The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been one of the best stories of the college basketball year. They were ranked at the beginning of the season, but it seemed most experts weren't giving them much of a shot to be a national contender. A few months later and the Zags are in the hunt for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

As the Bulldogs prepare to play Saint Mary's for the West Coast Conference championship on Monday night, they begin the day projected to earn the top seed out west.

The latest bracket projection from Chris Dobbertean of SB Nation has Gonzaga as a No. 1 seed and facing Florida International in the first round.

Joe Lunardi of ESPN also has the Zags playing Florida International in Salt Lake City for the second round. They would then face the winner of North Carolina and Minnesota in the third round. Should Gonzaga win both, they'd likely face Syracuse or St. Louis in the Sweet 16.

Jerry Palm from CBS Sports has Gonzaga as the top seed out west as well, playing Long Beach State to kick off the NCAA Tournament.

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