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Gonzaga Basketball

Zags vs. Arizona for Final Four spot a possibility

Gonzaga guard Jordan Mathews hits a shot during the Bulldogs’ victory over Arizona on Dec. 3 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)
By Jacob Thorpe

For the first time in 26 years, the top two seeds in the West region of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament are from the western part of the United States.

So it is only fitting that the region is set up to feature the best college basketball rivalry on the West Coast with a Final Four berth on the line.

No. 1 seed Gonzaga has already beaten No. 2 seed Arizona earlier this season. But the Wildcats were without star guard Allonzo Trier, who was just named the Pac-12 Tournament MVP.

And the Wildcats won the last two matchups between the schools by a combined total of eight points. The top two seeds in the West are undeniably rivals, having faced off in each of the past four seasons.

Furthermore, there is plenty of NCAA Tournament history between these two schools, dating back to a double-overtime heavyweight bout in 2003 that was decided by a single point.

A Gonzaga-Arizona rematch would be fantastic for fans and even better for the network executives. But as always in March Madness, the two favorites must navigate a field of landmines on their way to an Elite Eight showdown.

Barring an upset, the Zags are going to have get through a stingy West Virginia defense. Playing offense against Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers is like trying to breathe inside a deflating balloon – there is not much air to begin with and it is gone before you know it.

WVU was an overtime road loss away from sweeping Midwest No. 1 seed Kansas and they lead the country with 10.4 steals per game. This game, more than any other, is why Gonzaga got point guard Nigel Williams-Goss.

In theory, Arizona should be preparing for a Sweet 16 date with Florida State and superb freshman Jonathan Isaac. Isaac, along with second-team All-ACC pick Dwayne Bacon and All-ACC-Defensive Team selection Xavier Rathan-Mayes form the backbone of a tough out for any team.

But don’t sleep on FSU’s first-round opponent, No. 14 seed Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles were a tournament darling in 2013 and this deep team (five players average at least nine points) is ready to repeat “Dunk City’s” improbable Sweet 16 run. Throw in the instate-rivalry factor, and this is clearly one of the must-watch matchups of the early rounds.

Assuming Gonzaga does not become the first No. 1 seed to lose its opening game, the Zags will face an academically oriented school from a football power conference whose season is already a success for having merely made the tournament. That’s right, it’s Northwestern or Vanderbilt.

The Wildcats made the tournament for the first time and their reward is a matchup with battle-tested Vanderbilt. The Commodores did not win that many games in coach Bryce Drew’s first season, going 19-15, but played the country’s toughest nonconference schedule according to some organizations, and swept Florida in the SEC.

And the Zags might be spared a matchup with West Virginia if Notre Dame or Princeton can take care of the Mountaineers. The Irish would still be a very tough matchup for the Zags, having won 25 games playing in the ACC, which was the country’s toughest conference in 2016-2017.

The Irish will hit their free throws (better than any other team in the country) and chase 3-point shooters off the line. That will be a boon against Princeton, since the Tigers like to hoist from outside.

Also lurking in the West is No. 6 seed Maryland, which played in Spokane last year during the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Heady point guard Melo Trimble leads the Terrapins.

Of course, Maryland will have to get through a tough No. 11 seed in Xavier, which some services, such as KenPom, have rated higher than the Terrapins.