Yes, I'm well aware that it was 2 ago. I only mentioned it because it's literally the only SEC road game they've played in the past decade.
And don't you think your Alabama comment is a bit disingenuous? Actually, very disingenuous. It was a 4-point game when they came to the under 4 minute TV timeout. Making 13 threes, especially for a below-average shooting team, certainly helped their cause.
And what does Georgia have to do with Gonzaga? Do you think winning at Georgia is just as hard as winning at Saint Mary's?
It's true, they're taking the Duke route, just playing neutral court games OOC. But, they still have 3 Quad 1 road wins. And here's a stat worth considering.
Record against Top 50 Teams Away from Home Court
Gonzaga: 5-3, 62.5%
Auburn: 3-3, 50.0%
Kentucky: 3-6, 33.3%
Tennessee: 2-7, 22.2%
Arkansas: 1-4, 20.0%
I know. I know. It's because the SEC crowds are so daunting.
But as I said previously in this very thread, if the home court is such a big factor, how come there wasn't a material difference in road winning percentage from 2021, a year without fans, to a typical year?
Road winning percentages from the last 3 seasons
2020- 35.16%
2021- 39.25% (no fans)
2022- 37.87%
I've said multiple times that Gonzaga would lose 3-4 times in a good conference. And heck, Auburn and Arkansas only played 4 road games against top 50 teams all season long. So, it kind of seems like I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to the SEC when I say Gonzaga would lose 3-4 games, most likely all road games.
Uh.... What? You realize the gap has closed on Gonzaga considerably, right? Saint Mary's and San Francisco are both in the top 25 of the metrics.
I would agree that this team is most likely a notch below 2017 and 2017. However, there isn't a juggernaut team in college basketball. They have just as a high ceiling as anyone out there.