NCAA Basketball: Buy or sell top mid-majors Gonzaga, Nevada and Buffalo

Gonzaga Bulldogs – Buy

Gonzaga has been so consistent over the last two decades that I find it difficult to consider the Bulldogs a mid-major. The fourth-ranked Zags are poised to make their 21st consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance memorable.

Though missing the tournament is pretty much impossible, Gonzaga still has a lot to play for, which should keep the Bulldogs focused as we transition into March. The Zags are right on the border of earning a top seed for the second time in three seasons. Given that Tennessee, Duke, Virginia, Michigan, and Kentucky will all make strong cases for a one seed, the Bulldogs may need to win-out to achieve this.

Six of Gonzaga’s remaining nine regular season games are against the top third of the conference, so doing so won’t be easy. Especially considering the West Coast Conference is particularly strong this season.

But, there is no reason to think the 21-2 Zags won’t be able to get it done. Gonzaga established its legitimacy by beating the then No.1-Duke Blue Devils early on. When putting the Bulldogs’ pair of losses into consideration, it’s evident Gonzaga hasn’t played a bad game yet.

Gonzaga lost to Tennessee by three and North Carolina by 13, both of which are top-8 programs. So, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt in both of those games. The Zags are also a much better team than they were during non-conference play.

A common way to argue against the Zags would be pointing to their strength of schedule. They aren’t in the ACC, they aren’t in the Big Ten, so it is easy to pin a weak conference as the culprit for success.

However, for one, the WCC isn’t even a weak conference this year. It is probably stronger than the PAC 12, and maybe even the AAC. More importantly, Gonzaga’s strength of schedule is the eighth-most difficult in college basketball.

So, the common argument made to discredit mid-majors does not apply here. Plain and simple, Gonzaga is really good.

Led by Rui Hachimura, Brandon Clarke, and Zach Norvell Jr, the Bulldogs put up more points than any team in the country. Not only does Gonzaga score 91 points per game, but the Zags also lead the nation with a 53 percent clip from the field.

The best scoring in college basketball paired with dominant rebounding and an overwhelming defense makes Gonzaga an extremely tough matchup in March. I’m not saying the Bulldogs will win it all, but it’s tough to imagine them losing before the Final Four.

I’m pushing all the chips in on Gonzaga.