Gonzaga has made the last 17 NCAA tournaments, which is tied for the sixth-longest streak in history and, amazingly, islonger than any streakJohn Wooden put togetherat UCLA. But heres the rub: Despite being a top-four seed six times during that stretch, the Zags have made exactly one regional final, back in 1999, the first year of their run.
Since then, its been March disappointment over March disappointment. The teams of Mark Few have somehow never advanced past the Sweet 16. Since 2002, the team is 12-13 in the tournament with just two second-weekend appearances againstfive losses to lower-seeded teams. In the fouryears Gonzaga has had a top-three seed, they have a pedestrian 5-4 record. In short, Gonzaga is the definition of an NCAA tournament bust.
(Getty Images)
Thats why Sundays performance against Iowa was so impressive. It was clear, decisive and dominant. A No. 2 seed making the Sweet 16 ordinarily wouldnt be cause for cheer, but it is for the Zags, who havent been this far since 2009. Gonzaga was actually on a five-year streak of second-round exits. Getting over the mental hump, however much it affected the team or not, is a major step in the right direction.
Getting UCLA in the Sweet 16 wont hurt either. The Bruins have played good basketball in two wins over SMU and UAB, but entered the tournament with a 20-13 record,a 3-8 record over teams in the NCAA field and their best win over a team ranked No. 20 in the RPI. The old Gonzaga might be expected to lose thisgame, which will be played sometime Friday night. But with just a little momentum, even if it only cameagainst North Dakota St. and Iowa, the Zags feel like heavy favorites to advance to their first Elite Eight since the start of this epic tournament streak.
(Getty Images)
Does Gonzaga have the firepower to make the Final Four? The team has two losses on the year, one of which came in overtime to Arizona, a team many consider the non-Kentucky favorite to win it all. They certainly have the good to do it. The winner of Duke or Utah would await in the Elite Eight, so Gonzaga willhave to trulyearn its first Final Four berth. But maybe, just maybe, this is the year for Mark Fews team. Thats been the hopein almost every year since 1999. This time, it might actually come true.
(AP)
Sports news worth sharing!Get the latest from FTW in your feed.
Source: http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/03/gonzaga-ncaa-tournament-mark-few-history-bust-sweet-16-ucla
No comments:
Post a Comment