Originally Posted by
JasonEvans
It is also, of course, worth noting in this Gonzaga conversation that the Zags routinely play one of the tougher non-conference schedules around - at least in terms of the quality of some of their top opponents.
This year - Texas, UCLA, Duke, Alabama, Texas Tech
2021 - Kansas, Auburn, West Virginia, Iowa, Virginia
2020 - Oregon, Michigan, Washington, Arizona, UNC
2019 - Illinois, Arizona, Duke, Creighton, Washington, Tennessee, UNC
And those non-conference games are more important for Gonzaga than they are for power conference teams. If Duke struggles in their significant non-conference games, there is a chance for the Blue Devils to improve their seeding situation during ACC play. Gonzaga gets no such benefit. Their games in the WCC can do nothing but hurt them in terms of their seeding status.
Look, I would rather the Zags joined a bigger conference. It is more fun to see them tested on a more regular basis and I think they could develop some really interesting rivalries inside the Pac 12. But the reason they are in line for a #1 seed is because they have spanked Texas, UCLA, Texas Tech, and BYU... not because they are likely to win pretty much all their games in the WCC.