Vanderbilt Basketball: Road to the NCAA Final Four
By Matt Green
(1) Gonzaga (32-1)
Gonzaga is a common team that people like to pick against come tournament time, but make no mistake, the Zags are legit.
The Bulldogs’ lone loss came to a BYU team that didn’t make the tournament, but Gonzaga is ranked no. 8 in the RPI, and posted a 6-0 record against RPI top 25 teams this season.
The West Coast Conference is far from one of the top conferences in the nation, but they did get a second team in the NCAA Tournament with the Saint Mary’s Gaels, who rank no. 17 in the RPI.
Gonzaga beat St. Mary’s three times this season. And they also had wins over Florida, Pac 12-champion Arizona, and Big 12-champion Iowa State.
History could be on Vanderbilt’s side, however, since Gonzaga has only made it to the Sweet Sixteen twice in the past seven years. But they have gotten that far in each of the past two seasons.
Nigel Williams-Goss was named West Coast Conference player of the year, averaging 16.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.8 steals.
But you can’t over look Przemek Karnowski, not even if you tried. At 7-foot-1, 300 pounds, Karnowski averaged 12.6 points and 6.0 rebounds this season.
