Gonzaga pushing for 1st Final 4
As Gonzaga players hoisted shots during Wednesday’s practice in San Jose, many of them took aim at the basket with this message painted beyond the baseline, in bright white letters: “The Road to the Final Four.”
That’s the point of this NCAA Tournament West Regional, of course. One of the four teams gathered at SAP Center this week — Gonzaga, West Virginia, Arizona or Xavier — will advance to the Final Four outside Phoenix on April 1.
And a natural question for West Coast college basketball fans: Is it finally Gonzaga’s time?
The Bulldogs have become a
certified powerhouse in many ways, as any St. Mary’s fan knows. They are 185-29 over the past six seasons, with at least one NCAA Tournament victory every year — but no Final Four appearances.
This season somehow feels different. Gonzaga is 34-1, was ranked No. 1 in the nation for a stretch and landed a No. 1 regional seed for the second time. The Bulldogs lost only to Brigham Young on Feb. 25, and their long list of vanquished opponents includes Florida, Iowa State, Arizona (without Allonzo Trier), St. Mary’s three times and Northwestern.
Now the road becomes tougher. Gonzaga must conquer West Virginia’s smothering fullcourt press and then, potentially, Pac-12 champion Arizona. Only then would the program fill the one glaring, festering, frustrating hole in its armor.
Zags fans thirst for the Final Four, as point guard Nigel Williams-Goss learned soon after transferring from Washington.
“I was thinking about that the other day,” he said. “I just feel like more than anything, we would like to do it for the community and all the Zags fans across the country. They deserve it.
“They’ve been part of some great runs and fallen a little bit short. That’s never fun. They’re a huge motivation for me and our team to try to get to that Final Four and make everyone happy and proud.”
Skeptics still have reason to wonder about the Bulldogs entering Thursday’s regional semifinal. Their nonconference schedule was not overly challenging, and they marched through the WCC with little resistance.
Then, in Saturday’s second-round game, they struggled to put away Northwestern. Gonzaga ultimately won 79-73, helped in part by a blown non-call on a clear goaltending violation down the stretch, amid Northwestern’s spirited comeback attempt.
In other ways, though, these Bulldogs seem stronger than their accomplished predecessors. They boast serious depth, with five players averaging in double figures, led by Williams-Goss (16.7 points per game) and 7-foot center Przemek Karnowski (12.4).
Karnowski, a redshirt senior, was a member of the past four Gonzaga teams. All four won 28-plus games, but two lost in the second round of the tournament, another fell in the regional final and last year’s squad lost to Syracuse in the regional semis.
“There’s no different mind-set this year,” Karnowski said, “but I think this year we have a lot of weapons. There are guys (who) can hit threes. We have size inside. So if one thing isn’t going well for us, we can do a different thing and score off that.
“And at the same time, we play hard on defense. I think that’s been a huge difference-maker for us this year, as well.”
Or, as Williams-Goss said succinctly, “I just feel like we have all the pieces.”
The next step is handling West Virginia’s relentless pressure. The Mountaineers lead in the country in forcing turnovers (20.1 per game), so Williams-Goss and his teammates need to maintain their poise in Thursday’s opening game.
If they don’t, a spectacular season could come to a disheartening end. If they do, Gonzaga could move one step from its long-sought trip to college basketball’s marquee event.
The Final Four beckons, but it won’t be easy.
“I think teams in the past have felt that way, and we definitely feel that way,” shooting guard Jordan Mathews said. “Now we have to go out there and do it . ... It’s not like we’re looking at this as if it’s our time. We have to make it happen.”