After a decisive win over Saint Mary’s in the WCC Championship, what does Gonzaga Basketball have ahead of them in the 2023 NCAA Tournament?
Gonzaga is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs have made the Big Dance every year the event has been held since 1999. They have two Final Four appearances within the last decade (2017, 2021) plus an active streak of seven consecutive Sweet 16 appearances. Winning has become the norm for the small Jesuit school in Spokane.
After receiving a No. 1 seed four times since 2017, Gonzaga enters this tournament as the No. 3 seed in the West Region. They received an automatic bid to March Madness after defeating Saint Mary’s by 26 points in the WCC Championship. Although the Zags may be a couple seed lines lower than we’ve become accustomed to, this is still a dangerous team capable of making a deep run into the tournament.
Per Bart Torvik, Gonzaga Basketball has been the best team in the nation since the start of February. This distinction is buoyed by an offense scoring an absurd 133.7 points per 100 possessions adjusted for competition. The Zags have been scoring at will for the past month and enter the NCAA Tournament having won 10 of their last 11 games.
Star forward Drew Timme has had a fantastic season, averaging 20.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists on the way to co-WCC Player of the Year honors. Junior wing Julian Strawther added 15.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 42.6% from three. Anton Watson and Rasir Bolton also finished with scoring averages in the double digits. This Gonzaga team has weapons, and they enter the NCAA Tournament playing some of their best basketball this season.
Let’s take a look at when Gonzaga plays next.
2023 March Madness Schedule: When Will Gonzaga Play Next?
Following the First Four games on March 14-15, the 2023 NCAA Tournament Round of 64 begins on Thursday, March 16. You can find the complete bracket here.
No. 3 Gonzaga will face off against No. 14 Grand Canyon on Friday, March 17. The game tips off at 7:35 EST and will air on truTV. GCU enters the NCAA Tournament by way of winning the WAC Tournament. The Antelopes are led by guard Rayshon Harrison‘s 17.7 points per game. Grand Canyon is dangerous from beyond the arc, but they likely will not have the defense necessary to slow down Gonzaga’s elite offense.
Should Gonzaga take out the Antelopes, they will play either No. 6 TCU, No. 11 Arizona State, or No. 11 Nevada in the Round of 32 on Sunday, March 19. There seems to be a relatively favorable path to the program’s eighth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance.
There is definitely potential for a rematch of the 2021 Final Four versus UCLA should both teams reach the Sweet 16.
Mark Few has consistently guided the Zags through the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament, and this team looks primed for yet another run.