Gonzaga boosts NCAA Tournament seeding with victory over USF Dons in WCC semifinals (image collection).
The Gonzaga men’s basketball team secured their 30th appearance in the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game by defeating the San Francisco Dons 89-77 in Monday’s late semifinal at Orleans Arena. They are set to face Saint Mary’s in the title game on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Gaels advanced to the final by defeating Santa Clara 79-65 in the earlier semifinal.
Ranked No. 16 in the NET Rankings prior to the game, Gonzaga was projected as a No. 7 seed in most 2024 NCAA Tournament predictions. However, their victory over the Dons boosted them to a No. 6 seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest ESPN Bracketology update. According to Lunardi’s projections, Gonzaga would face No. 11 Mississippi State in the first round in Omaha, Nebraska, with No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 Toledo being the other projected matchup in the same pod. Of particular interest is the potential second-round matchup between Gonzaga and Baylor, which would be a rematch of a preseason scrimmage that Gonzaga won 81-78.
If Gonzaga manages to defeat Saint Mary’s in the WCC Tournament championship game, they could potentially move up to a No. 5 seed. A victory over the Gaels would also improve their NET Rankings, possibly placing them in the top 15, and mark their fourth Quad 1 victory of the season.
As for their NCAA Tournament placement, it remains to be seen if the Selection Committee would assign Gonzaga to the Spokane pod should they win the WCC Tournament title.
