While most conference tournaments are in the midst of the drama for a fight to the Big Dance, Gonzaga has the week off. After falling to St. Mary’s in the WCC Title game Monday night, the Zags are in Spokane to finish up mid-terms and desperately wait for Selection Sunday.

GU’s non-conference schedule, along with their overall season performance doesn’t make them a bubbled team like most non-automatic  bid mid-major programs, but where Gonzaga will be shipped off to is a completely different story.

In 2010, GU fell to St. Mary’s in the championship game and was sentenced to play in Buffalo, New York as a No. 9 seed. While the Bulldogs were able to pull the first round win out against a tough eighth seeded Florida State team. That win hardly mattered when GU was forced to play No. 1 Syracuse—in what was practically a home game for the Orange and a monumental loss for the Zags.

If Gonzaga gets stuck in that eight-nine spot, it really would be terrible. While the first game would be more probable as a win, the likelihood of playing a top seed in the second round is not hopeful. As a fan, I would much rather see the Zags as a worse seed, like 11 or 12, than placed higher with the strong chance of playing a No. 1 seed in the second game of the NCAA tournament.

Last year, the Zags were sent to Denver as an 11 seed to face No. 6 St. John’s. That lower spot ended up favoring the Bulldogs very well as they knocked off the Red Storm in the so-called upset. Considering Portland is a regional site for the first two rounds, it would be great if GU could earn a trip to a semi-local location.

The Rose Garden Arena in Portland

For Gonzaga to play in Portland, they would likely have to be a five or 12 seed. Considering they didn’t win the conference championship, or the WCC regular season crown, it is highly unlikely that GU would be seeded at five.  While a 12 seed is not proper representation of this years’ Zag team, I think it would be an ideal fit for the Bulldogs.

With the talent and athleticism on this year’s squad, combined with a Northwest fan base filling the Rose Garden, Gonzaga could make a good run to start the tourney. Being misrepresented as a 12 seed would set up the Zags for a good chance at an upset against the five seed, and then an expected matchup with the No. 4 team. While no win is easy or guaranteed in the Big Dance, ideally being placed in the 5/12 bracket in Portland would be the ideal slot for GU.

The time has come and the year of 2011 is breathing its final breaths. It is time to reflect on the highs and lows over the last 12 months.

For GU men’s basketball, 2011 started off with a solid win over Wake Forest on January 2^nd to finish off nonconference play. However, three straight conference losses in late January propelled the Zags into a tough situation—could they continue their streak of over a decade of WCC titles?

A strong showing in the second round of league play, along with a top performance at the West Coast Conference Tournament, landed the Zags with their 12^th straight league championship.  The NCAA Committee sent the Zags to Denver as an 11 seed to face the No. 6 team St. John’s out of the Big East in the Big Dance.

The Bulldogs took advantage of their win streak, and capitalized on the Western U.S. home court advantage—knocking of the Red Storm 86-71.

Unfortunately the soon to be West Coast Conference addition, BYU, awaited Gonzaga in the second round; with shooting sensation Jimmer Fredette. The Cougars dominated with an 89-67 win to end the Bulldogs’ season.

In the final months of the school year, the roster started to shake up a bit. Junior guard Demetri Goodson decided to forgo his senior season at GU and transfer to Baylor—to play football.  Goodson’s Bears defeated the University of Washington in the Valero Alamo Bowl yesterday. He was able to play on special teams for BU as a kick returner; his speed and athleticism were missed on the hardwood, but Meech was able to make good use of them on the gridiron.

Mangisto Arop also chose to leave Gonzaga and pursue his collegiate career at Indiana State. The home of the great Larry Bird was fortunate to receive Arop as a very explosive and talented player, looking to find his niche in the right program. He must red shirt the 2011-2012 season, but will be ready to lace up next fall for the Sycamores.

When school began in August, five new freshmen and a junior college transfer arrived in Spokane. Ryan Spangler, Kevin Pangos, Gary Bell Jr., Kyle Dranginis, and Chris Sarbaugh began their first collegiate practices as freshmen for the Zags. Guy Landry Edi transferred to GU to continue his basketball career from Midland Texas College where he played for two years.

The Zags started off the first half of this season very well. They head into the last game of 2011 with a 10-2 record. Xavier will not be an easy team to close out the year with, but if GU can play their game, it won’t be a problem to end 2011 with a W.

Catch the Zags and Musketeers on ESPN2 at 5pm PST on New Years’ Eve in Cincinnati.