The Gonzaga women, who have flirted outside the top 25 since the season began, made an impact statement over the weekend at the Battle 4 Atlantis, defeating Louisville and Tennessee and earning crucial non-conference wins that will pay massive seeding dividends come March.
Going into the tournament, the Battle 4 Atlantis was always going to be a bruiser. The bracket featured the preseason No. 3 (Texas), No. 5 (Tennessee), No. 7 (Louisville), and No. 23 (South Dakota State) teams. Both UCLA and the Zags were picking up votes. The only “down” teams were Rutgers and Marquette.