Gonzaga earns No. 8 seed in NCAA Tournament, opens against No. 9 Georgia in Wichita

Any disappointment Gonzaga might have felt with their NCAA Tournament seeding matching their NET ranking – No. 8 in both – was quickly dismissed with appreciation to be dancing again and the reality of the challenges ahead.

The Zags (25-8) boast strong analytics (No. 9 in KenPom), but also eight losses, matching their highest total since a 10-loss 2011 season and making them a bit of a conundrum for the committee. While many pegged Gonzaga as a seven seed with a shot at a six, the committee put GU on the eight line in the Midwest Region and No. 30 in the 1-68 seed list.

Gonzaga opens against No. 9 Georgia on Thursday at 1:35 p.m. in Wichita. Georgia is 33 in the NET and 34 on the seed line.

“I thought we may be a little higher. Surprised by it honestly,” Zags senior forward Graham Ike said with a shrug. “It is what it is. I’m glad we can still play basketball. I’m grateful to be part of a great tournament like this, once again keeping the streak alive (26 straight NCAA Tournament appearances).

“Hopefully we can keep more streaks alive.”

Gonzaga’s 26 consecutive trips to March Madness – it would be 27 but the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the pandemic – is the third longest active streak behind Michigan State (27) and Kansas (35).

A significant test awaits against Georgia as the Zags try to extend their 15-year streak of first-round wins. Kansas, at 17, has the longest active streak.

Georgia (20-12, 8-10 SEC) owns wins over No. 1-seeded Florida, No. 2 St. John’s and No. 3 Kentucky. The Bulldogs are battle-tested in the toughest conference in the country. Fourteen of 16 SEC teams are in the March Madness field, including two No. 1 seeds and two No. 2s.

“It is what it is. They make those decisions,” point guard Ryan Nembhard said of GU’s eight seed. “You have to go win a bunch of games if you want to win it all, so you’re going to have to play a bunch of great teams. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

If the Zags advance, they’ll likely face top-seeded Houston in the round of 32. The Cougars, led by former Washington State coach Kelvin Sampson, are favored by 281/2 points against Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.

Gonzaga, which has played in the last nine Sweet 16s, is 0-9 vs. No. 1 seeds all-time in the tournament. The Zags have been seeded eighth twice and finished 1-1 both times with losses to Syracuse by 22 in 2010 and to Arizona by 23 in 2014.

But first things first. Gonzaga is a 7-point favorite over Georgia, whose best player, freshman Asa Newell, was heavily recruited by the Zags and visited the campus. GU was one of four finalists for the 6-foot-11, 220-pound Newell, whose older brother, Jaden, is a redshirt sophomore forward with Georgia and has played in six games this season.

“Just a great player, even better person,” Zags coach Mark Few said of Newell. “Mike (White, Georgia coach) has done a really good job. I thought he did a great job at Florida.

“For Georgia to scoop him up and get him was quite a coup. I know we’ll have our work cut out for us because they have some really nice wins. That’s quite a resume.”

Newell leads Georgia in scoring (15.3) and rebounding (6.8) and ranks second in blocks (32) and minutes (29.0). He’s finalist for the Kyle Macy Award, presented annually to the top freshman in Division I, and he was named to the SEC All-Freshmen team. He’s been SEC freshman player of the week four times, equaling Anthony Edwards’ school record.

“He went to Montverde (Academy) so I’m a little familiar with him,” said Nembhard, who won a national championship at Montverde. “I actually went to dinner with him (on Newell’s visit). He was hanging around. I didn’t know him at Montverde but I definitely watched him. Great player, a lot of upside. He’s going to be a challenge for us.”

Silas Demary Jr., a 6-5 sophomore guard, is the only other Bulldog in double figures at 13.4 points. He leads the team in assists (99), steals (54), made 3s (56) and made free throws (120).

Georgia had depth with five more players averaging at least 6.5 points and nine averaging at least 13 minutes per game.

“Everybody in that league is athletic and bouncy,” Few said. “Mike is a really solid coach. They’ll run some good stuff and have a very good plan on the defensive side of things.”

Tennessee, which finished fourth in the SEC and runner-up in the conference tournament, is the second seed in the Midwest Region. Kentucky, which tied for sixth in the SEC, is the third seed. The Wildcats edged GU 90-89 in overtime in December in Seattle. Purdue, which defeated Gonzaga in last year’s Sweet 16, is the four seed.

Midwest region

South region

East region

West region