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Gonzaga Bulldogs vs North Dakota State Bison NCAA Tournament Preview

By James Silberman

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The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been among college basketball’s elite for the past decade-and-a-half, as far as the regular season goes at least.

But they must not teach you how to dance in Spokane, because the Zags have been bounced in the round of 32 in five consecutive seasons, including as a #1 seed in 2013, albeit to “team of destiny”, Wichita State.

It seems like every season is supposed “the season” for Gonzaga. “This season” is always the season they break through and finally make a Final Four. This season however, they are more equipped than ever before in my opinion.

There are two huge differences between this squad and the 2013 team.

Reason #1 Why Gonzaga Can Make The Final Four 

March 10, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Kyle Wiltjer (33) dribbles the basketball against Brigham Young Cougars guard Skyler Halford (23) during the first half in the finals of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Experienced guard play: Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr.,  who have been the starting back court for the Zags since their freshman years as well as USC transfer Byron Wesley are all seniors. This is not something that can be understated come tournament time.

Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright last year, Peyton Siva, Russ Smith and Luke Hancock in 2013, Kemba Walker in 2011, Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith in 2010, and Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green in 2009 are all upperclassmen guards (mostly seniors) who lead their teams to the NCAA Championship.

As you can see pretty clearly, having not only talented, but experienced guards is one of the most direct indicators of a title contender.

Reason #2 Why Gonzaga Can Make The Final Four

An abundance of scoring options: The 2013 squad was great at the top with Kelly Olynyk (17.8), Elias Harris (14.6), Pangos (11.9) and Bell (9.0), but had no other dangerous scoring options after that. Their fifth-through-eighth scorers contributed just 19.2 points per game. This year, options five-through-eight score 25.7 a game. When Gary Bell Jr. is your sixth leading scorer, you have all the scoring options you can ask for on a college roster.

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And it’s not like they just have a bunch of depth, but not big-time scorers. Kyle Wiltjer is one of the best offensive players in all of college basketball. He has the skill set of a wing, with the ability to shoot from outside (46.6% from three) as well as take on defenders off the dribble. And at 6’10”, with the skill Wiltjer has, if you don’t put a big guy on him, it’s an automatic two points if he gets the ball in the paint.

Gonzaga has all the pieces, we just have to hope they don’t run into a buzz-saw like Wichita State again.

Gonzaga matches up well with NDSU

In the first round (I know officially it’s the second round, but that system is completely counter-intuitive and I refuse to use it), they will go up against the (somehow #15th seeded) North Dakota State Bison.

This game shouldn’t stumble the Zags, but it still is unfortunate to see a team as good as NDSU in the first round. I had the 12th seeded Bison reaching the Sweet 16 last year in my bracket, and they almost did it. They took out Oklahoma in Spokane before falling to San Diego State. 3/5 of their starting lineup graduated since that time which is good news for Gonzaga. However, senior SG Lawrence Alexander is the kind of player that can take a game over by himself.

Mar 20, 2014; Spokane, WA, USA; North Dakota State Bison guard Lawrence Alexander (12) shoots against Oklahoma Sooners forward Ryan Spangler (00) in the second half of a men

I was in Spokane Arena (shoutout to Kody Davis) for their victory over Oklahoma last season and Alexander was absolutely unstoppable. Oklahoma boasts some of the biggest and most athletic guards in the country, but couldn’t even slow him down. Alexander shot 10-15 from the field, 4-7 from three and 4-4 from the free throw line as well as adding eight rebounds and four assists.

The good news for Gonzaga, is the size advantage that they will have. NDSU’s tallest starter is 6’6″, and their tallest player who will play is only 6’8″. Look for Wiltjer, Karnowski and Domanatas Sabonis to see the ball inside on every possession.

Lawrence Alexander is special player, and one of the best shooting guards in the tournament, but the Bison don’t have the depth to keep up. Gonzaga will have favorable match-ups at four of the five positions on the floor at all times.

If you watch them play, the Bison are a lot more like a 13 seed than a 15, but this still should be an easy enough win for Gonzaga.

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