Gonzaga slides in latest ESPN Bracketology following loss to Saint Mary's

Mark Few and the Zags fall one seed in the updated NCAA Tournament predictions

Gonzaga Bulldogs assistant coach Brian Michaelson (left) and head coach Mark Few (right). | Photo by Erik Smith

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs finished the regular season with a stellar 28-3 record, although a loss on Saturday to Saint Mary's cost the team an outright title in their final year as members of the West Coast Conference.

The loss could also have an impact on how Gonzaga is seeded in the NCAA Tournament. The Zags have long been projected as a No. 3 seed in the West Region, which would slot them in Portland, OR, for the opening round games.

However, ESPN's Joe Lunardi recently posted his updated top 16 teams and Gonzaga comes in at No. 15, putting them as a No. 4 seed in the East Region. Lunardi's full updated bracket comes out on Tuesday, but the No. 4 seed in the East Region would play its first two games in San Diego. Recent bracket projections have listed the No. 13 seeds as UNC Wilmington, North Dakota State, Stephen F. Austin, and High Point.

Duke, Michigan State, and Iowa State make up the top three seeds in the East Region, respectively, and while Lunardi's update does not include the order of the No. 5 seeds, the teams listed are St. John's, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

Gonzaga fell behind Michigan State - who jumped all the way to a No. 2 seed after beating Purdue and Indiana on the road last week - as well as Alabama and Texas Tech, who are both on the No. 4 seed line but ranked No. 13 and No. 14, respectively. Virginia is the final No. 4 seed in Lunardi's projection.

The Zags seem to have a better resume than Texas Tech, according to most metrics, leading in the NET, KenPom, and at Wins Above Bubble - and with a 6-2 record in Quad 1 games and 11-2 in Q1/Q2 combined, while the Red Raiders are at 7-7 and 11-7, respectively.

Gonzaga, of course, has a head-to-head win over Alabama from the Players Era Festival, and is also higher than the Crimson Tide in the NET (6 to 16) and KenPom (12 to 15), although they are one spot lower in Wins Above Bubble (10 to 9).

While Lunardi didn't provide updates on seeds below the top four, he did give an updated look at the bubble, which includes WCC foe Santa Clara among the last four in, alongside New Mexico, Ohio State, and Indiana. Future Pac-12 foe San Diego State is now listed in the first four out after losing to New Mexico on Saturday, while UCLA is just hanging onto a spot among the last four byes after losing to Minnesota over the weekend.

Gonzaga has a week off to recover from a hard-fought game in Moraga on Saturday, hopefully giving Jalen Warley time to recover enough to suit up for the Zags in the WCC Tournament. The team's next game will be on Monday, March 9, at 6:00 PM PT against the winner of a quarterfinal matchup between No. 4 seed Oregon State and one of No. 5 San Francisco, No. 8 Washington State, No. 9 Portland, or No. 12 Pepperdine.

If the Zags advance, they will very likely play one of Saint Mary's or Santa Clara in the WCC championship game, which is expected to be another Quad 1 opportunity for the Bulldogs with both the Gaels (21) and Broncos (40) in the top 50 at the NET.