If you don't think the Gonzaga Bulldogs deserve to be No. 1, that's OK by them
Since Gonzaga burst onto the national scene in 1999, it has made runs to the Elite Eight and Sweet 16, and put players in the NBA. Now it heads into the home stretch of this season with a No. 1 ranking.
As the ‘Zags get set for their last tough test of the regular season – Saturday at No. 20 Saint Mary’s (22-2, 12-1 WCC) – they know that there are still doubters. And they know they need one more accomplishment to get total respect: They need to get to a Final Four.
“It’s easy to stay grounded when you feel like you have the whole country doubting you,” junior point guard Nigel Williams-Goss said following Thursday's 90-60 win at Loyola Marymount. “We feel like we’ve got a lot of non-believers out there.”
“First of all, the depth,” the 7-foot-1, 300-pound Karnowski said. “Everyone comes in and can make impact on the game. The ninth, 10th, 11th guy can come in and they can play at the same level as the starting five.”
“I was in the Pac-12 when Arizona was No. 1 in the country,” he said. “Utah was Top 10 in the country when I was there. I’ve seen a lot of high-level programs. I feel like this is a really special, unique team.”
Head coach Mark Few isn’t worried about his team’s demeanor heading into the Saint Mary’s game, noting that Gonzaga has played in big games. He scoffed at the idea of the pressure ratcheting up if the 25-0 Bulldogs beat the final ranked opponent on their regular-season schedule.
“No [talk of going undefeated hasn’t affected us yet],” Few said. “In fact, I think they’ve just grown tired of it … I think the novelty of being undefeated and being No. 1 has kind of worn off and I think they’re focused on the task at hand.”
