Gonzaga has a 5-0 record against the Big 12 this year. They have beaten West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Baylor and Oklahoma State (in the order) by an average of 18 points. When these teams played GU, only one was ranked, that was Oklahoma State who was sitting at number 22 in the polls. However, a quick look at the polls as of the 10th of this month sees both Kansas State and Oklahoma State in the top 15 of both polls.
At the time, I’ll be honest, I thought that each win would be a win that was shoved towards the back of the “quality wins” sentence that telecasts provide. But alas, here we sit with K-State, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma considered higher quality wins.
(Oklahoma is still likely in the field despite losing to TCU. Yes, the same TCU that has 16 conference losses and managed a paltry 31 points against a slightly-better-than-paltry Northwestern team.)
People say that Gonzaga shouldn’t be number one, or even get a one seed in the NCAA tournament because of the weak competition they play. While the WCC is no Big 10, it certainly isn’t as bad as it is made out to be.
It’s tough to go undefeated and win a regular season conference title. I don’t care if you play in the Sun Belt or the Pac 12. It’s tough. Pile on the fact that everyone, let me repeat everyone, is trying to knock you off. Especially when it’s Gonzaga, the number-one overall ranking stokes the fire even more. When you’re San Diego or Portland, and you have looked up at Gonzaga winning everything in the conference in the past decade, you are going to try your best to beat them. You’re going to circle the game on the calendar and work your tail off even more so than you would against Average Joe State. Gonzaga travels with a target on its back and has done so for the entirety of the century. No other program in the country, with the exception of Kansas and possibly the Tobacco Road schools, has gone through this side of the ball dropping at the end of ’99.
Folks who say things like, “Gonzaga would be .500 in the Big 10” or things of the like, that’s falsity. GU would be at least top three, if not top two or “top” period in the Big 10. Now, they wouldn’t go undefeated, but the talent is there to win the Big 10.
People around America who don’t live in the Pacific Northwest, listen to me, Gonzaga is really good. They are 4-0 against four of the top six schools in the Big 12 not named Kansas or Iowa State. They are 5-0 overall versus the second best conference in America.
If you don’t believe me, watch them on Monday night at six o’clock Pacific time. Watch them play St. Mary’s in the WCC Championship Game.
Then tell me they aren’t deserving of a number one seed in the NCAA tournament.