THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE, Nov. 16, 2014

Every year, it seems, it's the same old, same old.

Lots of optimism for the lovable Zags, people puffing their chests when the lovables knock off a big name or two in the preseason, maybe scratching their heads when the Zags lose a road game in the West Coast Conference to a team that plays out of its minds against Gonzaga, then reverts to its normal level of mediocrity against the rest of the conference peons.

Then the Zags romp through the WCC tournament, making their fans doubly happy (remember, they also got to spend several March days in Las Vegas).

Then comes the NCAA tournament, where they win a game, then bow out to a team that was either a) more talented, b) outworked them, or c) just had one of those nights.

However it went down, their fans shrug, say oh well, and get ready for spring. If anybody thought the Zags may have underachieved, well, they kept it to themselves.

THIS YEAR?

As each new player surfaced in the Zags program (Wiltjer, Wesley, Sabonis, etc.), the "wows" from supporters got louder. And with most of Gonzaga's good players returning, they appear to have an embarrassment of riches as far as talent goes.

The national guys have been tripping over themselves in praise of the Zags. Sports Illustrated has them reaching the Sweet 16, which would be an improvement over recent years.

One guy from ESPN picked the Zags to win the national title.

OK, I know the recent sub-freezing spell is starting to get to us, but let's calm down here.

Still, there's reason for the hype.

Gonzaga starts two senior guards. Not only are they senior guards, they have both played extensively since they were freshmen. Not many "elite" teams start two senior guards - or two seniors at all.

At other "elite" programs, by the time those guys would be seniors, they would be in their second or third season in the NBA. At Gonzaga, they are still in college.

And in an era where you wonder how good the other "elite" teams might have been if all their guys had stayed, you usually don't have to wonder that at Gonzaga.

SCORING HAS never been a problem at Gonzaga. This year, the Zags can bring in scorers to replace scorers. Their subs would be starters, if not stars, on any other WCC team. If it turns out they also have toughness, look out.

Gonzaga's nonconference schedule isn't quite as brutal - it doesn't look like an SEC football schedule, as it has in past seasons. And the Zags should again romp through the conference, and the tournament, leaving us to the same-old question again - how will they do in the NCAAs?

Despite their rousing success, and the claims they are an "elite" team, the Zags have never made it to a Final Four, and their only Elite Eight appearance came in the first year of this amazing run, in 1999.

But in the big picture, it's hard to really find fault with a team that has made 16 straight trips to the NCAAs. It could be argued that, given their conference, they SHOULD make it every year, but you still have to be good enough to navigate the league - and if it were that easy, other teams would do it too.

Some say you win in the NCAAs with future pros. And, despite the Zags' success at the college level, you don't see a whole lot of them tearing it up in the NBA.

Still, you would think a program that has pretty much all its players for four years would eventually prevail over the programs that have to rely on the one-and-dones and the two-and-outs.

Perhaps this is that season.

In any event, whatever happens to the Zags - Final Four, Sweet 16, out in the first weekend again - it will be perceived as OK by the Inland Northwest faithful.

And that's an unconditional love that isn't seen in every program.

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