West’s best: Top players Gonzaga could encounter in opening two weekends of the NCAA Tournament
The West Region, otherwise known as a potential redo of Gonzaga’s marquee nonconference showdowns, is stocked with talent.
The top-ranked Zags headline the list with four players earning AP All-America recognition. Those same four – Corey Kispert, Drew Timme, Jalen Suggs and Joel Ayayi – are finalists for individual awards nationally.
The best of the West Region outside of the Zags includes the front-runner for player of the year, several All-America honorees and a probable top-four NBA draft pick.
Here are five players Gonzaga could run into if the seeding essentially holds up (does that ever happen?) and a few wild cards if it’s upset city (we have our eye on you, 14th-seeded Eastern Washington).
Luka Garza, Iowa
The Hawkeyes center was the leading candidate for player of the year before the season tipped off in November and nothing has changed four months later.
The 6-foot-11, 265-pound Garza filled the stat sheet again: 23.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 blocks in 31.2 minutes per game. He made 54.7% of his shots, an impressive 40.7% from distance and 71.3% at the foul line.
The Zags saw it firsthand when Garza had 30 points (13 of 16 inside the arc) and 10 boards in Gonzaga’s 99-88 win in December. Garza hasn’t fouled out of a game this season. He committed four fouls in just four games.
Second-seeded Iowa announced on Senior Night that Garza’s No. 55 jersey will be retired at the end of the season.
Ochai Agbaji, Kansas
The junior wing paced the third-seeded Jayhawks in scoring (14.2 points) and minutes (33.4). He hit a team-high 74 3-pointers – Kispert made 72 in two fewer games – while shooting 38.7% from deep.
Agbaji has made at least one 3 in 27 of 28 games. He hit four 3s and scored a season-high 26 points in his last outing. The 6-5, 210-pounder had 17 points in KU’s 102-90 loss to Gonzaga in the season opener.
Sam Hauser, Virginia
The 6-8 grad transfer from Marquette doesn’t miss many shots on the court. He hit 60.9% inside the arc, 43.4% on 3s and 88.1% at the free-throw line for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers.
Hauser averaged 16.0 points and 6.7 boards.
His worst shooting night of the season came in a 98-75 loss to Gonzaga. Hauser made just 3 of 11 shots, misfired on all four 3-pointers and scored 10 points.
Evan Mobley, USC
Mobley, a 7-foot center projected as one of the top picks in the NBA draft, became the first player to win player of the year, freshman of the year and defender of the year in the Pac-12.
Mobley averaged 16.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks, the latter ranked sixth nationally, for the sixth-seeded Trojans. He was teammates with Gonzaga’s Dominick Harris at Rancho Christian High in Temecula, California.
Mobley comes in on a hot streak after scoring 52 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and swatting 10 shots in USC’s two Pac-12 Tournament games.
Chris Duarte, Oregon
The versatile 6-6 wing helped the seventh-seeded Ducks claim a Pac-12 regular-season title. His numbers are impressive: 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.9 steals, 43% on 3-pointers, 80% on free throws.
The Dominican Republic native was second in the conference in steals and made 3-pointers per game (2.4). He was named to the AP All-America third team.
The Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year finalist blocked a team-high 20 shots and rarely leaves the court (34 minutes per game).
Tanner Groves, Eastern Washington
The Shadle Park High product shot nearly 56%, made 17 3s and scored in double figures in all but one game. He operated effectively inside against Washington State, Arizona and Saint Mary’s, but his minutes were limited against Arizona due to foul trouble.
The 6-9 Groves, named the Big Sky MVP, averages 16.4 points and 8.1 rebounds.
Asbjorn Midtgaard, Grand Canyon
The 7-foot, 270-pound Midtgaard led the nation in field-goal percentage (70.6) by 4-plus percentage points. He leads the 15th-seeded Antelopes at 14 points per game and 9.9 rebounds.
He played his first three seasons at Wichita State and never averaged above 3.9 points. It’ll be an interesting battle inside between Midtgaard and Iowa’s Garza in Saturday’s opening round.