Gonzaga Bulldogs
West Coast (30-3, 16-0)
Besides back-to-back losses to Tennessee and North Carolina in mid-December, Gonzaga was perfect this season until their loss to St. Mary’s in the WCC championship game. Their biggest victory came in November when the Bulldogs beat Duke 89-87 on a neutral floor. That game proved that this is a Bulldogs team that can get to the Final Four or beyond.
Big Wins: 11/21 vs Duke (89-87), 12/5 Washington (81-79), 3/2 at St. Mary’s (69-55)
Bad Losses: 12/9 vs Tennessee (73-76), 12/15 at North Carolina (90-103), 3/12 vs St. Mary’s (47-60)
Coach: Mark Few
Why They Can Surprise:
There is not a more efficient offense in the nation thanks to the frontcourt duo of Brandon Clarke and Rui Hachimura. Hachimura leads the team with 20.1 points per game and shot an impressive 60.9 percent from the floor. Clarke adds 16.5 points and hits 69.3 percent of his shots. Point guard Josh Perkins does a great job feeding Hachimura and Clarke and he averages 6.5 assists and just 2.1 turnovers per game. Perkins also sets up Zach Norvell, the most prolific shooter on the team. Norvell averages 15.3 points per game and hits nearly 40 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Coach Mark Few has a very good team. And it might be a team that can repeat Gonzaga’s 2017 NCAA Tournament success when they reached the National Championship game. This group is not quite as strong defensively as that 2017 team, but they still are very, very strong on the defensive end. Gonzaga will not force too many turnovers, but they play solid straight up defense. The team that could potentially knock Gonzaga out of the tournament will need to have a few big men who can contain Hachimura and Clarke.
Probable Starters:
Josh Perkins, Senior, Guard, 11.0 ppg, 6.5 apg
Zach Norvell, Sophomore, Guard, 15.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.0 apg
Corey Kispert, Sophomore, Forward, 8.2 ppg, 4.- rpg
Brandon Clarke, Junior, Forward, 15.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg
Rui Hachimura, Junior, Forward, 20.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg
Key Role Players:
Jeremy Jones, Senior, Forward, 3.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Filip Petrusev, Freshman, Forward, 6.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Geno Crandall, Senior, Guard, 5.3 ppg, 2.4 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 89.8 (1st in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.9 (32, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 53.4 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.5 (7, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.9 (155, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.7 (70, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 77.0 (13, 1)
Rebound Margin: 6.5 (16, 1)
Assists Per Game: 18.4 (5, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.2 (12, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over UNC Greensboro |
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Ohio State |
| 2018 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Florida State |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over South Dakota State |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Northwestern |
| 2017 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over West Virginia |
| 2017 | NCAA | Regional Final win over Xavier |
| 2017 | NCAA | National Semifinal win over South Carolina |
| 2017 | NCAA | National Final loss to North Carolina |
| 2016 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Seton Hall |
| 2016 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Utah |
| 2016 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Syracuse |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over North Dakota State |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Iowa |
| 2015 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over UCLA |
| 2015 | NCAA | Regional Final loss to Duke |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Oklahoma State |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Arizona |
| 2013 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Southern |
| 2013 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Wichita State |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over West Virginia |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Ohio State |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over St. Johns |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to BYU |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Florida State |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Syracuse |
| 2009 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Akron |
| 2009 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Western Kentucky |
| 2009 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to North Carolina |
| 2008 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Davidson |
| 2007 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Indiana |
*all team stats through 3/10
