Gonzaga gets interesting seed in latest 2026 NCAA predictions

Will former Washington State wing and Duke commit Cedric Coward go through with the draft, or suit up for the Blue Devils instead and try his hand at the draft next year? What will tip the scales either way for former UAB star Yaxel Lundenborg, who's currently in between transferring to Michigan and going through with the pro route? And don't forget about RJ Luis, who's been pretty quiet about his future plans since closing the door on a potential return to St. John's.

Gonzaga doesn't have to stress over any last-minute decisions from its players, though Mark Few and his coaching staff will likely monitor the ones who exit the draft and hit the transfer portal. The Bulldogs have signed one player in the portal so far in Arizona State transfer Adam Miller, who committed to the Zags on May 2. Gonzaga's attention has been focused more on the recruiting trails lately, but Few and company are likely not done rounding out their 2025 roster.

As the puzzle pieces come together over the course of the offseason, ESPN's Joe Lunardi has already started to look at which teams could make the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

The Zags, who previously checked in on the 6-seed line in Lunardi's first 2026 forecast that was released in April, haven't budged from their initial projection since landing Miller. Gonzaga is Lunardi's No. 6 seed in the East Region, setting up a hypothetical first-round matchup at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City against the winner of a first-four game between 11-seeds SMU and Ole Miss.

Lunardi also projects Gonzaga will earn the automatic qualifier in the West Coast Conference, which would mean back-to-back conference tournament championships for Few and company after they won the 2025 title. The Bulldogs qualified for the 2025 NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed before getting bounced in the round of 32 by Houston, snapping their streak of nine consecutive appearances in the Sweet 16.

The Cougars are projected to enter the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed again, though this time they wouldn't stand in the Zags' way of advancing past the first weekend. Lunardi has Houston as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region.

As for the opponents on Gonzaga's schedule for next season, four of the five known games on the Zags' nonconference schedule will be against teams projected to earn a single-digit seed in Lunardi's forecast. Kentucky is the projected No. 2 seed in the South Region, while UCLA (No. 4) Oklahoma (No. 7) and Baylor (No. 9) reside in ESPN's hypothetical West Region.

As for those aforementioned teams that are waiting on key draft decisions, the Blue Devils are the No. 1 seed in the South Region, while Michigan is ESPN's No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region.

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