NCAA Tournament 2023: 5 teams with most pressure to make a Final 4 run

2. Gonzaga Bulldogs

The Bulldogs have been knocking on the door of the ultimate prize in the NCAA Tournament for the past five years, including two national title appearances. Last year, they have a disappointing outcome, losing to Arkansas in the Sweet 16 as a 1 seed.

Gonzaga came into this year with high expectations as a preseason top-3 team. They had some struggles, including blowout losses to both Purdue and Texas, as well as a rare home defeat to LMU. That took them out of the 1-seed discussion for the first time in years but they’re a 3 seed in the West Region and have a favorable path to make a deep run, including being on the same side as 2-seed UCLA, who won’t have star wing, Jaylen Clark.

The hype machine for the Bulldogs has ramped up in the past month, scoring over 90 ppg and dominating Saint Mary’s twice, including in the WCC title game. The top offense in the country has both plenty of shooting and an All-American big man in Drew Timme, who is averaging over 21 ppg, and in the NCAA Tournament, has a career scoring mark of 23 ppg.

This is Timme’s last year and there isn’t a dynamic big man currently on the roster. So they could take a step back as a program and not be a legit Final Four contender. I don’t want to say that this is their best chance of making one more Final Four appearance but they should take advantage of one more postseason with Timme.