A Jersey Guy: Can Zags Finish What They Started?
When the college basketball season began in November, Gonzaga quickly established itself as the No. 1 team.
The Zag took on—and beat—all comers.
They haven't been stopped yet and the feeling here is that when the 2021 season comes to an end (hopefully) on schedule in April, Gonzaga will not only have its first national championship, but a place in the record books as the first team since Indiana in 1976 to have an unbeaten season.
The bracket—Gonzaga is in the West Region, although all games are being played in Indiana in this COVID-19 infested season—favors the Zags.
As we have done in the past, we will give you a game-by-game guess on the way the tournament will unfold.
It is different in one sense, the absence of many basketball blue bloods.
Missing from the 68-team field are Kentucky, Louisville, Indiana and Duke, who have combined for 51 Final Four appearances and 21 national championships.
The Big Ten is the leader of the pack with nine selections, but the Big 12 with seven also looks dangerous.
Sleeper picks (13 seed or lower to advance): North Carolina-Greensboro, Cleveland State, Ohio
Cinderella choice for Final Four (lower than a 4 seed): Oregon at No. 7 in West, UConn at No. 7 in East, Texas Tech at No. 6 in South.
12 vs. 5 Upsets: UC-Santa Barbara over Creighton, Winthrop over Villanova, Georgetown over Colorado
The picks:
West Regional
First round
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 16 Norfolk State—Appalachian State winner-Zags in walk over.
No. 8 Missouri vs. No. 9 Oklahoma—Toss up game, but don't like the way Oklahoma played down the stretch. Missouri in a squeaker
No. 5 Creighton vs. No. 12-UC-Santa Barbara—Not sure what to make of Creighton's bomb in Big East against Georgetown. Like UC-SB in 12.5 upset.
No. 4 Virginia vs. No. 13 Ohio—Virginia is not Final Four material, but is more than equipped to run over Bobcats.
No. 6 USC vs. No. 11 Wichita/Drake winner—Not high on any Pac-12 teams and like either Drake or Michigan State to pull off this "upset''
No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 14 Eastern Washington—Kansas has had problems in the past few weeks, but not this time. Kansas rolls.
No. 7 Oregon vs. No. 10 VCU—Oregon was hot team in Pac-12 at the end of the regular season and then bowed out early in Pac-12. VCU is nothing special. Ducks too good.
No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 15 Grand Canyon—Iowa can beat anybody other than Gonzaga, so this one will be over early.
Second Round
Gonzaga vs. Missouri—Zags in another double-digit win.
UCSB vs. Virginia—Cinderella ride for Santa Barbara continues.
Michigan State/Wichita State winner vs Kansas—If it's Michigan State, Kansas might be in trouble.
Oregon vs. Iowa—Danger game for Iowa, but the Hawkeyes have a guy named Luka Garza which is enough.
Sweet 16
Gonzaga vs. UC Santa Barbara—Zags overcome over confidence and win a game that is closer than most people predict.
Iowa vs. Kansas—Iowa too talented, too focused. Hawkeyes prevail.
Regional Final
Iowa vs. Gonzaga—Zags won by 11 in December meeting. This one will be close, but Zags still have too much, although it might go into overtime.
Regional champ: Gonzaga
EAST
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary's-Texas Southern winner—Wolverines have had time to regroup after Big Ten tournament and should begin with an easy run in the tournament opener.
No. 8 LSU vs. 9. St. Bonaventure—LSU has the potential to play with anyone and beat anyone. Bonnies will be a nice test, but won't have enough to stay with Tigers for 40 minutes.
No. 5 Colorado vs. No. 12 Georgetown—Wish I could figure out which Georgetown team will show up—the average team during the Big East tournament or the improving dangerous team which blitzed the Big East tournament. Colorado is solid, but taking a chance the Georgetown run continues. Besides this is a a 12 vs. 5 upset.
No. 4. Florida State vs. No, 13 UNC-Greensboro—FSU has Final Four talent, but must put it all together at the same time. UNC-Greensboro is coached by 38-year old Wes Miller, who may be coaching in Chapel Hill in a few years. FSU will fool around for a half and then get serious and pull away.
No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 UCLA—BYU is a good solid club, capable of staying with anyone as they proved in the WCC tournament final against Gonzaga. UCLA knocked off Michigan State in its opener, but the Bruins journey stops here.
No., 3 Texas vs. No. 14 Abilene Christian—Texas will ride its first Big 12 tournament championship for a few games, including this opener which should be over by halftime.
No. 7. UConn vs. No. 10 Maryland—Maryland has shown flashes of both brilliance and ineptness all season. UConn has started to gel with the return of guard James Bouknight, which should make them good enough to beat the Terps.
No. 2 Alabama vs. No 15 Iona—Rick Pitino is back in the NCAA tournament while three of his former teams Louisville, Kentucky and Providence are not. Alabama has the talent to beat anyone—including Gonzaga—in this tournament, but the Tide sometimes rolls out to sea for no reason. Not this time.
Second Round
Michigan vs. LSU—LSU is as talented a team as Michigan has seen this season, but plays without discipline at times. Wolverines advance.
Georgetown vs. FSU—FSU is as talented a team as Georgetown has seen this season, which means the party will be over for the Hoyas. FSU advances.
BYU vs, Texas—Texas has more talent.
