GONZAGA BOUND FOR FINAL FOUR
The Bulldogs win the West Regional, routing 11th-seeded Xavier 83-59 in San Jose, Calif. The West’s top seed and a longtime national power, Gonzaga (36-1) will be playing in the Final Four for the first time.
san jose, calif.» The criticism dogged Gonzaga wherever it went, no matter how much it won.
The Bulldogs run up their record by beating up on teams in a weak conference, then come up short as the calendar went deep into March. Few outside of Spokane, Wash., believed the program Mark Few helped build from scratch belonged in the national powerhouse conversation.
Overrated no more, Gonzaga is finally headed to the Final Four.
The Bulldogs 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 Regional 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 Bulldogs have won the West Coast Conference Tournament 16 times, been regulars in the NCAA Tournament since 1999 and reached the Sweet 16 eight times. The Final Four was the only missing piece.
The Bulldogs (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 Bulldogs 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 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 Bulldogs are headed to the desert, where they’ll play the winner between South Carolina and Florida in next Saturday’s Final Four.
“The Final Four doesn’t validate or discredit a season. It’s not an end-all, beall,” 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.