First two Final Four berths go west
Gonzaga makes Few mistakes in routing Xavier MIDWEST REGIONAL:
SAN JOSE >> The criticism dogged Gonzaga wherever it went, no matter how much it won.
The Zags run up their record by beating up on teams in a weak conference, then always seemed to come up short as the calendar went deep into March. Few outside of Spokane believed the program Mark Few helped build from scratch belonged in the national powerhouse conversation.
Overrated no more, Gonzaga finally headed to the Final Four.
The Zags took the pressure of history head on with a performance worthy of their No. 1 seed, rolling to a dominating 83-59 win over Xavier in the West Region final on Saturday that should silence those critics.
“Just an incredible feeling of elation and satisfaction,” Few said. “It’s been a long, hard journey to get this program here.”
Few and the Zags have won the West Coast Conference Tournament 16 times, been regulars in the NCAA Tournament since 1999, reached the Sweet 16 eight times.
The Final Four was the only missing piece to their resume.
The Zags (36-1) claimed their spot in Arizona and history with a superb all-around game, showing off their usual offensive efficiency while flexing the smothering type of defense that had previously been the chink in their armor.
Gonzaga made 12 of 24 shots from 3-point range after struggling the first three NCAA Tournament games. The Zags were No. 1 in defensive efficiency during the regular season and shut down the underdog and 11th-seeded Musketeers (24-14) to become the first WCC team to reach the Final Four in 60 years.
Nigel Williams-Goss scored 23 points while orchestrating Gonzaga’s efficient offense after struggling against West Virginia. Johnathan Williams added 19 points and is center Przemek Karnowski, who was still recovering from back surgery a year ago, created open perimeter looks with his deft passing out of the post.
Now the Zags are headed to the desert, where they’ll play the winner between South Carolina and Florida in next week’s Final Four.
“The Final Four doesn’t validate or discredit a season. It’s not an end-all, be-all,” Williams said. “Gonzaga has been a great program and we’re just happy to keep carrying the torch.”
The Musketeers brought their turn-the-page jar of ashes to the NCAA Tournament, where they burned through a string of upsets to reach their third Elite Eight and first since 2008.
Their bid for the program’s first Final Four ran into a buzz saw.
Xavier played well offensively early to hang with the Zags, giving super fan Bill Murray and the rest of their supporters a glimmer of hope.