Zags back, hoping for one more win
BOISE, Idaho – A handful of players from Gonzaga’s history-making Final Four team have moved on.
As a program, though, the Zags are right where they expect to be: In the tournament, playing well and, as always, a threat to stick around for a while.
Gonzaga is in March Madness for the 20th straight time, making it only the sixth program to accomplish that. Hoops fans have heard of the others: Kansas, North Carolina, Arizona, Duke, Michigan State.
Despite losing four of their top five scorers, including lottery pick Zach Collins, to the NBA and other corners of pro basketball, the Bulldogs (30-4) rolled through the 2017-18 season, winning their conference regular-season and tournament titles en route to a No. 4 seed in the West. Their path to the program’s second Final Four starts Thursday against 13th-seeded UNCGreensboro (27-7), which last made the tournament in 2001, when Gonzaga was in Year 3 of its current streak.
“Gonzaga is basically, like, almost an ideal blueprint for what a mid-major program aspires to be,” Spartans forward Jordy Kuiper says.
Part of the sustained success involves not taking anything from granted, especially this time of year.
Junior guard Josh Perkins has been harping on the mantra “Little things matter in March” – a nod to the notion that every rebound and every loose ball could be the difference between going home early and getting to San Antonio for the Final Four.
“We’re heading into the tournament with a little chip on our shoulder because of memories of last year,” senior Silas Melson said, referencing the 71-65 loss to North Carolina in the final. “I wouldn’t say it’s a burden. It’s more motivation than anything.”
Coach Mark Few said he has walked the fine line between using last year – when the Zags finally made the Final Four after years of close calls – as fuel, without putting the burdens of the close call on a team that is fundamentally different.
“I needed to take a step back and be fair to them,” Few said. “Holding them to the standard of last year’s team, it was probably very unfair for a couple of months there. I reached the point in January or February where I backed off and let them be who they are. They’ve definitely thrived with that.”