in the Players Era Championship.

Since then Gonzaga has dispatched Kentucky, UCLA, and Oregon while starting their final season in the WCC with a perfect 5-0 record.

ESPN's resident bracketologist Joe Lunardi has held firm with Gonzaga as a No. 2 seed in the West Region, a favorable draw that would place the Zags at the Moda Center in Portland, OR for the team's first and second round games.

In his latest projections, Lunardi has Gonzaga facing No. 15 seed Southern Miss out of the Sun Belt. Coach Jay Ladner's team, based in Hattiesburg, MS, is 11-7 overall but off to a solid 5-1 start in league play, which includes an overtime win over Gonzaga's future Pac-12 foe Texas State last Thursday. The Golden Eagles took SEC opponent South Carolina into overtime back on Nov. 9, and played well against Chris Beard and Ole Miss in mid-December, falling by just four points.

Should Gonzaga advance in Lunardi's updated projections they would face the winner between No. 7 Utah State and No. 10 USC, a battle of old vs new Pac-12 teams. The Aggies are 14-1 overall and 5-0 in Mountain West play, coming off a massive 25 point win at Boise State on Saturday. A matchup against Gonzaga would help jump start what could develop into quite the rivalry in the new Pac-12 between two programs that have been well above average the past half decade.

The top of the West region features No. 1 overall seed Arizona, coached by longtime Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd, which could set up an epic Elite Eight battle between Few and Lloyd for the first time since Lloyd left Spokane in 2021.

Lloyd and Arizona could face another reunion before that, however, with a potential second round matchup against No. 9 seed Saint Mary's and coach Randy Bennett. The Gaels draw No. 8 Auburn in the first round, which would be their third straight NCAA Tournament game against an SEC opponent after beating Vanderbilt and losing to Alabama last year.

Gonzaga has faced four teams that are in Lunardi's updated field of 68: Michigan (1 seed), Alabama (4 seed), Kentucky (10 seed), and UCLA (play-in 12 seed), while Creighton is listed among the first four out.

The Zags will look to move to 18-1 overall and 6-0 in league play on Thursday in Pullman against Washington State. Tip is slated for 7:00 PM and the game will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.