The Gonzaga men’s basketball team has put together quite a complex postseason resume for bracketologists to monitor over the next few weeks leading up to Selection Sunday.
The Bulldogs (18-7, 9-3 WCC) still rank among the top 20 teams in the country according to the NCAA’s primary sorting tool for evaluating teams, the NET, as well as predictive analytic websites like KenPom.com and Barttorvik.com. However, a few slip-ups in West Coast Conference play coupled with a lack of high-quality wins as of late have the Zags’ hopes of an at-large resume trending in the wrong direction.
Gonzaga has dropped about 10 spots in the NET after debuting at No. 3 in the season’s first edition of the rankings that were released on Dec. 1. Since then, the Bulldogs have come up short in every marquee game they’ve been part of, from nonleague losses to Kentucky, UConn and UCLA, to letdowns on the road at Oregon State and at Saint Mary’s during WCC action. Add in a loss at home to Santa Clara, which became the first visiting team to score 100 points in the McCarthey Athletic Center’s 20-year history, and Gonzaga’s strength of record doesn’t look as mighty as it did during the second week of the season when it solely featured wins over Baylor and San Diego State.
While analysts and pundits dissect every aspect of the Bulldogs’ quality of wins and losses, Gonzaga’s efficiency metrics on both ends of the floor suggest that another deep postseason run could be in store for Mark Few and company, should they qualify for the NCAA Tournament for a 26th time in a row.
Based on where it ranks in the country regarding offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency, Gonzaga is among a cluster of teams that have ‘Final Four potential’ according to college basketball analytics website EvanMiya.com. The Bulldogs, ranked ninth overall on EvanMiya’s site, check in at No. 4 in the country in offensive rating (17.4) and No. 37 in defensive rating (8.5). The 11 other teams that checked in from Nos. 6-17 on EvanMiya’s rankings are considered contenders to make the Final Four as well: Texas Tech, Iowa State, Tennessee, Kansas, Purdue, Arizona, Saint John’s, Wisconsin, Maryland, Texas A&M and Michigan State.
The Zags rank No. 2 in the country in scoring offense at 87.2 points per game and dish out 19.4 assists per game, which leads the nation. Gonzaga’s 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio also ranks No. 1 in the land, as senior guard Ryan Nembhard leads all players with 246 total assists to only 56 turnovers. Graham Ike’s 17 points per game leads six players who average double figures in scoring for the Zags.
On the other end of the floor, the Bulldogs have taken considerable strides since yielding 200 points combined to the Broncos and Beavers last month. Conversely, their last five opponents have each been held to under 63 points and below 41% shooting from the field.
While the metrics support another deep run into March, the Bulldogs have to first earn their way to the Big Dance. Per EvanMiya’s team resume page, Gonzaga is considered to be “Just In The Field” based on its neutral resume quality.
Duke, EvanMiya’s No. 1-ranked team, along with Houston, Auburn, Florida and Alabama all have offensive and defensive ratings that indicate they should be considered the title favorites.
MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Continue to follow our Gonzaga coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Instagram and Twitter.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
