Gonzaga women's basketball draws No. 12 seed in updated Bracketology Report

Lisa Fortier and the Gonzaga Bulldogs went 14-4 and finished in second place in their final season as members of the West Coast Conference.

With the WCC all but certain to be a one-bid league in the NCAA Tournament, most bracketology experts are projecting first-place LMU to represent the conference in the big dance.

However, not everyone believes the Lions are shoo-ins to win the conference championship next week.

Megan Gauer of Her Hoop Stats updated her bracket on Saturday and slotted coach Fortier's team in as a No. 12 seed in the West Region, squaring off against No. 5 seed Michigan State.

The Spartans are 22-8 and 11-7 in the Big Ten, finishing tied for sixth with Maryland. Former Oregon guard Grace VanSlooten is MSU's star player, averaging 15 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game as a senior in East Lansing.

The rest of Gonzaga's projected pod includes No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 13 Colorado State - who Gonzaga lost to in Spokane by four, 70-66, back on Nov. 13. The Rams will be part of the new look Pac-12 with Gonzaga in 2026-27, alongside San Diego State, Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State, Texas State, and both Oregon State and Washington State.

The No. 1 seed in Gonzaga's region is UCLA, who sit 30-1 on the year and finished a perfect 18-0 in the Big Ten.

Gonzaga Bullldogs Allie Turner (11) and Lauren Whittaker (33). | Photo by Lane Mathews

Because Gonzaga has a better strength of schedule and higher NET ranking than LMU, as well as Santa Clara and Oregon State, it's expected that they would earn the highest seed of anyone in the conference - should they secure the league's automatic bid. For example, ESPN's Charlie Creme has LMU going dancing in his updated bracket - but as a No. 15 seed.

The Zags (22-9) are currently No. 64 in the NET, with a 0-0 record in Quad 1 games, 1-5 in Quad 2, 3-4 in Quad 3, and a perfect 18-0 in Quad 4. Meanwhile, LMU is No. 109 in the NET, while Santa Clara (79) and Oregon State (85) fall behind Gonzaga as well.

Colorado State is one of three teams projected in the NCAA Tournament that Gonzaga faced this year, joining South Dakota State (11 seed) and Arizona State (play-in 11 seed), who both beat Gonzaga in Spokane. North Dakota State and Stanford are each listed among the first four out, with Gonzaga beating NDSU on the road to open up the season, before falling at home to Stanford, 65-52, on Nov. 16.

As the No. 2 seed in the WCC Tournament, the Zags will play in the semifinals on Monday, March 9, at 2:30 PM PT on ESPN+. No. 3 seed Santa Clara will face either No. 6 Pepperdine or No. 7 San Francisco on Sunday, with the Waves and Dons squaring off Saturday at 2:30 PM PT.