These five teams have the best chance to knock off Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament.
The question of whether Gonzaga will go undefeated is almost meaningless at this point. The Bulldogs have demolished anyone who dares to get in their way, racing off to a 20-0 start thanks to an explosive offense that scores over 93 points per game and shares the basketball as well as anyone in the country.
Mark Few has built the deepest roster that Gonzaga has ever seen, making questions of bracketology meaningless too as the Bulldogs were noted by key members of the NCAA’s selection committee to be the clear choice as the top overall seed in Saturday’s Top 16 seed reveal.
This team might be the best college basketball has seen since the 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats, who made it to the Final Four with a perfect record before getting upset by Wisconsin. Let’s break down five teams who could deny the Bulldogs again, with the caveat that we will not mention Baylor, which is boring since they are the chalk pick as the 1A to Gonzaga’s 1.
Who can slay Gonzaga and pull off a big March Madness upset?
5. Florida State Seminoles
It feels like Florida State is peaking at the right time and Leonard Hamilton’s team is again stacked with plenty of talent. The Seminoles also have an X-factor player in freshman Scottie Barnes, a 6-foot-9 point guard who can cause matchup problems for the Bulldogs’ backcourt.
Head coach Leonard Hamilton has done a good job with his team and has come close to guiding Florida State to the Final Four on a few occasions. Drawing Gonzaga won’t be easy but an experienced Seminoles team that ranks inside the top 10 for offensive efficiency has an excellent chance to be the squad that knocks off the Bulldogs in March.
4. Ohio State Buckeyes
The Wolverines’ conference rivals have clearly made their mark as a Final Four threat with a brilliant run since mid-January. Ohio State has the nation’s fifth-most efficient offense according to the KenPom rankings, featuring a diverse roster of talent that can score the basketball in multiple ways, a critical factor when trying to keep pace with Gonzaga’s explosive offense.
Another factor in the Buckeyes’ favor is that they have plenty of big-game experience from getting battle-tested in the Big Ten. That experience will be a tremendous help as Chris Holtmann’s players will know what it takes to win a big game against the Bulldogs.