What Gonzaga's win over Santa Clara means for NCAA Tournament seeding

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs wrapped up their tenure in the WCC on Tuesday night, dispatching the Santa Clara Broncos to win the conference tournament one final time before moving to the Pac-12.

And while the win wasn't necessary to punch a ticket into the NCAA Tournament, it will have a positive impact on where this team is seeded - and where they will play - in the big dance.

Selection Sunday is just a few short days away, and Gonzaga's win over Santa Clara puts them in position to earn a No. 3 seed in March Madness - likely slotting them in the West Region where they would open up the tournament at the Moda Center in Portland, OR.

Gonzaga (30-3) has put together a resume more than deserving of a top three seed, coming in at No. 6 in the NET rankings with an excellent 7-2 record in Quad 1 games, and 11-2 in Quad 1 and Quad 2 combined. The Zags also rank No. 11 at KenPom and No. 9 in wins above bubble - or WAB - which is a key metric utilized this year by the Selection Committee.

While Gonzaga's ugly road loss to Portland is a black mark on the resume, the quality of wins and lack of any other bad losses should be enough to counteract that in the eyes of the committee.

A key factor that could impact Gonzaga's seeding is the health of star forward Braden Huff. Huff has not played for Gonzaga since mid-January after suffering a left knee injury. The team initially gave a 4-8 week timeline for his absence, with Few indicating he'd be closer to the eight week timeline - which puts his possible return at the start of the NCAA Tournament.

Few reported Huff is jogging and getting some shots up, and is no longer on crutches, but a firm timetable has not been given by the team. The committee has dinged teams for injury in the past - and the Zags could get docked a seed if it becomes clear Huff will not return before the end of March Madness.

Another key factor for Gonzaga is how the other teams in the 3-4 seed range perform in their upcoming conference tournaments. Teams like Virginia, Nebraska, Purdue, Texas Tech, Kansas, Alabama, and Iowa State going on deep runs in their leagues could negatively impact the Zags, but a handful of early exits clears the path for coach Few's team to slot in as a No. 3 seed - which would be the program's 11th time earning a 3 seed or higher in the big dance.

Selection Sunday takes place on Sunday, March 15 starting at 3:00 PM PT and will be broadcast on CBS.