By Sandeep Chandok
History was going to be made regardless of who won the Elite Eight matchup between Gonzaga and Xavier, but for the Musketeers — they will have to wait another year to find Final Four fame.
Gonzaga handled the Musketeers 83-59 to advance to its program’s first national semifinal.
For the Bulldogs (36-1), they are just the fifth team ever from the West Coast Conference and the first in 60 years to secure a spot in the Final Four. The last team was the University of San Francisco in 1957.
“Awesome performance by the guys tonight,” said Gonzaga head coach Mark Few. “[It’s] just been an incredible feeling of elation and satisfaction that. It’s been a long, hard journey to get this program here.”
Despite being a West Coast powerhouse, Gonzaga had long been disregarded as a preeminent team because it had never progressed passed the Elite Eight and does not face competition like Duke, Kansas or UCLA which play top-tier teams all season long.
But now, according to Few, one win has changed the school’s persona as recruiting and community support will only evolve from here on out.
“This was a culture win and a culture statement and [I] couldn’t be prouder,” Few said.
Three Bulldogs made the West Regional All-Tournament Team: Jordan Mathews, Nigel Williams-Goss and Johnathan Williams. Coincidentally, all three transferred from power-five schools with Mathews coming from UC Berkeley, Williams-Goss from Washington and Williams from Missouri. All three also sat last season due to the NCAA transfer rule.
Williams was named the Most Outstanding Player of the West Region and finished Saturday’s game with 19 points on 8-12 shooting, snatching eight boards and swatting three shots to top it off.
“As far as my situation, like sitting out a whole year. Coming from a losing program and now making it to the Final Four — it’s incredible,” Williams said.
Williams isn’t the only Bulldog who’s had hiccups along the way as fifth-year senior Przemek Karnowski has had quite the journey himself.
Karnowski came from Poland to America, appeared in just five games last season because of a season-ending back injury and now has played in his 11th NCAA Tournament game, a Gonzaga record.
“I’m just really happy. I’ve never been to the third week of the Madness,” Karnowski said. “I really appreciate all the support I get from people from Poland.”
Gonzaga now awaits the winner of the East Regional Elite Eight matchup between South Carolina and Florida at 2:20 p.m.
The Final Four will tip off April 1 in Phoenix, Ariz.
