Improved West Coast Conference can help, hurt Gonzaga’s NCAA Tournament resume

After opening with four West Coast Conference wins as heavy favorites, Gonzaga is in the midst of the résumé-enriching or résumé-ravaging portion of its conference schedule.

At present, the Zags are projected in the 4-6 seed range with a 2-4 Quad 1 record – home vs. 1-30 NET ranking, neutral vs. 1-50, away vs. 1-75 – with wins over San Diego State and Baylor and losses to West Virginia, Kentucky, UConn and UCLA.

They improved to 3-0 in Quad 2 (home vs. 31-75, neutral 51-100, away 76-135) by adding No. 75 Washington State to the win column Saturday alongside No. 55 Arizona State and No. 60 Indiana.

GU opened with Quad 3 road wins over Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount and a pair of Quad 4 victories versus Portland and San Diego in Spokane.

Gonzaga (14-4, 5-0 WCC) is light years ahead of last year. At the same point last season, they were 13-5, winless in Quad 1 games, suffered a road loss at Santa Clara and the NCAA Tournament bubble was barely in sight until an early Feb. 10 road win over Kentucky.

Gonzaga’s goals rarely change in January and February: winning WCC regular-season and tournament titles, stacking up as many quality wins as the conference schedule allows, sidestepping résumé-denting Quad 3/4 losses and landing a favorable seed in March Madness to stay closer to home.

Thanks to new affiliate members Washington State and Oregon State, those opportunities are more plentiful. Of course, depending on the results, that can work both ways.

“This league is going to be a lot tougher this year,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said after Saturday’s 88-75 home win over the Cougars. “The (WSU and OSU) additions are very, very good. They’re big, they’re physical and they have some nice players.

“… San Francisco and Santa Clara are primed for good years. We always know how good Saint Mary’s is and (coach) Randy (Bennett) is. It’s going to be a lot of nights like this (WSU game). You’re going to have to really fight to get out of there with a win.”

Of Gonzaga’s next five games, two currently are Quad 1 and two are Quad 2. The Zags visit No. 59 NET Oregon State (13-5, 3-2 WCC) on Thursday for a Quad 1 matchup. They return home Saturday for a Quad 2 contest with No. 66 Santa Clara (12-6, 4-1), which is alone in third in the conference.

After a Quad 4 visit to No. 317 Portland the following Saturday, the Gonzaga-Oregon State rematch at the Kennel on Jan. 28 qualifies as Quad 2. Then the Zags tangle with No. 33 Saint Mary’s in Moraga in a Quad 1 and WCC showdown.

The final six games on Gonzaga’s regular-season schedule features five potential Quad 1/2 games. It begins with a Quad 3 home date against No. 77 San Francisco on Feb. 13. The Dons, who have been inside the NET top 50, would become a Quad 2 contest at the Kennel if they’re in the top 75.

Also in the closing stretch: Quad 1 at WSU, Quad 2 vs. Saint Mary’s (Quad 1 if the Gaels are in the top 30), Quad 1 at Santa Clara and Quad 2 against San Francisco at the Chase Center.

Defending WCC champion Saint Mary’s, which is 2-0 in Quad 1 but 1-3 in Quad 2, has the second strongest résumé in the conference. The Gaels are generally projected as a double-digit seed or among the first 4-8 teams on the outside looking in. Oregon State has the third highest NET (59) but is 0-4 in Quad 1.

Santa Clara (1-1), WSU (1-3) and Pacific (1-3) join Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s with Quad 1 wins.