In 1999, No. 10 seed Gonzaga took our No. 7 seed Minnesota 75-63. Next in line was Stanford, then Florida. Suddenly, Mark Few and his Bulldogs were household names and in the Elite Eight to take on top seeded UConn. Forty minutes later, but just a minute past midnight, Cinderella’s carriage ran out of gas.
The Zags were not March’s first surprise run, and that ‘99 run was not the last.
But ever since then, Gonzaga has been America’s sweetheart, capturing our hearts with every run through the West Coast Conference and reminding us why we fell in love with them to begin with after each of the four Sweet Sixteen runs since. The only problem with that love affair, at least in the minds of Gonzaga faithful, is that there hasn’t been a Sweet Sixteen run since 2009, including the 2013 tournament when they earned a No. 1 seed and fell to No. 9 seed Wichita State on the first weekend.
That year’s seeding was controversial, with people nationwide wondering whether or not they would ever gain the benefit of the doubt back after an early exit.
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Since 1999, Gonzaga has featured nine conference players of the year with names like Dan Dickau, Ronny Turiaf, Adam Morrison, Matt Bouldin and Kelly Olynyk. Coach Few has had talent before, but this 2014-2015 version may very well be his most well-rounded group.
Bringing home Kentucky transfer and Pacific Northwest native Kyle Wiltjer was the first stone to fall in place for this group, with senior Kevin Pangos being the cornerstone on top of which everything else was built. Byron Wesley, tired of wallowing in misery at USC, picked Gonzaga over a host of other suitors. Domantas Sabonis has been a revelation, averaging 10 points and seven rebounds per game as a freshman. Overlooked but not forgotten, was the recruiting battle won by Few over the likes of UCLA, UConn and others for top 100 recruit Josh Perkins of Denver, Colo. Perkins suffered a freak injury, a kick to the face that resulted in a broken jaw, and is out for the year, but looked every bit the part of his high school hype during the early goings of the season.
This is not a “mid-major” roster; it is one that is the envy of most programs considered to be of higher esteem.
They’ve passed nearly every test put in front of them, and some would even say that a 66-63 (OT) loss at Arizona was much of a validation for this team’s capabilities than any of its wins. Statistically, the Bulldogs are among the two or three best teams in nearly every offensive category. They rebound the ball at an extremely high level defensive and despite their fast paced and high scoring offense, their defense numbers still show well.
Still, there are reservations about just how well a team coming out of the WCC can be prepared for the challenges brought on by the NCAA Tournament. By Selection Sunday, Gonzaga will have only played three Top 100 RPI opponents since the New Year, Saint Mary’s, Memphis and BYU. Lopsided wins won’t have prepped them for the crucial late clock moments against an upset minded seven or eight-seed at the conclusion of the tournament’s first weekend. But Mark Few knows this, as does the entire roster.
Saddled with talk and expectations of a deep tournament run, including the possibility of being the school’s first Final Four team, this group has prepped for this moment. They are not just a collection of system-led role players. They are talented, seasoned and driven like never before. Still, to some, they remain unproven.
With the roster that Few has assembled, there don’t seem to be many excuses lined up that carry weight. After all, no one likes a tease. It’s time for Gonzaga to return to the Sweet Sixteen and push through the inevitable adversity that they will face once there.
The time is now for Gonzaga to take of its Cinderella slippers, as the underdog story no longer applies to programs that recruit and win as prolific as Mark Few has.
