Quentin Grimes vs Davion Mitchell a key storyline for Houston against Baylor

1. Looking ahead to Gonzaga?

This could be more for Baylor than Houston but both teams are going to be aware of the elephant in the room in this year’s Final Four. The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been the preseason No. 1 team to start this year and have looked phenomenal all the way. They’re currently unbeaten at 30-0 and have beaten all four NCAA Tournament opponents by at least 16 points and have beaten all but one team this season by double-digits.

Double-digits is going to be the spread for their game against UCLA, an 11 seed that has gone through some great teams in this tournament but hasn’t faced a team like Gonzaga. The same will be said for the winner of Houston and Baylor, even though the Bears have dealt with Big 12 opponents all season long. Against either possible title opponent, Gonzaga will be favored and their presence is the major storyline for the Final Four.

If Houston makes it past Baylor in the semifinals, they know they’ll be playing with house money in the title game against Gonzaga. But the Bears have been placed in the same tier as the Bulldogs and have been viewed as the only true obstacle to an undefeated season for the No. 1 overall seed.

Since this game is first, Baylor won’t even know whether or not Gonzaga beats UCLA in the other Final Four matchup. That’s an advantage for them as they can fully focus on the game with the Cougars and not have to worry about fulfilling neutral fans’ prophecy of having Baylor vs Gonzaga in the title game.

Besides, who knows? Maybe the Bruins have one more upset in them after all.