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It may be time to jump on the Gonzaga bandwagon

BY Tom Tangney  on February 26, 2013 @ 7:45 am (Updated: 8:08 am - 2/26/13 )

AP: 4fc751ac-c013-4dc0-9812-531425f2fd4f
Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk scores against San Francisco during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
"March madness" is just around the corner, when all the best college basketball teams compete in the NCAA tournament.

Unfortunately, University of Washington fans have had a dismal season and won't make the tournament unless they pull a string of shocking upsets and actually win the Pac 10 tournament. That's not going to happen.

WSU Cougar fans have even less to cheer about. They have an even worse record than the Huskies.

But basketball fans in this state do have a team with a bandwagon worth climbing onto: the 27-2 Gonzaga Bulldogs.

The Jesuit school based in Spokane have just made school history by being ranked #2 in the country in the latest AP poll.

Gonzaga's been good for about a decade now but they've never been this good, or this highly ranked.

This may not be the end, "Gonzaga will be at the top of the AP poll at the end of the regular season." That wasn't a Gonzaga homer talking, that's Fox Sports' Reid Forgrave.

He realizes Gonzaga has its doubters. "I know the west coast conference is not a power conference but their conference schedule is very difficult. They beat four Big 12 teams. Their only real loss was to a, at that time, streaking Illinois team. I see them as not just having the best front court of all the mid-majors I see them as having the best front court in the nation."

CBS Basketball analyst Jay Bilas agrees - Gonzaga has a great, great big man in Kelly Olynyk. "A seven-footer, he's from Toronto. They call it the "Olynyk Clinic" that he's putting on. He's playing great, averaging 18 points per game. He's got one of the biggest field goal percentages in the country, shooting close to 70 percent effective field goal percentage and his efficiency is just off the charts," Bilas said. "There really isn't a better big man in the country."

If you have the best big man in the country , you can go far in the Tournament. And Forgrave says Gonzaga has great team chemistry too.

I think a #1 ranking for Gonzaga is within the realm of possibility, especially since Indiana has a tough couple of final games.

If getting on the Gonzaga bandwagon makes you uncomfortable, you might want to take comfort in the fact that Gonzaga has not only never made it to the final four, it's never made it past the Sweet 16 and has lost in the 2nd round the last 3 years.

Tom Tangney, KIRO Radio Host
Tom Tangney is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle's Morning News and resident enthusiast of...everything. He loves books, movies, TV, art, pop culture, politic, sports, and Husky football.
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Comments (11)


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  • cycle wrote...
    a good team
    February 26, 2013 7:37 am
    The Zags are deep and good but they play in a very week conference and that's not their fault. It is just not very strong this year. Now if the played in the ACC or Big 10 they would have more than two losses for sure. Being a number 1 seed might be bad as there will be no going under the radar once the tournament starts and the Zags haven't had a tough game since Butler. The beauty of March Madness this year is that it is wide open. Probably see a 16 knock off a 1 for the first time.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    Saint Mary's is weak ? BYU is weak ???
    February 26, 2013 4:12 pm
    BTW, a 'week' conference would be the Big Ten. You never know week to week who is in the driver seat.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Burn_Notice wrote...
    Why would it make someone "Uncomfortable"?
    February 26, 2013 8:10 am
    Seattle media pays almost no attention to Gonzaga or anything east of the Cascades for that matter; never has and never will. University of Gonzaga is excellent in all aspects and their basketball program is merely an emissary of their success.

    GO ZAGS!!!!!!!!!

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    I'm a Zag Fan BUT
    March 2, 2013 4:49 pm
    This team certainly doesn't impress me.A quick team should beat them in the tourney
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Walliworld wrote...
    PAC-10???
    February 26, 2013 10:56 am
    Tom it's the PAC-12.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • awbitf wrote...
    Tom doesn't actually follow sports, just headlines
    February 26, 2013 12:41 pm
    makes you wonder why he got tasked with writing about the Bulldogs. Gonzaga deserves more respect from this media site than their Movie and Entertainment reporter.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • GonzagaAlumni wrote...
    Mr. Tangney, your facts are inaccurate
    February 26, 2013 11:58 am
    Mr. Tangney, Gonzaga has indeed made it past the Sweet Sixteen. They went to the Elite Eight back in the 1998-1999 season, where they lost to the eventual champion that year, UConn. (reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzaga_Bulldogs_men%27s_basketball, and I am also an alumni who was a freshmen at that time.) Additionally, why would supporting Gonzaga, a Washington State team, be uncomfortable? That makes no sense. In past tournaments, when Gonzaga was out and either UW or WSU was still in, I still supported the remaining Washington State team(s). Why would it be any different for Gonzaga? Respectfully, A Gonzaga alumni and fan
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  • ron prevost wrote...
    It's Mark Few who's never gotten Gonzaga past the Sweet Sixteen
    February 26, 2013 4:19 pm
    In fairness, some people think he's been there forever, but 1999-2000 was his first head coaching season.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Country_Dog wrote...
    Tangney
    March 2, 2013 10:38 am
    never writes anything that can't win him invites to fancy parties with snobby elites. He knows nothing of basketball and doesn't even watch it during the year. He must know some snobbish boor who is having a party that he wants to go to who is an alumni or something.

    I bet Tangney can't even point out Spokane on a map since he has no clue what is outside of the uppity Seattle boundaries.

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  • Zagnut wrote...
    The Zags took care of business and Duke beat Miami.
    March 2, 2013 4:57 pm
    The little school that could will be ranked #1 in the nation Monday morning.

    Eat your heart out Romar.

    How's that "national" schedule working out for you?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Idocalex wrote...
    Olynyk...from Toronto?
    March 3, 2013 12:02 am
    I think he was from Vancouver?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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