Unfamiliar territory: Why Gonzaga could be an NCAA tourney sleeper

For much of the past decade, Gonzaga has entered the NCAA Tournament as a popular Final Four pick and a legitimate national championship contender.

But this year – despite a 30-3 record and the No. 3 seed in the West region – the Zags are hovering a bit under the radar.

NCAA Tournament Draw: Gonzaga is No. 3 seed in West

Much of that is due to the uncertainty around second-leading scorer Braden Huff, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since mid-January. On Sunday, head coach Mark Few said Huff is “jogging and shooting” but is unlikely to return by this weekend, which would sideline the 6-foot-10 Huff for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Gonzaga has also had some uncharacteristically bad losses this season. In November, the Zags suffered a 101-61 defeat to eventual No. 1 seed Michigan, which was the most lopsided loss in Few’s decorated 27 seasons at Gonzaga. The Zags also had a stunning loss to Portland in early February, which was arguably the most confounding defeat of the Few era.

Those two losses overshadowed Gonzaga’s 7-2 record against NCAA Tournament teams, including non-conference victories over Alabama, UCLA and Kentucky.

During an appearance Tuesday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, The Ringer’s Tate Frazier explained why the Zags are still capable of making a deep March Madness run.

“I really like this Gonzaga team,” Frazier said. “I think the Michigan game earlier in the year out in Vegas where they got blown out kind of turned a lot of people off on this team. But (I like) the length and athleticism that they were able to add (with) Tyon Grant-Foster and Adam Miller. (Davis) Fogle has been playing a lot better for this team. He’s been a nice piece.

“I’m hoping they get Braden Huff back. I think that’d kind of shore up that front line for them and (would) make them definitely more dangerous.”

Gonzaga opens the tournament with a favorable first-round matchup against No. 14 seed Kennesaw State on Thursday night. With a win, the Zags would advance to face either No. 6 seed BYU or No. 11 seed Texas on Saturday.

NCAA Tournament bracket

BYU is led by freshman sensation AJ Dybantsa, who is projected to be either the No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick in June’s NBA Draft. But the Cougars are dealing with a major injury of their own after third-leading scorer Richie Saunders suffered a season-ending torn ACL in mid-February. Since starting the season 16-1, BYU has gone just 7-10 down the stretch while facing rugged Big 12 competition.

“I think Gonzaga is an underrated team,” Frazier said. “They have a tough matchup potentially in the second round against AJ Dybantsa, who’s potentially going to be the No. 1 overall pick. But BYU lost their second-best player … in Richie Saunders. So I think they’re more susceptible.

“I think the front line for Gonzaga with (third-team All-American Graham Ike) gives them some trouble. And then once you get into Sweet 16 and the second weekend, anything is possible.”

Listen to the full conversation with The Ringer’s Tate Frazier at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune into Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

AP All-America picks include Zags star and a Kent native

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