Looks like the committee must want an undefeated Gonzaga. Made the # 2, #3 and #4 seeds in the West all teams that Gonzaga beat by double digits earlier this season.
If Gonzaga goes undefeated...
- Thread starter MdWIldcat55
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I never pick the favorite to win the NCAAT but this entire time during Covid the favorites have been winning every single title in every sport. I just don't see anyone knocking them off. Maybe Illinois but the B1G always seems to be meh come tourney time.
Gonzaga does play in a weak conference but they have played a lot better OOC opponents this season. Just this year they have beaten Kansas, WVU, Iowa, and Virginia.
This is the year to do it. Only have to win 32 games and traditional powers Duke, UK, UNC, KU, UCLA, Michigan State and Arizona are down or out. Even challenger Villanova is now wounded.
They can only do so much with the conference they are in. They scheduled a very impressive OOC schedule, featuring Kansas/Auburn/Iowa/Virgina/BYU/West Virginia/and would have played Baylor if not for COVID. Easily one of the toughest non-conference schedules out there, and hell they would wipe the floor with Kentucky right now.
WVU slowed the game down and they didn’t like it. Zags pulled away late to win but I think Baylor is the team that can control the pace then beat them.
Agreed, Baylor is the one team that I can see beating them. Their guard play is amazing and gives them a great chance to win in that situation.
I think the exact opposite, it's really hard to beat the same team twice in one season and they may have to do it three separate times.
Yes, I think Baylor, if their guards are on can beat them, but the flip side is they have no one to guard Timme. Vital is a 6'5 pf and his motor is amazing, but Timme with put up 30+ on them.
Agreed, and I'd still play the field even without Baylor.
Even if you consider Gonzaga to be the best team in America, I think it's rare for the "best team" to actually win the NCAA tournament. Last time I remember was 2012.
You doing that for every other sport. College football? NBA? MLB? NHL? PGA?
Doubt those teams feel like their championship is somehow tainted.
Not sure why College Basketball would be any different?
Doubt you would be saying this if it were UK in this position.
The unintentional comedy in calling Gonzaga’s schedule soft two weeks after they agreed to play Kentucky — a game that could only have hurt them and helped us — is off the charts.
Easy to go undefeated playing a bible college & a barber school every game once their conference play starts 😑. They will lose to Oklahoma in second round my prediction for an upset.
I think Gonzaga would beat Baylor by 10+, Gonzaga, when they do struggle, struggle with size. Illinois with Cockburn and Michigan could give them tough games. Also, FSU as their 4 is not a good matchup for them, would be interesting if they got to play each other.
We shall see. Baylor and Gonzaga were supposed to play during the regular season but it was cancelled. I’m glad it was now. I want to see that game when it’s all on the line.
You think OSU could give them a run for their money if they somehow made the Title game? Can't remember if OSU had a lot of size or not compared to the other Big 10 teams like Michigan.
Eh, I think they can keep it within a reasonable range but their starting "center" is Ej Lidell and he is only 6'8. I think the only weakness of Gonzaga might be paint defense so you got have some bigs that excel in the paint. I know UNC will never make it to play them in the finals, but they would give Zaga a lot of issues with their offensive rebounding and size.
God I hope not. I've got too much money invested in that game.
Baylor better force 30 turnovers and hit their 3's because they have zero height.
I will be rooting for them! If there is an asterisk though, it belongs because of officiating. You can call me cynical, but I have seen it too many times to call it a coincidence......UK gets screwed by the refs in the tournament, with regularity! I don't see that that is likely to happen with Gonzaga. Our guys are always playing 5 on 7/8, and it has been that way for years, going all the way back to the Jacksonville game! Among MANY others. It is infuriating!
If only they had played earlier in the season...oh yeah, they did. Waxed em by 24.
Kenpom % for a title
Gonzaga 34.6%
Michigan 11.1%
Illinois 10.6%
Baylor 7.7%
Houston 7.3%
538 % for a title
Gonzaga 27%
Illinois 15%
Baylor 13%
Houston 11%
Michigan 4%
I think Michigan has an injury right.......which is why the % is so different (538 factored in and Kenpom didn't)
But any way u slice it Gonzaga is a massive favorite.
Gonzaga 34.6%
Michigan 11.1%
Illinois 10.6%
Baylor 7.7%
Houston 7.3%
538 % for a title
Gonzaga 27%
Illinois 15%
Baylor 13%
Houston 11%
Michigan 4%
I think Michigan has an injury right.......which is why the % is so different (538 factored in and Kenpom didn't)
But any way u slice it Gonzaga is a massive favorite.
some people downplay anybody else's success......but would scream in rage if Cal had pulled it off and anybody questioned it
Isn't their conference mate BYU a 6 seed in the tourney? And St. Mary's is usually in. Virginia lost to 2 WCC teams this season.
BYU & St Mary’s😂. Fair to say replace Gonzaga with UK & UK goes undefeated in that conference 8 times out of the last 10 years maybe ?
That likely wouldn't happen. We routinely lose or at the very least struggle against multiple crappy SEC team every season. Even the 2015 team required overtime in the first two SEC games of their season.
No asterisk. You play who is there to play on your schedule. They win the NCAA tourney they deserve to be considered one of the all time great teams.
No asterisk at all. Good team. The excuses knocking it are silly. You go undefeated and win the six games in the tourney, no excuses.
Yep. So easy, that in the past 40 years, there have been over 11,000 seasons played by teams from non-major conferences. Exactly 3 teams (UNLV, Wichita State the other 2) have been undefeated going into the NCAA Tournament.
Yep they might have to beat 2 of them twice in the same season but not sure if that is a plus or a minus like catching someone a 3rd time you beat twice already. I guess it could be argued those teams that were easily handled by Gonzaga will know they have to change things up some to win.
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