Running out of excuses to 'hate' on Zags

With Gonzaga now just one win away from winning its first national championship, the detractors are starting to run low on ammunition.

About all that’s left is to claim the Zags had a way-too-easy road to the title game.

So far, Gonzaga has beaten a No. 16 seed (South Dakota State), No. 8 (Northwestern), No. 11 (Xavier), No. 4 (West Virginia) and No. 7 (South Carolina).

So yes, but ...

... It’s not Gonzaga’s fault Villanova, the defending national champion and No. 1 seed in the East Region, stumbled in the second round vs. No. 8 Wisconsin.

It’s not the Zags’ fault Duke, the No. 2 seed in the East, couldn’t get past No. 7 South Carolina in the second round (as it turned out, a lot of teams couldn’t get past the upstart Gamecocks).

In the top-seeded Zags’ own West Region, it’s not Gonzaga’s fault No. 2 seed Arizona couldn’t beat No. 11 Xavier in the regional semifinals. Nor is it the Zags’ problem No. 3 seed Florida State got pummeled by 25 points by Xavier in the second round.

GONZAGA AVOIDED another No. 1 seed when Kansas lost in the Midwest Region final. But it’s not the Zags’ fault Kansas, playing in its own backyard, couldn’t beat No. 3 Oregon in the regional final. Or that Louisville, the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, couldn’t beat No. 7 Michigan in the second round.

In the title game, the Zags will face another No. 1 seed North Carolina, which beat Oregon. The Tar Heels beat a No. 2 seed, Kentucky, in the regional final. The No. 3 seed was UCLA, which lost to Kentucky in the regional semis.

The reality is, the Zags played the seeds they were supposed to play through the first three rounds. It only got “easier” when Arizona, hoping for a chance to avenge an early season loss to Gonzaga, couldn’t beat Xavier.

And South Carolina won a regional where the top six seeds were Villanova, Duke, Baylor, Florida, Virginia and SMU.

Baylor got hammered by 20 points by South Carolina. Florida lost to South Carolina (the East Coast USC) in the regional final. Virginia was bounced by 26 points by Florida in the second round. SMU lost in the first round to (West Coast) USC, a play-in winner.

I GUESS another arrow people can sling is that playing in the West made it easier for the Zags, which might have some merit in that there would be more Gonzaga fans in the house in Arizona than if the tourney was, say, in New Orleans or Florida.

As for the team itself, what site it flies to shouldn’t matter too much. Once the Zags hop on the plane, they go where the plane goes. It’s not like they’re carpooling, or jumping in vans for the 1,400-mile drive to the Phoenix area (though the miles do fly by during those stretches of interstate where the posted speed limit is 80).

ONE LAST thing.

Been reading a lot lately about “Spo-Zags” and “Spo-Vegas”, as if the Zags belong only to Spokane.

Wrong.

Many folks in Coeur d’Alene and elsewhere in North Idaho are big-time Zags fans. Some are even lucky enough to get into the building for Gonzaga home games; the rest take advantage of a relatively short jaunt to Las Vegas to root on the Zags at the West Coast Conference tournament.

So, if the Zags do manage to get it done Monday night, that roar you will hear will come not just from Spokane, but from North Idaho as well.

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.