NCAA Basketball: Arizona, Baylor, and BYU rise in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
21. Gonzaga (24-6)
Not long ago, Gonzaga looked uncertain for the NCAA Tournament. They’ve made every single Big Dance over the last quarter century but had a bit of a rocky start to this season. A true road win at Kentucky a few weeks back really charged up their resume but they certainly put the finishing touches on it this week.
Thursday night saw another Quad 1 road win for the Bulldogs as they triumphed 86-68 at San Francisco. Graham Ike had 26 points and 7 rebounds while Nolan Hickman added 22 points in a great performance for the Bulldogs. Gonzaga was even better in an important regular-season finale on Saturday night, winning 70-57 at Saint Mary’s. They ended the Gaels’ streak, got revenge for earlier in the season, and saw a 24-point, 10-rebound effort from Ike in the sweet win.
Gonzaga did incredible wonders to their resume and to their season in this past week. The Bulldogs made up for lost opportunities, grabbed two really impressive road wins, and kept humming along, now winners of eight in a row. They’ll enter the WCC Tournament with their eyes likely on another rematch with Saint Mary’s coming up, and perhaps that 25th straight NCAA Tournament bid already secured.