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THE FRONT ROW WITH MARK NELKE: March 16, 2014

| March 16, 2014 9:00 PM

Call it March Mellowness.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs will find out today where they're headed for the NCAA men's basketball tournament starting later this week.

There may be some grumbling over their seed, or where they are sent, but maybe not.

Then, barring something unusual, the Zags will be eliminated from the tournament, either this weekend or next, and, no matter how long or short their tourney run is, their supporters will shrug "Oh, well," enjoy the good times and then turn their attention to something else - like the Mariners.

Who's got it better than the Zags?

WHEN THEY win, it's hailed as a great victory. When they lose, there's usually an excuse - injuries, or they got caught short at a certain position because someone transferred and/or left early. Or whatever. It's OK.

People wonder why coach Mark Few doesn't leave for a "higher-profile" job. Why would he? Not only is this a pretty nice area for someone who enjoys fishing and other outdoor activities, and you don't have to attack the freeway like you're a NASCAR driver, there's almost no groundswell of grumbling when a season perhaps ends sooner than it should.

As long as Few keeps bringing in talented, lovable players who continue to entertain the sold-out crowds at the McCarthey Athletic Center, and the Zags keep ripping off WCC regular-season and tournament titles like pages from a daily calendar, he can stay here until they name the court after him - and even beyond that.

DON'T GET me wrong - 16 straight trips to the NCAA tournament is an incredible accomplishment - no matter which league you're in. Then again, it's not exactly like the NCAA bids have been divvied up among every team in the West Coast Conference in recent years. Gonzaga, Saint Mary's and, the last couple of years, BYU, have been it. Maybe a San Diego here and there.

That said, Gonzaga probably should challenge for the league title every year - the Bulldogs have many of the league's best players. Look at the rosters of the other WCC schools, and you'd be hard-pressed to find more than maybe one or two players on each team that could even make the Gonzaga team, much less start. Maybe a couple more on the better teams, but that's about it.

On the other hand, Gonzaga has enough talent where its top players don't have to do everything - they can just do their thing within the framework of the offense.

Not to name names, but several Zags could put up better numbers at other WCC schools, where they might be "the guy." The drawback is they would be asked to do everything - bring the ball up against pressure, get the ball to someone else for the final shot, or have to take it themselves. And, often while double- or triple-teamed. Here, they can be just one of several options.

Gonzaga's top recruits picked the Zags over schools like Michigan and UCLA. Can't believe there's too many players in the WCC who spurned the Zags to play at another league school. And there's been more than a few players that might have wanted to play at Gonzaga, but went elsewhere in the league for more playing time - and carved out nice little college careers there.

You can get kicked out of the Gonzaga Booster Club for referring to the Zags as a "mid-major," so no one has done that for years. Their fans almost feel more comfortable when their team is a lower seed in the NCAAs, so they ought to be far less worried this year, seeded somewhere in the No. 7 range.

Last year, earning a No. 1 seed after being ranked No. 1 in the country was enough to cause a certain amount of angst among the faithful. And of course, when the Zags lost on the first weekend, to Wichita State, their fans could justify it - the Shockers, after all, went on to reach the Final Four.

OF COURSE, it could be worse. Try being a fan of, say, Oregon State, perennial NCAA qualifiers in the 1980s, being ranked as high as No. 1 and advancing as far as the regional finals during that decade.

But the Beavers haven't made it to the NCAAs since 1990, which is almost hard to do, especially in a "power" conference. And there's little to suggest OSU will break through anytime soon.

At other places, coaches who have guided their teams to the national title game are asked to leave once their teams stop reaching Final Fours.

At Gonzaga, who knows what would happen if this run of NCAA appearances is interrupted by the occasional NIT bid - or worse. My guess is the local faithful will find a way to be OK with that as well.

In any event, pardon me for daring to rock the Good Ship Zags. Maybe this absolute love is the way it should be everywhere, but it doesn't appear to be - if Team X is a Final Four team, but instead goes out in the first weekend, or goes more than a decade between Elite Eight appearances, the natives start to get restless.

But not here. It's just pretty nice that, at Gonzaga, they can have it both ways.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.