Don’t let loss detract from Few’s record
For years, Mark Few’s unprecedented run of success had earned well-deserved praise from every corner of college basketball despite a focus on what was missing: Gonzaga’s first national championship.
The quest continues for Few and the Bulldogs after Monday night’s 86-70 loss to Baylor in the championship game. Instead of earning a place in history as the first unbeaten men’s Division I team since Indiana in 1976, Gonzaga suffered its second loss in the national championship game in the past four men’s NCAA Tournaments.
That shouldn’t detract from what Few has achieved in his more than 20 years as Gonzaga’s head coach. Even without a national championship on his résumé, Few is poised to become the defining figure for the next generation of coaches as the retirement of former Kansas and North Carolina coach Roy Williams kicks off a changing of the guard in the profession.
These numbers help tell the story:
83.4%
No coach in men’s history has won games at a higher clip than Few, who is 630-125 (83.4%) since taking over with the Bulldogs in 1999.
92.1%
That winning percentage soars to a Division I-best 92.1% (164-14) since the start of the 2016-17 season.
91.3%
Gonzaga has won 91.3% of its games in the last four seasons, the highest four-year winning percentage of any team since UCLA won 94.2% of its games from 1972 to 1975.
366
The Bulldogs lead Division I with 366 wins since the start of the 2010-11 season, recently pulling away from Kansas (353 wins), Duke (342) and Kentucky (339).
133, 132, 130, 129, 127
Gonzaga’s 133 wins from 2017 to 2020 are tied for the second most in a fouryear span in Division I history. The 132 wins from 2015 to 2018 are tied for the third most. The 130 wins from 2016 to 2019 are tied for fifth. The 129 wins from 2014 to 2017 are tied for sixth. And the 127 wins since 2018 are tied for seventh.
30
Gonzaga is the only team in Division I history to win at least 30 games in five straight seasons, an active streak that began in 2016-17. Under Few, the Bulldogs have won 30 or more in seven of the past eight seasons, 29 games on three other occasions and 28 games another three times.
25
Gonzaga has won at least 25 games in each of the past 15 seasons, the longest active streak and tying for the longest in Division I history.
21
Few has led the program to 21 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, an NCAA record to begin a coaching career, while Gonzaga’s 22 straight appearances overall is the third-longest active streak in the country.
8
Few is the only coach in Division I history with two streaks of eight straight conference championships.