Brownies Put Zags on Bubble

Special Gonzaga correspondent Sean O'Connor reports that the Zags will make the tournament.

It’s been an interesting season for the boys over in Spokane, to say the least. After a hot start and wins over North Carolina, Texas and UW there were four losses in a row to Nevada, Duke, Virginia, and Georgia. Then came the 2 conference losses, the arrests of Josh Heytvelt and Theo Davis, and a 3rd conference loss (the most since 1999/2000).

If the season ended today, the Zags would finish second in the WCC and would surely be a bubble team. However, the Zags have four games left, plus the WCC tournament, including a huge game with Memphis on Saturday afternoon (ESPN 3pm) in Spokane. A win over Memphis would give the Zags their 5th win over a ranked team, and more importantly another boost of confidence to finish out the season strong and take care of business in the WCC Tournament. Memphis is a huge test for Coach Few and his boys, and it may be this season's tipping point.

If Heytvelt doesn’t return to the team this year, the Zags still have a solid chance at making the run to the big dance by getting some key wins down the stretch and performing well in the WCC Tournament. There are three reasons this team will make the NCAA Tournament this season.

1. The emergence of Jeremy Pargo as a legitimately lethal point guard who can score, dish, and dunk.
2. Micah Downs, a Juanita High product and former McDonalds All-American, looks more comfortable in the offense which is opening up the other wing for Derek Raivio to get some open looks.
3. David Pendergraft has been playing great, showing more aggression on offense.