3/14/2021

Zags collect No. 1 overall national seed; Cougars collect No. 6 seed

SAN MATEO, Calif. – No. 1/1 Gonzaga collected its fourth No. 1 seed since 2013 seizing the No. 1 overall national seed (West Region) in the 2021 NCAA Tournament as announced today on CBS. Meanwhile, BYU returns to March Madness as a No. 6 seed in the East Region.

The Zags posted the first unbeaten regular season in college basketball (26-0, 15-0 WCC) since Kentucky did so in 2014-15 and went wire-to-wire as the nation’s top-ranked team. Gonzaga will take on the winner of No. 16 Norfolk State / Appalachian State contest.

BYU (20-6, 10-3 WCC) makes its fourth NCAA Tournament as a WCC member and its 30th overall. The Cougars finished the regular season with a sparkling No. 19 NET ranking and were just outside the final AP Top-25 national poll. BYU opens its March Madness run against the winner of the No. 11 play-in game between bluebloods Michigan State and UCLA.

#WCCHOOPS 2021 NCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Saturday, March 20
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 16 Norfolk State / App State winner
6: 20 p.m. PT (TBS)
No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Michigan State / UCLA winner
6:40 p.m. PT (CBS)

GONZAGA NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

• Only team in the nation to qualify for the last five straight NCAA Sweet-16s (starting 2014-15)
  • Elite Eight appearances: 2015, 2017 & 2019
  • Final Four & National Runner-Up: 2017
• Makes 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament
  • Has not gone winless in the NCAA Tournament since 2008 (Davidson 82-76)
  • Has won 22 NCAA Tournament games since 2009
• Earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament four* times since 2012-13
  • 2013 (Round of 32)
  • 2017 (NCAA Runner-Up)
  • 2019 (Elite Eight)
  • 2020* (projected)
  • 2021

BYU WCC NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

• Advances to first NCAA Tournament under second-year head coach Mark Pope
• BYU was a lock for the 2020 NCAA Tournament lock and was projected as a No. 6 seed according to Joe Lunardi
• Cougars replaced four starters from the 2019-20 squad, including three All-WCC First Team selections
• Makes fourth NCAA Tournament since joining the WCC
  • 2012 (1-1), 2014 (0-1) & 2015 (0-1)
• BYU has 30 NCAA Tournament appearances in its distinguished history with 15 March Madness victories

A STRONG DECADE FOR #WCCHOOPS
From 2010-20, West Coast Conference programs produced…
1 — AP Coach of the Year
1 — NCAA Elite 90 Award Winner
1 — Final Four
3 — Elite Eight Appearances
6 — Sweet-16 berths
10 — NBA Championships won by WCC alums
10 — WCC programs to compete in at least one Postseason Tournament
14 — Academic All-Americans
17 — AP All-Americans
21 — NCAA Tournament Wins
65 — Overall Postseason Victories
308-54 – Combined decade record for Gonzaga – the highest win tally in Division I during the 2010s

COURTESY THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE