Gonzaga hasn't sustained any damage to its NCAA Tournament resume amid an undefeated start to West Coast Conference play.
The Bulldogs (12-4, 3-0 WCC) remain firmly inside the top 10 of the NET Rankings after surviving a scare in their league opener against Pepperdine, which was followed by blowouts over Portland and Loyola Marymount across a 72-hour span. Not necessarily to the status level of Baylor or San Diego State perhaps, but certainly important with regard to the race for the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
Elsewhere around the league, though, some of its other contenders have already started to add to their postseason resumes through the first week of 2025. College hoops junkies expected the WCC would have a chance at sending three teams to the Big Dance this March. According to the latest bracketology update from CBS Sports' Jerry Palm, those aspirations are still alive.
The Zags led the WCC pack in Palm's projections as the No. 3 seed in the East Region, which could in theory send Mark Few and company back to the Seattle area for the first and second rounds. Climate Pledge Arena — where Gonzaga lost to Kentucky in overtime earlier this season — will host the men's tournament for the first time on March 21 and 23.
South of Spokane in Pullman, Washington, the Cougars (13-3, 3-0 WCC) continue to build up their strength of record heading into the thick of conference action. Off to its best start since the 2006-07 campaign, WSU boasts five wins in the first two quadrants (5-3) and doesn't have a blemish on its record otherwise.
An impressive 91-82 victory Saturday over San Francisco — another at-large bid contender — earned the Cougs a spot in Palm's 68-team field as a No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region. That would likely send WSU packing its bags for a first-round matchup in Cleveland, Ohio, with the potential to move on to face the No. 2 seed in the second round. WSU made it into the tournament last season as a No. 7 seed.
Saint Mary's has an opportunity to make it four consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament with another finish near the top of the league's leaderboard. As of now, the Gaels (13-3, 3-0 WCC) are in the field as a No. 11 seed, according to Palm, but they'll need to stack marquee wins when they get the chance. Saint Mary's is hovering around the top-50 threshold in the NET and has three wins in the first two quadrants (3-3).
Likewise, Gonzaga doesn't have much room for error if it's to attain a top seed in the NCAA Tournament and earn a short trip across the state for the first weekend. WSU can't afford many slip-ups period while sitting just inside the top 70 of the NET. Needless to say, a lot will be at stake when those two schools square off at the Kennel on Saturday.
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Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Bulldogs On SI. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.
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