Fansided

2022 March Madness: 5 coaches primed to win first national championship

By Mike Phillips

PROVO, UT - FEBRUARY 5: Mark Few head coach of the Gonzaga Bulldogs calls in a play during the second half of their game against the BYU Cougars February 5, 2022 at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
PROVO, UT - FEBRUARY 5: Mark Few head coach of the Gonzaga Bulldogs calls in a play during the second half of their game against the BYU Cougars February 5, 2022 at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs looks on during their game against the Duke Blue Devils during the Continental Tire Challenge at T-Mobile Arena on November 26, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Duke won 84-81. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs looks on during their game against the Duke Blue Devils during the Continental Tire Challenge at T-Mobile Arena on November 26, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Duke won 84-81. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

1. Mark Few – Gonzaga Bulldogs

Few was one game away from coming off this list a year ago with an undefeated season but the Bulldogs are back with a vengeance. Even though Gonzaga isn’t as explosive as they were a year ago they are much more stout defensively thanks to the excellent rim protection that five-star freshman Chet Holmgren has provided all season long.

The pressure is certainly for Gonzaga after the disappointing end to their unbeaten campaign a year ago. There have been signs of vulnerability for the Bulldogs too, including some issues against rugged defensive teams like Saint Mary’s, but there are few teams that have rosters as deep as Gonzaga’s in the field.

That depth is a credit to Few, who has done an excellent job in both recruiting and utilizing the transfer portal to build a lethal rotation. Few is arguably the top coach in the sport without a title at this point so he would love the ability to get off of this list for good in a month.

The good news for Gonzaga is that they drew a very weak No. 2 seed in Duke in the West Region, who they would be heavily favored to topple in an Elite Eight matchup. The most dangerous foe that the Bulldogs could draw in their region is Texas Tech, a defensive juggernaut that could follow the blueprint Saint Mary’s laid out to pick up a key late-season win over Gonzaga.

Next. 20 biggest upsets in the history of March Madness. dark

For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.

Home/March Madness