Predicting Gonzaga's full NCAA Tournament path: Bulldogs overcome familiar foes for another deep postseason run

Gonzaga embarks on its 27th consecutive journey in the NCAA Tournament Thursday with a first-round matchup against Kennesaw State in Portland, Oregon.

Anyone who's followed Mark Few's program at any point over the past couple decades knows well enough that qualifying for the 68-team event is not the standard; making deep into March and contending for a national title is the bar the Bulldogs have set themselves year after year.

Ahead of their matchup with the Owls (7 p.m. PT Thursday, TBS), we predict just how far the Zags can go in this year's NCAA Tournament.

First Round: Kennesaw State

The Zags can expect to face a style of basketball similar to the one they saw against Alabama earlier this season in Las Vegas when they take on the Owls in the first round of the tournament.

A handful of Kennesaw State staffers, including head coach Antoine Pettway, have ties to the Crimson Tide, whether as a player, coach or both, and it shows in how the Owls' offense operates. Kennesaw State is No. 19 in the country in tempo, per KenPom, and top 10 in offensive rebounds (13.9 per game) and free throw attempts per game (27). It's also top-35 in scoring (83.4 points) and top-50 in average roster height.

"It's going to be up tempo," Gonzaga assistant coach R-Jay Barsh said of the first-round matchup. "There's just a different level of intention that they're going to bring, that we're going to have to match, that they'll do for full 40 minutes."

That said, for as much as Pettway models his team off his alma mater's, the Owls aren't on the same level talent-wise as Nate Oats' Crimson Tide are on. And because of that, the Bulldogs should be able to get through the first round without Braden Huff (knee) in the fold.

Prediction: Gonzaga 86, Kennesaw State 72

Second Round: BYU

One of the first things Gonzaga fans took note of when the 68-team bracket was revealed was that a former WCC rival was lined up right next to the Zags as a potential second round matchup.

There's a chance 6-seeded BYU falls to either Texas or NC State in the first round (the Longhorns and Wolfpack face off in the first four), though we're picking the Cougars to advance to the round of 32 and set up an intriguing matchup featuring one of the game's best players going up against a top-10 defense in the Zags for the right to play in the Sweet 16.

AJ Dybantsa will likely pose problems for Gonzaga. That's just what the projected top-three NBA draft pick does. He's adept at creating contact (Dybantsa is No. 16 in the country in fouls drawn per 40 minutes at 7.2) and scores at will, with a nation-best 25.3 point-per-game average spearheading a BYU offense that ranks No. 10 in the country on KenPom.

The other end of the floor, however, is where the Cougars have struggled as of late. They're No. 57 in the country in defensive efficiency and allow 75.3 points per game, which ranks No. 226 in the nation. Keba Keita versus Graham Ike is going to be quite the show, but BYU doesn't have enough across the board to slow down the Zags' offense.

This matchup would be poetic in some ways. Remember, the only other time Gonzaga and BYU have played each other in the NCAA Tournament was in 2011, when Jimmer Fredette exploded for 34 points in a massive second-round win for the Cougars in Denver. BYU joined the WCC a few months later, opening up an in-league rivalry series with Gonzaga for the next dozen years.

Now in the Big 12, BYU has another dominant player (Dybantsa) and it's Gonzaga that's leaving the WCC for the Pac-12. This Bulldogs squad is much better defensively than that 2010-11 group, though, and will find a way to slow down the Cougars' top scorer just enough to earn a close win in the Rose City.

Prediction: Gonzaga 82, BYU 77

Sweet 16: Purdue

Braden Smith. Fletcher Loyer. Trey Kaufman-Renn. Those names from the Purdue squads that have gotten the better of the Zags over the years headline this year's group too, which means these two teams will know each other quite well for their Sweet 16 matchup in San Jose.

Despite their continuity, the Boilermakers haven't always looked like a team that brought back nearly 80% of their scoring from the previous season. A three-game losing skid in late January and four losses in a six-game span going into March had some prognosticators questioning whether Matt Painter's team has what it takes to go another deep tournament run.

Then the Boilermakers silenced their doubters with four victories in four days, clinching the Big Ten title with an impressive win over a Michigan team that decimated Gonzaga by 40 earlier this season in Vegas. Smith snapped out of his funk with 14 points, 11 assists and five rebounds, and Purdue looked like the more physical team from the opening tip.

So, where does Gonzaga have an edge? On paper, not many places. But this Purdue team is so up and down, and the Zags will like not having to defend Zach Edey in the paint for 40 minutes like they had to the last couple of times they've matched up with the Boilermakers. This also a much better Gonzaga squad on defense, which should give Purdue problems on offense.

If Braden Huff does come back for the second weekend, this would be quite a battle of the frontcourts with Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff on the other side for Purdue.

Prediction: Gonzaga 77, Purdue 72

Elite Eight: Arizona

This is where Gonzaga's run comes to an end. Fittingly, it's to Few's pupil, Tommy Lloyd, and an Arizona team that resembles the best of Gonzaga's previous title contending squads from when Lloyd was Few's assistant at Gonzaga.

The Wildcats have experienced guard play, physical post players and surefire NBA talent. Those qualities helped the Zags reach the title game in 2016-17, and they're going to be the reason why Arizona gets back to the Final Four for the first time since 2001.

Prediction: Arizona 81, Gonzaga 74