Gonzaga, KenPom’s number one overall team, has made the 2017 Final Four, just one of two top seeds to do so this year. Coach Mark Few reached his first Final Four in 18 years as a head coach, all at Gonzaga. Aided by two transfers in Nigel Williams-Goss (Washington) and Jonathan Williams III (Missouri) the Zags finally made the Final Four after years of coming up short in the tournament. The Zags beat South Dakota State, Northwestern, West Virginia, and Xavier to get to Phoenix. Beating a 16,8,4, and 11 seeds to reach this point with all games being close except the Elite Eight game versus Xavier. Jordan Matthews the Zags leading scorer through the first four games of their run hit the game-winning three against West Virginia in a two-point win.
One of the Zags biggest strengths is their defense; they are rated number one team in defensive efficiency according to KenPom. When people usually think of Gonzaga, a tough, hard-nosed defense isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. This team knows how to defend and when they need a stop they usually get it. Before considering their conference is the biggest reason for this ranking think again. KenPom adjusts for scheduling and takes all those metrics into account. It starts down low where they start a guy 7’1 300 pounds and another guy who’s 6’9 and bring another seven footer off the bench. They make it tough to score inside with their height and length of their big guys. Their guards do a good job of taking away three point opportunities and funneling guards inside.
Offensively the Zags are as balanced as it gets with seven guys averaging between seven and sixteen points. Five of those guys average double figures. They do an excellent job of playing through the post with their three main big men all able to score from the block. They surround guys like Karnowski and Williams III with shooters on the perimeter. Overall Gonzaga doesn’t have many weaknesses evidenced by top 15 offense and defense on KenPom and a good amount of experience.
I’m not one who bought into the West Coast Conference being a detriment to Gonzaga in the tournament. I was proved right but if you are going to point to anything possibly that could be a weakness for this incredibly balanced team it could be this in the Final Four. How will a team who plays in the West Coast Conference respond to playing on this stage? You saw them play well in the Elite Eight but against an 11 seed. Another potential downfall for the Zags could be the path they have taken; they won’t play anything less than a four seed until the championship game. Will they be able to handle the step up in competition versus Oregon or North Carolina if they get past seven seeded South Carolina in the 2017 Final Four? My guess is they will be okay, but it is fair to ask.
Gonzaga is my favorite to win it all just a little more than North Carolina and most of the national predictions agree. I have been high on Gonzaga all year when others questioned their legitimacy. Guard play wins in March, and they have one of the best at the one spot in Williams-Goss. The Zags are deep, well-coached, and experienced all things that are beneficial this time of year. These guys believe they belong and that will go a long way to them possibly cutting down the nets on Monday.
