After winning WCC, Gonzaga makes move in March Madness projections

Zags up to No. 7 seed in one expert’s bracket

March 11, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrates against the St. Mary's Gaels during the second half in the final of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Winning the West Coast Conference Tournament championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament had an immediate payoff for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Zags were moved up one seed line in one expert’s bracket shortly after a 58-51 win against the No. 19 Saint Mary’s Gaels.

Joe Lunardi of ESPN moved the Zags from No. 8 in the West to No. 7 in the Midwest. Jerry Palm of CBS Sports continues to slot Gonzaga in as a No. 9 seed but has moved them from the East to the South.

Regardless of where they end up, the Zags (25-8) are headed to March Madness for the 26th straight time. This has been a tougher season than usual and Gonzaga was on the bubble just 2 ½ weeks ago.

“We’ve been confident the whole year,” senior guard Khalif Battle said Tuesday night at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. “We had some slip away. We had to go through some hardships in order to win. Coach taught us that. Every practice we go through ‘Zag time.’ It’s just about winning. 

“We’ve been practicing for this moment. We were prepared more than ever going into the tournament so I’m just happy to be hoisting the trophy at the end,” Battle added.

Gonzaga is on a four-game winning streak heading into March Madness. Coach Mark Few praised their toughness against the physical Gaels, who claimed the regular-season title and had won three straight games against the Zags, including last year’s tournament title tilt.

“To win a grinder like that says a lot about these guys,” Few said. 

“They brought the best out in us over the years. That was definitely the case tonight,’’ Few added after the Zags forced 18 turnovers that led to 20 points. “They made us dig deeper and I think we played the most physical game we played all year. I think we made a jump with just being nastier and maybe dictating some things with our defense.”

Said star point guard Ryan Nembhard: “It’s a great time to be playing some of our best ball.”

NET Rankings

The Zags remain No. 8 in the NCAA NET Rankings. The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee uses the NET Rankings as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for March Madness.

KenPom Ratings

Gonzaga stayed at No. 9 in the KenPom.com Ratings, a predictive ranking system that uses advanced metrics to assess quality and efficiency.

BPI Rankings

Gonzaga moved up a spot to No. 9 in the College Basketball Power Index (BPI), which is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is.

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

• What Gonzaga's Mark Few said after WCC championship win vs. Saint Mary's

• NCAA Tournament bound: Gonzaga beats Saint Mary’s to clinch automatic bid

• Gonzaga’s Ben Gregg puts Saint Mary’s star on a poster with vicious dunk

• Gonzaga moves up in latest NCAA Tournament projections

• What Gonzaga's Mark Few said after WCC semifinal win vs. San Francisco

• Could Gonzaga coach be candidate for Big 12 job?

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