MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Even before West Virginia tipped off its second-round game against Notre Dame on Saturday, assistant coach Erik Martin began scouting Gonzaga in advance of a potential Sweet 16 matchup.
His work wasn’t conducted in vain.
The Bulldogs (34-1), top-seeded in the West Region, benefited from a goal-tending no-call to hold off Northwestern 79-73, and will meet No. 4 seed West Virginia (28-8) on Thursday night in San Jose, Calif.
If you’re into metrics, Gonzaga ranks ninth in RPI and No. 1 overall in KenPom. On the Vegas side, Gonzaga carries 6-1 odds to win the national championship, third-best behind North Carolina and Kansas at 4-1.