Can Gonzaga Go Undefeated?

Gonzaga plays in a weak conference relative to the rest of college basketball's elite teams. And while the West Coast Conference doesn't make for appointment television, its top team has a legitimate shot at heading into the NCAA Tournament without a loss on its resume. As Gonzaga's odds to win the tournament continue to improve with each win, can they finish a perfect regular season?

Gonzaga Dominates St. Mary's

Mark Few's Bulldogs came into their weekend clash with fellow ranked WCC squad St. Mary's having dominated their schedule to that point. At 16-0 on the year with two wins over ranked teams already, this would be a big test of their ability to beat a rival with the pressure of a potential undefeated season bearing down on them. Not only did Gonzaga pass the test, but they demolished the Gaels, the one real contender to take the WCC crown away from the Zags.

Gonzaga won the game by a 79-56 margin, a 23 point win that just exceeded their average margin of victory of 22 points. After a first half where they led by 9 points at the break, the Bulldogs destroyed the Gaels in the second half, closing out the game with a plus-14 second half point margin to seal their 17th win in as many games. They shot an incredible 65% from the field, and had four players score in double figures for the game, showing that they will dominate the WCC once again.

Gonzaga NCAA Basketball Futures Betting

For now, Gonzaga sit at +1400 to win the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs have one real test left in their regular season, that being a road game against St. Mary's. If they can win that game, and there's no reason to believe they won't, they would be a WCC Tournament title away from entering the NCAA Tournament with zero losses. That would open the door for a truly perfect season with a successful tournament run.

It's worth remembering that last year's Gonzaga team had a real chance to make the Elite 8 of last year's NCAA Tournament, but blew a huge lead to Syracuse, who eventually made the Final Four after beating Virginia in their regional final.