All throughout this college basketball season, the doubters persisted. Yes, the Gonzaga Bulldogs were bulldozing their way through the competition, beating the likes of Arizona, Florida, Iowa State — and Saint Mary’s three times. But there were also games against Quinnipiac, Bryant and Mississippi Valley State — not to mention playing in the unheralded West Coast Conference.
This wasn’t the first time the Bulldogs entered the NCAA tournament with a flashy record (32-1 on Selection Sunday). And this was far from the first time Gonzaga had a team thought to be capable of making the Final Four, only to keep falling short. Why should this team be any different?
Saturday, the Zags forcefully proved they were with an 83-59 thumping of Xavier in the West Region final, a win that gave the program its first trip to the Final Four. It was a win that came courtesy of a disparate cast of characters: Mark Few, the dapper, mild-mannered coach who had presided over the program’s ascent into national consciousness; Przemek Karnowski, a burly, bearded center from Poland; Nigel Williams-Goss, Jordan Mathews and Johnathan Williams, transfers from Washington, California and Missouri respectively; and Zach Collins, a highly touted freshman expected to be a first-round pick in June’s NBA draft.
