When analyzing Gonzaga’s RPI rating, one has to wonder just how some people expect this team to make the NCAA tournament field of 68.
Because with road games left against USD and BYU, there’s just not enough there to get this team into the top 50 of the RPI. It’s not even outside of the realm of possibility that the Zags drop one in Provo, which would provide even more reason to leave them out of the field.
Of course, all of this is based around an at-large discussion. Even with getting swept by Saint Mary’s on the year, one has to think that Mark Few and company are still the favorites to win the WCC Tournament.
Should they fail to win that tournament, however, their resume simply isn’t good enough. Their best wins on the year are over UConn and Washington. The Huskies look like a tournament team, sure, but that’s not necessarily a signature win by any stretch of the imagination. Add to that the fact that Washington has tanked well below the RPI top 50, and that’s no longer a win they can point to either. In fact, they haven’t beaten an RPI top 100 team since that November 27 game against UConn.
This team’s worst loss is against BYU, but it’s at home. Avoiding bad losses isn’t the only thing you have to do when trying to lock up your tourney hopes. Eventually, you have to beat someone. At the end of the day, that’s what Gonzaga has failed to do this season, despite multiple chances to do so on various stages.
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