Why Gonzaga losing to BYU doesn't make the Zags overrated

Published Feb. 26, 2017 2:15 a.m. ET

Aaron Torres

College basketball fans who went to bed early on Saturday night will wake up Sunday to a bit of surprising news. No. 1 ranked Gonzaga, which entered the day 29-0, was stunned at home 79-71 by BYU.

Eric Mika (one of college basketball's most underrated stars) scored 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the upset for the Cougars, who scored the game's final 10 points.

https://twitter.com/BYUbasketball/status/835723686955085825

With the result, we all know what's next: Sweeping overreaction. Some will say Gonzaga wasn't deserving of its No. 1 ranking. Some will say the Zags don't deserve to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, after it was presumed that's where they'd end up on Selection Sunday. Some will just say they were overrated, point blank.

But to those who are saying that, stop. You're making yourself sound really dumb.

For starters, the Zags weren't overrated, but instead, a team deserving of that No. 1 ranking.

Remember, this is a club that beat Arizona and Florida, teams which entered the day ranked in the Top 15 nationally. They Zags also beat Iowa State, a solid NCAA tournament team, which actually won at Kansas earlier in the season (breaking the Jayhawks' 54-game home-win streak in the process). They beat a Tennessee team that has beaten Kentucky, and a Top 25 ranked Saint Mary's team twice. The Zags are plenty good.

Also, let's not act like the Zags, who have lost on Senior Night in Spokane for three consecutive seasons, are the only team in college basketball with a relatively bad "L" on their resume. Let's never forget that Duke lost at home to NC State. And Oregon lost to Georgetown. And North Carolina to Georgia Tech.

So, will this loss cost Gonzaga a No. 1 seed? Only time will tell.

But does it prove the Zags were "overrated?" Don't be ridiculous. They're good enough to win it all.