UConn vs. Alabama—Nothing like a Big East vs SEC showdown in March. Alabama has too much of everything for the Huskies.
Sweet 16
Michigan vs. FSU—Michigan needs to be careful here, because FSU can match them in just about every area, but the toughness of the Big Ten race will carry the Wolverines through one more game.
Texas vs. Alabama—SEC vs. Big 12 showdown, Roll Tide.
Regional Champ: Alabama
South
First Round
No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 16 Hartford—It will take about 20 minutes for Baylor to warm up and then the rout will be on.
No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Wisconsin—Great 8 vs. 9 match up. Carolina is starting to pull together, while Wisconsin, which is dominated by seniors, was 4-8 down the stretch in the Big Ten. Tough call, but sticking with the Tar Heels.
No. 5 Villanova vs. No. 12 Winthrop—Another 5 vs. 12 upset challenge and Winthrop is the trendy pick over Villanova which is minus its point guard Collin Gillespie, who is done for the year with a torn ACL. The Wildcats departed early in the Big East tournament and will do the same thing against Winthrop, which is good enough to win a couple of NCAA tournament games.
No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 North Texas—Purdue, happy to be out of the Big Ten, will treat this like a play date and romp.
No. 6 Texas Tech vs. No. 11 Utah State—Foolish to pick against Chris Beard team in the early rounds of the NCAA—and maybe the later rounds as well. Texas Tech needs the tune up for tougher times ahead.
No. 3 Arkansas vs. No. 14 Colgate—Colgate is happy to be in the NCAA's while Arkansas is on a mission. Mismatch.
No. 7 Florida vs. No 10 Virginia Tech—Don't know what to make of the Gators, who have been sporadic most of the season. Virginia Tech has been steady, which is beter than sporadic. Go Hokies in a mild upset.
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Oral Roberts—ORU has taken on some tough opponents this season, facing Missouri, Wichita State, Oklahoma State and Arkansas and lost to all of them. Ohio State wll make it 0-5.
Second Round
Baylor vs. North Carolina—Baylor has Final Four talent, but gut feeling is that Roy Williams will have the Tar Heels ready to handle the Bad News Bears.
Purdue vs. Winthrop—Purdue too big, too tough.
Arkansas vs. Texas Tech—Last team with ball wins and that would be...Texas Tech
Virginia Tech vs. Ohio State—Bad match up for Okies. Ohio State too tough and too talented.
Sweet 16
North Carolina vs. Purdue—North Carolina is simply better.
Texas Tech vs. Ohio State—Street fight from the start, but Ohio State will find a way to win.
Ohio State vs. North Carolina—A blue blood Regional final. Carolina carries the ACC banner into the Final Four.
Regional Champ: North Carolina
Midwest
First Round
No. 1 Illinois vs. No. 16 Drexel—His name is Ayo Dosummu and he is the reason why the Illini might still be playing in April. Add a few more elements such as Kofi Cockburn and you have a Final Four worthy team who will have to have an "off'' night to lose at least in the regional round.
No. 8 Loyola (Chicago) vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech—Loyola was a Final Four team three years ago. Georgia Tech comes into game on six game winning streak through the ACC tournament. The streak ends here.
No. 5 Tennessee vs. No. 12 Oregon State—Vols are too talented and too motivated to stumble in the first round against a team that few thought would even be in the field.
No. 4 Oklahoma State vs. No. 13 Liberty—Oklahoma State is better than a No. 4 seed and will prove it against Liberty.
No. 6 San Diego State vs. No. 11 Syracuse—San Diego State is sneaky good, while Syracuse is just good enough and has Buddy Boeheim and his long distance bombs as the main act. Cuse moves on.
No. 3 West Virginia vs. No. 14 Morehead State—Morehead State was one of the hottest teams in the country, winning 19 of its 20 games since January 1. But West Virginia is a typical Bob Huggins coached team, which means you don't want to deal with the toughness and the tenaciousness of the Mountaineers.
No. 7 Clemson vs. No. 10 Rutgers—Rutgers is making its first NCAA appearance in more than 30 years and has shown signs that it is ready to move out of the Big Ten hand-to-hand combat battle. Clemson will play the perfect victim.
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Cleveland State—Houston has been underrated for most of the season, but keeps winning. Cleveland State is good enough to scare the Cougars, but not quite good enough to pull off the upset, although it will be worth watching.
Second Round
Illinois vs. Loyola—State-wide battle will be fun to watch, but Illini is too good.
Tennessee vs. Oklahoma State—Oklahoma State is bigger and better.
West Virginia vs. Syracuse—An old Big East rivalry? West Virginia won't be befuddled by Syracuse defense and find a way to stop Boeheim.
Houston vs. Rutgers—Cougars continue to roll on, while Rutgers has made its cameo appearance.
Sweet 16
Illinois vs. Oklahoma State—The Illini are good enough to beat one Big 12 team.
Houston vs. West Virginia—West Virginia on a roll.
Regional Winner: West Virginia
Final Four
Gonzaga vs. Michigan—Zags close in on perfect season.
West Virginia vs. North Carolina—Almost heaven for Mountaineers.
National Championship
Gonzaga vs. West Virginia—Mountaineers have taken their talent and grit as far as they can, but Zags are on a mission.
National Champion: Gonzaga