March Madness: Ranking the teams remaining in the West Region

1. Gonzaga Bulldogs (4 seed)

Strength: Balance and location

This team may not have a daily star but have six different guys who can score 20 points on a given night. Jonathan Williams wasn’t much of a factor in the Ohio State win, plagued with foul trouble. But Zach Norvell (28 points and 12 rebounds) and Rui Hachimura (25 points) more than made up for it. Killian Tillie, who was the WCC Tournament MVP after making nearly 3/4 of his three-pointers, has yet to make an impact.

But the biggest benefit the Zags have going for them is that they’re in the West Region, with the others (and their fan bases) having to travel to Los Angeles and playing in the western time zone. Both Gonzaga and Arizona were four seeds, but the Wildcats got shipped out, to their demise.

Weakness: Free throw shooting

This team could’ve easily lost either of their first couple of games, and it was because of the bad shooting from the charity stripe. When Ohio State came back to take the lead, the Zags at that point was 5/15 from the line, before finishing up 19/31. Against UNC Greensboro, the team was 13/25 in the close victory.

Next: Impact of UMBC's historic upset win

Williams, in particular, has struggled, going 4/13 in free throws. He’s at 54% for the season and could be a big liability down the stretch. He’s also a quality defender and good post scorer, so Mark Few and staff might just have to ride him out – with the good and the bad.