Gonzaga has made nineteen consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. In all of those years, they have never reached a Final Four. Finally, they have put years of heartbreak behind them and broken the glass ceiling. Now, they will face South Carolina in the Final Four in Phoenix. For some reason, there were a lot of people rooting against the Zags because “they don’t deserve the praise.” That is a dumb opinion based in the fact that they hail from the West Coast Conference. Gonzaga is without a doubt one of the four best teams in the country and deserves this bid. There is more to be happy about than simply the fact that they have proven this, though.
1. Learning about Mark Few’s hidden talents
Following the blow-out victory over Xavier in the Elite 8, Gonzaga was LIT in the locker room. And for good reason. This is their first Final Four appearance in program history. At the center of the party was the Zags coach, Mark Few, doing a handstand in the middle of the huddle. He not only got up, but he held it for more than a second. I don’t know about you, but I think that shit is impressive. I certainly can’t do that. It made me think, what if Gonzaga wins it all? What will Few do then? Will he go full-on b-boy? Maybe he will shoot himself out of a cannon. Possibly, he will show off his base jumping hobby by landing on midcourt of University of Phoenix Stadium.
2. More Karnowski
Przemek Karnowski has been some of the biggest talk during this year’s tournament. Standing at 7’1″ and 300 pounds, his overwhelming size and his thick, manly beard have landed him the nickname “Mountain Man.” Whether because they wanted to give him a nickname, or because his first name is a bear to pronounce, he now has the best nickname in college basketball. Also, his back to the basket scoring ability is amongst the best in the nation. Watch this highlight tape. There are three things specifically I want to point out. First, chicken is his favorite professional basketball team. Second, his left-handed hook shot currently sits at 100% for his career (fake stat). Third, his passing ability out of the post. Each is more entertaining than the one before it.
3. The Bilastrator’s beard
At the beginning of the season, a Twitter account with the handle @KarnowskisBeard made a bet with Jay Bilas. It said that if the Zags made it to the Final Four, then Jay Bilas would have to grow a beard similar to Karnowski’s. The video below is Jay Bilas accepting this bet.
So @JayBilas has accepted the challenge from @KarnowskisBeard – he will grow a beard a la @PKarnowski if @ZagMBB makes the Final Four. pic.twitter.com/taa39dXOcU
— Darnay Tripp (@DarnayTripp) December 3, 2016
Now that the Zags have officially made it past the regional round of the tournament, Bilas has to pay up and he is excited. We should be equally excited to see how big Bilas goes with paying this bet. Imagine Jay Bilas on the air with a beard as voluptuous as Karnowski’s. That would be must-see TV. I guess all we can do is wait and see.
The Bilastrator's beard will be GLORIOUS. https://t.co/ISZp5krxlt
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) March 26, 2017
4. They are this year’s Cinderella
It isn’t usual that a one seed can be a Cinderella in the tournament. Saying Gonzaga is a Cinderella team isn’t exactly a sizzling take, though. Again, they hail from the West Coast Conference. A non-Power Conference team hasn’t been to the Final Four since the 2013 version of Wichita State. Overall, only six non-Power Conference teams have made it to the Final Four since 2000. For years, people have written off Gonzaga because of their week conference play and their perennially embarrassing strength of schedule. This year, they finally beat it. Finally, they proved that their talent is more important than the conference they come from and the teams they beat. They have proven all the doubters wrong and made it to the Final Four even though they play San Diego twice a year. Gonzaga is Cinderella, and finally, the shoe might fit.