Yes, the 30 Gonzaga wins are impressive, but the three losses carry way more significance moving forward | Dave Boling

PORTLAND – Fact: People who have accidents tend to become safer drivers.

I’m applying that theory to the Gonzaga men’s basketball team’s 2026 NCAA Tournament prospects.

Few teams in the field have been shown such vivid evidence of how bad things can go if they don’t show up ready and fully prepared.

Is it fair at this point to look at the three blemishes on a 30-win season?

Yes, as cautionary tales. To know where the potholes are.

Coaches always admit that they learn more about their teams’ losses than from their wins.

So, thank you Michigan, Portland and Saint Mary’s – each providing separate valuable lessons.

While earning the West Coast Conference Tournament title and a share of the regular-season title, the No. 12-ranked Zags went 7-2 in Quad 1 games and 5-2 in games against tournament teams.

That’s how they earned a No. 3 seed in the West Region for Thursday’s game at Portland’s Moda Center at 7 p.m., and I believe it shows they have the talent to go deep, maybe even into April.

But it’s the clunkers that are most illustrative at this point, as they open against heavy underdog Kennesaw State, a No. 14 seed.

As this season progressed, Michigan torched them by 40. They already scored wins over Oklahoma (by 15), No. 23 Creighton (by 27), No. 8 Alabama (by 10) and Maryland (by 19).

The Zags were ranked 10/12 when they tipped against No. 7/6 Michigan in the Players Era Tournament on Nov. 26.

With three big guys pounding on Zag post Graham Ike (reportedly fighting a sore foot/ankle at the time), the Wolverines powered to a 53-29 halftime lead. In the end, the Zags made just 3 of 22 3s and shot under 39% from the field.

Ike played just 16 minutes and missed all nine of his shots, with not a single rebound and just one point.

Lesson learned: The Zags were punched in the mouth and never recovered.

They responded by bouncing back to win 15 straight.

And while becoming rougher and tougher and taking over to an even greater degree as team leader, Graham Ike powered to an All-American honor, and supplied every-game proof that he will never go 0 of 9 with no rebounds in another game as a Zag.

But that 15-game winning streak came to an end in a stunningly surprising manner.

GU had beaten Portland 20 consecutive games.

The 87-80 upset on Feb. 4 seemed an inexplicable tear in the cosmic fabric. Human nature and the inconsistency of adrenaline?

Actually, the Pilots just played better, outshooting GU 59.3% to 40%, while 6-foot-1 freshman guard Joel Foxwell scored 27 points.

As they head into the game against 20-point underdog Kennesaw State, NET ranking of 155, they need to be reminded that Portland was a 26.5-point underdog, and now ranked 222 in the NET.

And if the opponent has a young 6-1 point guard who is tearing you apart (like Foxwell), you have to get one of your defensive stars to get physical with him.

Lesson learned? Probably, yeah.

The Zags thrashed the Pilots 89-48 at home on Feb. 25, holding Foxwell to 12 points with five turnovers.

The third loss was the most predictable, coming on Feb. 28 at Saint Mary’s, their fourth loss in the last five games at Moraga.

The problem with this loss was the unraveling in the second half, getting outscored 41-23 in the final 20 minutes. This one, too, was a failure in perimeter defense, as Gael guard Mikey Lewis sank seven 3-pointers.

So, now let’s examine the other side of this season. The 30 wins with star forward Braden Huff out with a knee injury for 15 games has been an astonishing accomplishment.

This has proven a great deal about the inner strength and resilience this team has, maybe even more than any of its predecessors.

Eight different Zags have led the team in scoring this season, with seven mounting games of 20 points or more. Almost anybody can step up when needed.

The depth and versatility and maturity of this team is also rare, the kind of thing that often defines teams that make long tournament runs.

And the history: GU has won its NCAA first-round game for 16 straight years, since 2008.

With BYU or Texas set to be a second-round opponent, I think the Zags can once again advance to the second weekend – after having their streak of nine straight Sweet 16 appearances broken by Houston in the second round last season.

If they can avoid some of the potholes they hit this season, the Elite Eight shouldn’t be out of the question.

It all starts with a win against Kennesaw State, which should be a breeze.

Of course, that’s what they thought the last game they played in Portland.