College Basketball Power 10: Who Runs The Pac-12?
By Jeremy Karll
1. Gonzaga (26-0)
It seems inevitable that Gonzaga will finish the regular season undefeated after beating Saint Mary’s, 74-64.
Their best opponent left in the regular season is BYU at the end, but even the Cougars have been up-and-down this season and lost by 10 at home last time they played Gonzaga.
Aside from Gonzaga playing in the West Coast Conference, there’s no reason to doubt the Bulldogs anymore. They demolished a good Saint Mary’s team at home and beat them in prime time on Saturday.
If there was a time the national pressure or crowd noise would have gotten to them, it would have been on Saturday. It didn’t, though. Instead, Gonzaga led by nine at halftime and as many as15 with 2:41 left in the first half, despite Nigel Williams-Goss being in foul trouble.
They controlled the tempo of the game from start to finish. The only player on St. Mary’s to score more than 10 points against Gonzaga was potential All-American big man Jock Landale who had 24 points and eight rebounds, but even he had four fouls early in the second half.
A mark of 30-0 is quickly approaching. Gonzaga’s last four teams have a combined record of 56-51. The Bulldogs are arguably the most focused team in the nation, resulting in them being the least susceptible to an upset loss. It might happen, but I doubt it.
Next: NBA Power Rankings: Week 17
Gonzaga hosts San Francisco and Pacific this week.