NCAA Tournament bracketology updates: Gonzaga headed to Charlotte?
Mark Few said it best after Gonzaga's 69-60 loss to Saint Mary's in Tuesday night's West Coast Conference Tournament championship game:
"We'll be fine. We still have everything in front of us."
The morning after the game the latest 2024 NCAA Tournament predictions have been released, and the consensus is Gonzaga will receive a No. 7 seed in the tournament - and probably head to the East Coast.
Here's a look at the updated NCAA Tournament projections from the leading experts:
ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Gonzaga slotted as a No. 7 seed in the East Region and headed to Charlotte to play No. 10 TCU in the first round.
CBS Sports' Jerry Palm has Gonzaga as a No. 8 seed in the West Region and headed to Charlotte to play No. 9 Texas in the first round.
NCAA correspondent Andy Katz has Gonzaga as a No. 7 seed in the West Region, matched up with No. 10 Seton Hall. Katz doesn't specify where the Zags will be sent for the first two rounds.
The loss to Saint Mary's ended the possibility the Zags would be placed in the Spokane pod and play the first two rounds in front of their hometown fans. Washington State could still be placed in Spokane as a No. 5 seed, provided the Cougars have a strong showing in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament.
Gonzaga sits at No. 17 in the NET Rankings, and could move higher - as could their NCAA Tournament seed - based on how teams they have played fare in their conference tournaments. Teams for Gonzaga fans to keep an eye on over the next few days include San Diego State, Kentucky, Syracuse, USC and UCLA.