Zags shufflin' off to Buffalo

Matt Bouldin's reaction to the NCAA tournament selection committee sending Gonzaga to Buffalo, N.Y., as a No. 8 seed?

"It's far," said the senior guard.

And far from desirable.

Despite yet another West Coast Conference regular-season title, a 13-3 nonconference record against a schedule of national powers and an NCAA regional being staged minutes away from campus at Spokane Arena this week, the Bulldogs (26-6) will travel across the country to face ninth-seeded Florida State (22-9) on Friday in the first round of their 12th consecutive NCAA tournament.

It's the price Gonzaga is paying for losing in the finals of the WCC tournament to Saint Mary's. That apparently cost the Bulldogs any chance for a favorable draw - anywhere.

Their potential reward should they get past the Seminoles in Buffalo: Syracuse, the top seed in the West region. The Orange will be playing down the road from home Friday against Vermont.

"I knew the loss to Saint Mary's would hurt us, but I didn't know exactly (how)," Bouldin said.

To further chafe Gonzaga followers, their cross-state rivals are thrilled. Pac-10 tournament champion Washington is an 11th seed in the East region in its second consecutive tournament. The surging Huskies (24-9) will meet sixth-seeded Marquette (22-11) down the coast in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday.

"They going to fly, or drive?" Marquette coach Buzz Williams joked of the Huskies while on the phone Sunday night from Milwaukee.

His city is a five-hour flight away from San Jose.

"I think anytime you play on the West Coast against a team from the Pac-10, you are the underdog," Williams said.

Washington rallied with seven straight wins and 12 victories in their final 14 games, including Saturday's race past California, the Pac-10's regular-season champion. The Huskies had spent January and February wondering how they could possibly make the field of 65, after plummeting to the bottom of the conference standings.

"Six weeks ago we didn't have a whole lot of people thinking we would be playing against anybody (in the NCAAs)," said coach Lorenzo Romar, who is going to the tournament for the fifth time in his eight seasons leading Washington. "We don't care where we go. We don't care who we play. We're ready."

A few hundred fans were inside a conference room at Husky Stadium for the announcement of the bid Romar's team clinched Saturday with the win over Cal. The Golden Bears (23-10) got the Pac-10's other bid as a No. 8 seed in the South region.

One fan hoping the NCAA would renew a recently discontinued rivalry held a sign behind the seated Huskies that read: "We want the Zags." Groans and a boos filled the room when Gonzaga was announced early as heading to Buffalo.

The Huskies wanted no part of that trip. They are delighted to be going to the Bay Area. Washington had a chance to go across the state to play Friday and possibly Sunday in Spokane, but that would have been a bit too much catering to an 11th seed.

"Beggars can't be choosers when it comes to getting in the NCAA tournament," Romar said.

Then he added with a wry smile of being placed in the Bay Area, "It doesn't hurt us, that's for sure. ... Given the fact we are an 11th seed, we can't complain at all with going to San Jose."

Gonzaga coach Mark Few preached to his players to appreciate the special opportunity of playing in the NCAA tournament - even if, as he predicted to the team after one practice a few days ago, it's in Buffalo.

"I mean, what a blessing just to be invited. North Carolina, UCLA, UConn, Arizona not going to watch the selection show together with their teams (Sunday) shows you how exclusive a group it is that's selected," Few said.

Gonzaga and Florida State have never met. The Seminoles entered the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament as a third seed with a 10-6 league record, then lost on Friday in the quarterfinals to North Carolina State.

Washington has met Marquette twice but not since 1978. The Huskies have lost both previous matchups.

The guard-oriented Golden Eagles have a center who is just 6-foot-6 in Lazar Hayward. He leads them in scoring at 18.1 points. They lost to a bigger Georgetown team 80-57 in the Big East semifinals last week. It was Marquette's first double-digit loss this season.

Georgetown beat Washington on Dec. 12 in Anaheim, Calif. That was part of the Huskies losing seven consecutive games away from home and falling out of the national rankings midway through their uneven season.

But Washington enters the NCAAs having won its last seven games away from Seattle.