The moment we have been waiting for is finally here.
It began with the top 64 mid-major teams, determined by BN’s staff. It was obvious from the early on it would have been a balanced tournament. Plenty of teams, as expected during such a long season, struggled for stretches, resulting in unexpected losses. Among these, Rhode Island had an awful start of the season and lost to UT-Arlington. Chattanooga lost in the first round to East Tennesee State. Marshall rode a great first month to knock out Weber State. William&Mary scored the biggest upset of the season in the first round in a win against Valparaiso, but that was just the beginning.
The second round saw VCU lose to Florida Gulf Coast and Davidson lose to UL-Lafayette. The Sweet 16 showed a much clearer picture, with the top teams now in perfect shape and rolling over weaker competition: Saint Mary’s over Akron, Gonzaga over Fort Wayne, Princeton over FGCU. BYU proved to be among the top teams in the WCC by knocking out LA-Lafayette, while Dayton fell to Monmouth. William&Mary took advantage of an easier match-up and advanced against Marshall.
In the Elite 8, only Gonzaga dominated the game against Ohio, while the other games remained close. Princeton lost to Saint Mary’s. BYU won by a single point over Green Bay, saved by a regular season win against Gonzaga worth 5 extra points. William&Mary, against all odds, knocked out Montmouth to win the last spot in the Final Four.
The final act of the season sees three West Coast Conference teams out of four: Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and BYU, while William&Mary is part of the Colonial Athletic Association.
Gonzaga – Saint Mary’s 72-60
The first semifinal sees Saint Mary’s lose to Gonzaga. The Gaels were good enough to hold on to the Bulldogs for the whole season, but ultimately pay the gap in rebounding and offensive production, a difference worth 10 of the final 12 points separating the two teams.
Byu – William&Mary 62-59
William&Mary was close to another upset, but BYU survived long enough to grab a 3-point win. The difference in the rebounding, worth 4 points in favor of BYU, was crucial to reach the final. William&Mary has its defense to blame for the loss.
Gonzaga-Byu 86-65
The final showdown between the two WCC opponents, Gonzaga and BYU, is anticlimatic in the Bulldogs dominance, who didn’t really need the 15 bonus points awarded for Gonzaga’s run in the official tournament. The final proof, if it was even necessary, that this program outgrew the competition among mid-majors.
