Gonzaga zaps Xavier to take West Region crown
SAN JOSE, Calif. — 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 soft league competition from the 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. Yet it kept falling short. Why should this year be any different?
After an 83-59 thumping of Xavier in the West Region final, it turns out that it was. And the win 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 centre 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.
From the game’s opening moments, there was little doubt about its eventual outcome. Gonzaga built an early lead and methodically pulled away. As the final buzzer sounded, all that mattered to the wildly celebrating players and their fans was this: the final barrier to being considered a member of this sport’s hallowed elite had finally been overcome. Gonzaga is headed to the Final Four. The Bulldogs (36-1) are doing so after a dismantling of an opponent in Xavier (24-14) that had blazed its way to this point by routing Maryland and Florida State last weekend in Orlando, and then beating Arizona here Thursday night.
But the Musketeers’ magic was absent Saturday night. Williams-Goss expertly controlled the game, finishing with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists as he sliced his way into the heart of Xavier’s defence whenever he wanted. It was the same for Williams, who had 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting to go with eight rebounds.