Gonzaga is the #3 Seed in the West

The resumes have been compared, wins and losses pored over, and the selection committee has made their decision. The bracket is out, and Gonzaga is the third seed in the West Region for the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

The Zags are off the top line for the first time since 2018, when they were the fourth seed in the West and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. This is just the second time in the last six seasons where Gonzaga is not a one seed, and their first time as #3 since 2006, when they took down Xavier and Indiana in the opening rounds and absolutely nothing happened after that.

The Zags will be relatively close to home to open the tournament, taking on WAC champions and 14-seed Grand Canyon on Friday in Denver. They will stay in the Mile High City should they advance, taking on the winner of #6 TCU and #11 Arizona State or Nevada on Sunday.

There are some intriguing potential matchups down the bracket with Kansas and UCLA as the top two seeds in the West and UConn fourth. Saint Mary’s is in at #5 with TCU sixth, Northwestern seventh, and Arkansas eighth.

The full slate of West Region first round matchups:

• #1 Kansas vs. #16 Howard
• #8 Arkansas vs. #9 Illinois
• #5 Saint Mary’s #No. 12 VCU
• #4 UConn vs. #13 Iona
• #6 TCU vs. #11 Arizona State/Nevada
• #3 Gonzaga vs. #14 Grand Canyon
• #7 Northwestern vs. #10 Boise State
• # 2 UCLA vs. #15 UNC Asheville

The Zags open as 14.5-point favorites over GCU, according to DraftKings.

Time to fill out the brackets and schedule your weekends, the best time of the year is here. Go Zags.