For the fourth time in school history, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are trying to do something they’ve never done before–win the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis.
The Zags should be the overwhelming favorite, considering as of me typing at this very moment they are the No. 1 team in KenPom. The rest of the competition isn’t half bad though: Arizona (17), Indiana (31), Oklahoma (47), Louisville (63), West Virginia (72), Providence (74), and Davidson (122).
The Zags sit on the side of the bracket alongside West Virginia, Indiana, and Louisville. With plenty of quality teams in the mix, here is what I’ll be looking out for.
Mark Few vs. Tommy Lloyd aka Gonzaga vs. Arizona Championship Game
This is the only storyline in all reality. Mark Few has a longstanding policy of not playing his former assistant coaches in the non-conference. Hence, although the Zags and the Wildcats are two of the top teams on the west coast year in and year out, and have played each other before, they won’t in the very near future–unless something like a MTE championship can take place.
Of course, that’ll take two wins in two days for both teams, no matter how good you are, something easier said than done. Personally, I don’t necessarily need to see Mark Few beat Tommy Lloyd, but I also can’t argue against that sort of storyline. Understandably, it is a game a lot of people would like to see, and this is the best chance we will see in a while.
A Reunion with Oumar Ballo and Indiana
Former Gonzaga Bulldog and Arizona Wildcat Oumar Ballo is finishing out his college career at Indiana, Gonzaga’s potential second game. Facing off against the Hoosiers would provide a quality test for Gonzaga. Coach Mike Woodson hit the transfer portal as good as anybody, grabbing Ballo, Kanaan Caryle (Stanford), and Myles Rice (Washington State) to supplement some nice young pieces.
Through four games this season, the Hoosiers are holding opponents to a 41.1 eFG%. On the offensive end, the Hoosiers style is a bit interesting in that they do not take a lot of threes, ranked No. 337 in 3PA/FGA. Winger/forward Mackenzie Mgbako is an absolute matchup nightmare and has been on fire to start the season, averaging 22 points and hitting 63 percent from long range.
The Start of the Gauntlet for Gonzaga
The Zags non-conference slate has been nicely spaced out so far, with the home opener against Baylor and a road game against San Diego State mixed in. However, if the Zags are going to land a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament, stupid to be thinking about so early but such is life in the WCC, the A game needs to come every night.
A win over Arizona is the prize of this tournament and it will set the stage nicely for the Zags next two games–Kentucky in Seattle and UConn at Madison Square Garden.