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The Gonzaga Bulldogs possess the nation’s No. 8 RPI, but that could be skewed by the Bulldogs capitalizing on Division I basketball’s 88th ranked strength of schedule.
The only “big boy team” Gonzaga has taken down are the SMU Mustangs, and based on the selection committee’s 2014 precedent, the No. 22 Mustangs might not be a big boy team after all. The Zags beat the UCLA Bruins, but they’re a bubble team that may not reach 20 wins. Same goes for analyzing Gonzaga’s wins over the Georgia Bulldogs, the Washington State Cougars and their December win over the BYU Cougars.
With weaker schedules, it’s easy to argue that it’s beyond the influence of the school and that a near-impeccable record leaves a lot of room for positive interpretation. But here’s the glaring problem: on the nights Gonzaga’s been truly tested, they’ve failed. On Dec. 6, they lost to the Arizona Wildcats. Although it was only by three points and in overtime, it was a chance for the Bulldogs to legitimately imply “we’re for real,” but instead they fell short.
Another loss was just last Saturday to BYU, another defeat by three points, but again a missed opportunity to make a statement. This sounds like nitpicking, but with a schedule so devoid of premium competition, these two losses against well-spaced quality foes deserve elevated criticism.
29-2 is an excellent mark, but with scarce resume highlights, it’ll be tough for the committee to award the less-proven Bulldogs a No. 1 seed. Having been inadequately exposed to heightened competition increases the chances Gonzaga doesn’t see the second weekend, regardless of if they put up a trivially spectacular 30-plus win season.
Jerry Landry is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Jerry on Twitter at @Jerry2Landry, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on Google.
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