NCAA South Region analysis: Zags overdue for a run

Is this the year for Gonzaga?

The Zags, seeded second in the South Region, have been an NCAA Tournament fixture since advancing to a regional final in 1999. They haven’t missed a field since.

But Gonzaga also hasn’t been back to a regional final, much less a Final Four. There have been four Sweet 16 appearances under coach Mark Few, the last in 2009.

This team has an excellent shot at a long run. It has experience, starting three seniors and two juniors, and stars in forward Kyle Wiltjer and guard Kevin Pangos.

“They’ve been remarkably consistent all year,” Few said. “This is a resilient group, a battle-tested group.”

Now, a group with lofty expectation. Gonzaga opens against No. 15 seed North Dakota State, a dangerous opponent. The Bison were a No. 12 seed when they knocked out Oklahoma in the first game last season.

If the seeds hold, a Sweet 16 matchup with Big 12 Tournament champion Iowa State, the No. 3 seed, would await in Houston.

Duke grabbed the region’s top seed based on its schedule strength. The Blue Devils didn’t win the Atlantic Coast Conference regular- season title or reach the tournament final but went 11-3 against RPI top 50 teams.

Sixth-seeded SMU is back in the tournament for the first time since 1993, and the Mustangs’ coach, Larry Brown, returns to the tournament for the first time since leading Kansas to the 1988 national title. SMU takes on 11th-seeded UCLA. That was Brown’s first college coaching stop.

Fifth-seeded Utah will be on upset alert against Stephen F. Austin, which upset VCU as a No. 12 seed last year. The Utes, ending a six-year tournament drought, have one of the nation’s top players in guard Delon Wright. Utah has won 15 games by at least 20 points this season, the most of any team in the nation.

This story was originally published March 15, 2015 at 7:59 PM with the headline "NCAA South Region analysis: Zags overdue for a run."