NCAA Bracket 2017: No. 1 Gonzaga will play No. 16 South Dakota State on Thursday

The Gonzaga Bulldogs were awarded a No. 1 seed in the West region of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs will face off against No. 16 South Dakota State in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 16.

It is the 19th-consecutive NCAA Tournament for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, and it is the second time the Bulldogs have been awarded a No. 1 seed. The other came during the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

For most of the season, the common narrative that this is the best team Mark Few has ever coached has been peddled about. The Zags backed up that sentiment with a 32-1 record—the best season in the history of the program. The impressive record is supported by advanced metrics such as KenPom where Gonzaga has had a stranglehold on the rankings.

While it’s not really fair the Zags are held to a Final Four or bust standard these days (a standard just about any team in the country would kill for), that is the program’s burden.

Gonzaga missed out on a chance to go undefeated in the regular season with a loss on senior night, but the only goal the team has really cared about is breaking into the Final Four and winning a national championship. Those goals are still on the table, and now we know the road Gonzaga must travel to get there.

Here’s how the entire West region shakes out: