The Gonzaga Bulldogs enter the NCAA tournament with expectations as high as ever. In fact, this Gonzaga team has been so impressive and so dominant, it might just be one of the best mid-major teams to ever enter the Big Dance. With a roster featuring All-Americans, seasoned veterans and elite athletes, coach Mark Few has the answer for nearly anything that might be thrown at his team in the coming month. Is this the Zags team that can win the first national championship in program history?
ESPN+ has your answers, as Joe Lunardi has enlisted a team of bracketologists to compile advanced metrics, key scouting intel and best- and worst-case tournament scenarios for all 68 teams to help you make smart picks in your bracket.
TOURNEY PROFILE
Best wins: vs. Duke, vs. Illinois, at Creighton, at Saint Mary's, vs. Washington
Worst losses: vs. Tennessee, at North Carolina, vs. Saint Mary's (WCC tournament)
Regular-season conference finish: First, West Coast Conference
Polls and metrics: The Zags are near the top of every possible ranking. KenPom and BPI rank them second, while NET and the AP poll voters put the Zags first in the nation.
All-time tourney record: 31-21 (1 Final Four)
Coach (tourney record): Mark Few (28-19)
PERSONNEL
(Note: Player statistics are through games of March 11.)
Starting lineup
C Brandon Clarke (16.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 3.1 BPG)
F Rui Hachimura (20.6 PPG, 6.7 RPG)
G/F Corey Kispert (8.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG)
G Zach Norvell Jr. (15.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.1 APG)
G Josh Perkins (11.0 PPG, 6.5 APG)
Key bench players
F Killian Tillie (6.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG)
G Geno Crandall (5.6 PPG, 2.2 APG)
F Jeremy Jones (3.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG)
Biggest strength: Gonzaga has the best offense in all of college basketball. The Bulldogs lead the nation in offensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage and points per game. The Zags have a variety of ways to score and a ton of players capable of putting the ball into the basket. Gonzaga has outside shooters, multiple players who can score in the paint and slashers able to penetrate to the rim. No game plan can fully prepare for everything Gonzaga can throw at opponents.
Biggest weakness: For a team as good as Gonzaga, it's hard to pinpoint a weakness. For the Zags, the most glaring issue is finding production deep into Few's bench. Gonzaga ranks 321st in the nation in bench minutes played this season. That's in part due to the Bulldogs' starting five being so strong, but also shows how few tested veterans Few can call on. Crandall is a transfer in his first season with the Zags. Filip Petrusev is a freshman and Jones is a glue guy, but nothing more. Tillie, once thought to be a key piece of this Gonzaga team, has battled injuries all season, playing just nine regular-season games before returning for the WCC tournament.
Best player: Hachimura will likely be a first-team All-American this season. The Japan-born power forward has expanded his game, dominating in the paint and now facing up with the ball on the perimeter. Few players in the nation can match Hachimura's athleticism, which he uses wisely to make plays on both ends of the floor. Two years ago, Hachimura barely played during Gonzaga's Final Four run. Now, he's one of college basketball's best players.
X factor: San Jose State transfer Clarke has been otherworldly for the Zags this season. He has been a revelation in the paint, using his length and athleticism on both ends of the floor. Clarke has been efficient around the rim, shooting 69 percent from the field. Defensively, Clarke anchors the Zags' defense, adding 3.1 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. You'd be hard pressed to find a player in America who does more things to help his team win than Clarke.
SCOUTING REPORT
How they beat you: The Zags run a beautifully balanced offense that succeeds inside and out. Perkins and Norvell are effective creators with the ball in their hands. Few schemes up screen-and-roll and dribble-handoff action to get those playmakers into space. Hachimura can get his own shot, or be a menace attacking in the paint as a roll man. Clarke seems to win every battle around the rim. Gonzaga's shooters are dangerous in transition offensively and its athletes shut down transition opportunities defensively.
How you beat them: It's hard to say, given that the Zags lost so infrequently. Tennessee slowed Gonzaga down, won the rebounding margin and the turnover battle, and shot the ball tremendously. North Carolina sped the Zags up, scored more than 100 points and also shot very well from outside the arc. In both cases shot selection was key. The Bulldogs' defense wants to force teams off the 3-point line and into its rim-protecting big men. Resisting that trap to find better looks is a roadmap to success against Gonzaga.
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY
(Note: All statistics in this section are courtesy of KenPom.com and are accurate through games of March 11.)
NATIONAL RANKS
Offensive efficiency, first (127.6)
Defensive efficiency, 16th (92.8)
3-point percentage, 64th (36.7)
3-point percentage D, 27th (30.7)
Free throw rate, 87th (36.2)
Free throw rate D, 16th (25.6)
TO percentage, fifth (14.2)
TO percentage D, 154th (18.9)
HOW FAR WILL THEY GO?
Best-case scenario: National champions
When this Gonzaga team is at its best, there is no team in America that can beat the Bulldogs. That was apparent when the Zags topped Duke in Maui, making them one of only two teams (Syracuse the other) to beat the Blue Devils with Zion Williamson in the lineup. Gonzaga's ability to score in different ways and also get stops consistently makes the Zags able to win any type of game over any opponent. After reaching the Final Four two seasons ago, the only remaining hurdle for the once-Cinderella program is cutting down the nets at season's end.
Worst-case scenario: A Sweet 16 exit
Gonzaga has been zooming through the West Coast Conference like a buzzsaw for the past three months. The Zags haven't played another tournament team since North Carolina on Dec. 15. Gonzaga will begin to face tougher and tougher tasks as it advances through the tournament. If Few's team is caught sleeping or looking ahead to the Final Four, a hot-shooting team could scare the Zags or even send them home.