Gonzaga wasn’t looking so powerful when it lost consecutive games to Oregon State and Santa Clara in mid-January.
But a strong finish helped restore order and the eighth-seeded Zags (25-8) are in solid form entering Thursday’s clash against ninth-seeded Georgia (20-12) in Midwest Region first-round play at Wichita, Kan.
If Gonzaga prevails in the battle between two schools that go by Bulldogs, it will have the opportunity to compete for its 10th straight Sweet 16 appearance.
The winner of this game likely faces top-seeded Houston, although 16th-seeded SIU Edwardsville will have something to say about that.
Gonzaga’s seed is its lowest since being a No. 11 in 2016. And yes, the Zags reached the Sweet 16.
Of course, this season, even Zags coach Mark Few wasn’t always sure his team would be part of the tournament.
“I hope for our fans, people that follow the program and stuff, that they understand after a year like this, nothing’s given to you,” Few said. “You earn your way into this tournament. That’s what makes it so special and such an awesome, awesome day to get your name called and see it flash up on the board.
“I think we’ve done it so many times that I think there’s a sense of entitlement around here. I hope they appreciate it after there were times this year where it probably looked like we weren’t going to make the tournament.”
The Zags went 11-2 after that bumpy stretch in mid-January, including defeating Saint Mary’s to win the West Coast Conference tournament and make their 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Only Kansas (35) and Michigan State (27) have longer streaks.
Gonzaga also extended its streak of 25-win seasons to 18, an NCAA record.
Point guard Ryan Nembhard leads the nation in assists per game (9.8) and has a total of 325 against just 76 turnovers. He averages 10.8 points per game.
Graham Ike excels up front with team-best averages of 17.1 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Georgia is battle-tested from being part of a strong Southeastern Conference that put 14 teams into the tourney.
“We got a really tough opponent,” Few said. “When you’re in that 8-9 game you know you’re gonna have that.”
Georgia is part of the field for the first time since 2015. Coach Mike White took over a down-and-out 6-26 program and got the Bulldogs into the tournament in his third season.
“A great accomplishment for our program and this team,” White said. “Georgia is dancing. We’ve got more basketball ahead of us, so it’s a great day. … We’re fired up and ready to get to work.”
The Bulldogs got off to a 14-2 start before running into problems during SEC play. But a late-season victory over Florida — which earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA field — started a four-game winning streak that assured Georgia would be part of March Madness.
Big man Asa Newell — a player Few said Gonzaga recruited hard — has excelled as a freshman with team-best averages of 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds. Silas Demary Jr. leads the backcourt with team-leading marks of 56 3-point baskets and 54 steals to go with a 13.4 scoring average.
“It’s come together,” White said. “We came to Georgia to rebuild and to get Georgia to a tournament, and it’s special. We’re going to celebrate this spring though, and we’re going to prepare for Gonzaga.”‘
This is the first meeting between the teams since Gonzaga recorded an 88-76 win in the NIT Season Tipoff in New York in November 2014. The Zags have won three of the five all-time meetings.
–Field Level Media
