Will Gonzaga make the NCAA Tournament? Exploring HC Mark Few and Co.'s March Madness chances

Gonzaga (21-8, 12-4) could be well on its way to its 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament despite placing second in the West Coast Conference regular-season standings behind Saint Mary's. Under coach Mark Few, the Bulldogs have reached the NCAA Tournament 25 straight times and have been national championship runners-up twice.

Gonzaga was among the AP Top 25 for the first 10 weeks until losses to Oregon State and Santa Clara dropped it out of the weekly rankings. The Bulldogs are rated highly in two of three ranking categories the Selection Committee uses to pick its top 68 teams for the NCAA Tournament.

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Enviable Bulldogs offense keeps them atop the WCC

The Bulldogs' offense is like a machine capable of piling up points when they're in the zone. As of Feb. 23, the team averages 87.1 points per game, which ranks second in the nation.

Five players are averaging double figures for Gonzaga, led by Graham Ike's 16.8 ppg. Ike is supported by Khalif Battle, Nolan Hickman, Braden Huff and Ryan Nembhard with averages of at least 11.0 ppg.

Gonzaga is the nation's best in assists, averaging 19.7 apg, thanks to Ryan Nembhard's 9.7 dimes per contest. The Bulldogs are ranked fourth in field goal percentage at 49.9% and free throw shooting (80.4%).

Gonzaga's defense isn't too shabby either, as the Bulldogs allow 69.7 ppg, which is ranked fourth in the WCC, and their point differential of 17.4 is the best in the conference and No. 3 in the nation.

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Gonzaga ranks high in NET and KenPom but places 44th in RPI

Despite being out of the AP Top 25 rankings for five straight weeks, Gonzaga has proven to be a beast in various metrics used by the Selection Committee to determine the Top 68 teams that will qualify for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

The Bulldogs are 10th in the NET rankings with a 6-2 mark in road games and 2-4 in neutral settings. Mark Few's team has swept its assignments in Quadrant 3 (4-0) and Quadrant 4 (11-0) while going 4-2 against Quadrant 2 opposition. Gonzaga, however, isn't performing well against Quadrant 1 squads with a record of 2-6, causing it to drop to 48th in wins above the bubble.

The Bulldogs occupy the No. 11 spot in KenPom with an adjusted efficiency margin of +26.03. The Mark Few-coached team is eighth in adjusted offensive efficiency at 124.8 points per game per 100 possessions.

However, it is 43rd in adjusted defensive efficiency at 98.8 ppg/100 possessions. Gonzaga's adjusted tempo (possessions per 40 minutes) ranks 57th in the nation at 70.0, while its luck rating is -.100 (353rd).

In terms of strength of schedule, the Bulldogs have an overall strength of schedule rating of 5.34 (79th). They have a 76th-best 110.9 average adjusted offensive efficiency of opposing teams, and their 105.5 average defensive efficiency of opposing teams ranks 92nd overall. Gonzaga is 24th in the NCAA in non-conference strength of schedule rating at +9.11.

Despite the high marks in NET rankings and KenPom, Gonzaga is ranked 44th in RPI with a .584 mark. That's a minimal rise from 45th last week. The Bulldogs peaked at No. 1 and dropped to their lowest spot at 81st during the season.

Gonzaga will have two games remaining on its regular-season schedule and the WCC Tournament to improve its final rankings going to Selection Sunday on March 16.