1. Gonzaga Bulldogs (12-2)
*Received seven of 12 1st place votes
It’s clear that both Nevada and Gonzaga have separated themselves from the other mid-majors so far, with there being a fierce debate between the two as to who’s the best. And by a vote of 7-5, the Bulldogs edged out the Wolf Pack.
One huge reason for Gonzaga taking the top spot has been the difference in opponents faced. It’s true that the Bulldogs have two more losses but both came to Final Four contenders in Tennessee and North Carolina. And the win over Duke will easily be better than anything Nevada can come up with. Also, the Wolf Pack were docked a bit for the consistently sluggish first-half performances.
It’s been a great start to the season for Gonzaga, receiving the program’s third-ever No. 1 ranking via the AP poll. The Bulldogs have wins over Duke, Arizona, Creighton, Washington, Illinois, and Texas A&M.
Leading the team is Rui Hachimura, an All-American candidate averaging 21.7 ppg. San Jose State transfer Brandon Clarke is roughly putting up the same numbers he did at his previous stop, this time on the national stage against better opponents on a national title contender. Zach Norvell is a lethal three-point shooter while Josh Perkins provides senior leadership while dishing out nearly eight assists a game.
The Bulldogs are a top-5 offensive unit in the country but need to play better defense in order to win six games in the NCAA Tournament. Help is on the way, with 6’10 forward Killian Tillie set to return for conference play, along with North Dakota grad transfer guard Geno Crandall. Considering that Gonzaga has been missing their second-leader scorer from a year ago who shot nearly 50% from three-point range, the true potential from this team has yet to be seen.
Gonzaga will face as tough a WCC slate as they’ve had in recent memory. However, this team might be the best in program history. And when fully healthy, just might be the very best in the country. Of course, what better way to settle the Gonzaga-Nevada dispute than an Elite Eight matchup in the NCAA Tournament’s West Region?