An up and down season took another dip last night for the Bulldogs, as Gonzaga’s NCAA Tournament resume took a hit with a home loss to BYU that tied the two WCC teams in the conference standings’ loss column.
With the 69-68 loss that saw Kyle Wiltjer go for 35 points and 10 rebounds but get little help from anyone else as Domantas Sabonis dealt with foul trouble throughout the evening, the Zags fell to 13-4 overall. While none of their losses are going to be considered “bad losses” by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, it’s getting to the point where we have to start wondering about Mark Few and company’s resume numbers.
The loss dropped their current RPI to No. 64 and their projected RPI down to around No. 41, according to RPIForecast.com and Live-RPI.com. It may be far too early to start suggesting the Zags as a snub candidate come Selection Sunday–okay, yes, it is indeed far too early–but with road trips left to Saint Mary’s, SMU, and BYU, we could be looking at a seven loss squad with serious question marks when it comes to good wins outside of their 73-70 edge over UConn earlier this season.
At that point, even if they do get in, we’re looking at a prime candidate for a double-digit seed if name-bias stays out of the equation. Strength of schedule will definitely help the Bulldogs, especially OOC SOS, but wins are the best cure for the ills of college basketball.
Again, it’s not time to panic in Spokane, but given recent results, Gonzaga’s NCAA Tournament resume surely deserves another look.
