NCAA Tournament bracket update: Gonzaga No. 5 seed in Midwest Region, will play McNeese State

Bulldogs will face Southland Conference champions in first round of 2024 NCAA Tournament

The Gonzaga Bulldogs' 25th-straight NCAA Tournament run will begin as a 5-seed in the Midwest Region as they take on the McNeese Cowboys in the first round.

The Zags (25-7, 14-2 WCC) will head to Salt Lake City to take on the Southland Conference champions on Thursday. It will be the first meeting between the two programs.

McNeese is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002 when it lost to 3-seed Mississippi State in the first round. The Cowboys (30-3, 17-1 Southland) are just one of four teams with 30 wins this season.

Gonzaga had an outside chance to play their first-round game in Spokane, but likely needed to win the WCC Tournament to be given a "home" game. Instead, the Zags are headed to Salt Lake City, which is about a 10-hour drive for fans. 

Being placed in the Midwest Region means the Zags will head to Detroit if they advance to the Sweet 16. If they had been placed in the West Region they would have been slotted for the Los Angeles Regionals at Crypto.com Arena.

This is the first time the Bulldogs will be worse than a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament since they were an 11-seed in 2016. That was the year the Zags' Sweet 16 streak began as Domantas Sabonis and company pulled off upsets against 6-seed Seton Hall and 3-seed Utah in Denver, Colorado, before falling to 10-seed Syracuse in the Midwest Regional final.

Mark Few's program has appeared in the last 25 NCAA Tournaments, the second-longest active streak behind Michigan State (26 consecutive appearances). Only three other programs in Division-I men's basketball history have made it to the Sweet 16 in eight straight postseasons. The Bulldogs have won at least one game in the Big Dance since they lost to Stephen Curry and 7-seed Davidson in 2008.

Gonzaga is on track to be just the second team since 2021 to finish the season top 10 in offensive efficiency and top 50 in defensive efficiency on KenPom and not earn a top 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament. 

NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday live updates: Tracking Gonzaga's seed, bracket placement