Gonzaga Once Again Proved That They Are Overrated
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I think we are at a point where we can consider Gonzaga’s men’s basketball team a bit overrated.
I watched the games last night, obviously I focused mostly on the Villanova-Michigan game, but I flipped back and forth to the other games. Gonzaga-Arkansas started about a half an hour earlier than Michigan, so the later it got it that game, I paid a little closer attention. Gonzaga never seemed energized last night. From what I saw, I told my dad this, they looked like they thought they could just walk in the gym and win. Arkansas clearly had other plans. Arkansas looked ready to pounce. They also played like they had nothing to lose, which was true. Had they gotten beaten, people would have said of course. But, now that they won, they are the talk of the tournament. They earned the praise.
This seems to happen every single year with Gonzaga. They have wonderful teams that win in the high 20’s and only get beat once or twice during the regular season. They pull in top recruits every year. With the transfer portal as big as it is, they always seem to pull a few good dudes from there too. I’ve said it many times, Gonzaga is not Cinderella. They are a blue blood. They are a college basketball powerhouse. But they cannot find a way to win on the biggest stage. I assumed they had everything they needed to finally win a title this year. They got the top recruit. They got one of the top transfers. They had depth and experience. They played a tough non conference schedule. They played fast, good defense and could shoot from all five positions. But, again, they faltered on a big stage. This happened last season. They needed a miracle from Jalen Suggs in their final four game against UCLA just to make it to the title game. They then proceeded to get crushed by Baylor. But we can go all the way back to 2009 if you really want to take a deep dive. That year they made it to the Elite Eight, only to get beat by 21 to UNC. In 2010, Syracuse beat them by 22 in the Sweet Sixteen. 2011, BYU beat them in the second round by 22. In 2014 Arizona beat them by 23 in the second round. They got back to the Elite Eight in 2015, only to have Duke beat them by 13. In 2017 they made the title game for the first time, but UNC beat them by 6. They also barely beat a low seeded South Carolina team to make it to the title game. Then in 2018 FSU manhandled in the Sweet Sixteen. And Texas Tech took care of them in the Final Four in 2019.
This seems to be the way it is for Gonzaga. They have these great regular season teams, but they always find someway to fall short. And it’s not like they are losing close, heartbreaking games. They usually get destroyed on their way out. Even last night, while the Arkansas win was only by 6 on paper, it may as well have been 10-15. They just had no oomph. And I kind of like Gonzaga. I think Mark Few is a good coach. I grew my hair out like Adam Morrison back when I had hair. I loved Jalen Suggs’ one season there. That Nembhard kid is legit. Chet Holmgren is going to be a top 3 pick. But this team always finds a way to disappoint during March Madness. If I were a true fan, if this was how Michigan basketball performed every season, it would be so maddening.
I’m sure Gonzaga will be highly regarded again next season. I’m sure they’ll be a preseason top 5 team. I’m sure they’ll get top recruits and transfers. But I will not let them fool me again when I fill out my bracket. I promise that. It’s a bummer, but that’s the way it is. Until next season for Gonzaga yet again. Oh boy.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.