MORAGA, Calif. — After a dominant 74-64 victory over No. 20 Saint Mary’s on Saturday night, No. 1 Gonzaga will enter its final stretch with a legitimate chance to win out and enter the NCAA tournament with an unblemished record.
And still, those who question Gonzaga’s record, conference, opposition and ability will persist with their slights. Anything short of a Final Four berth — an unfair barometer for any program — will only magnify their criticism.
In the corridors of McKeon Pavilion, a building Saint Mary’s fans nearly tore down Saturday night, the Bulldogs acknowledged the doubters but dismissed their collective analysis.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Gonzaga senior center Przemek Karnowski, who finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. “I have my teammates. I have my coaches. And that’s all that matters. We work hard in little Spokane, Washington. We come to work every day. We try to get better every week. And that’s all that matters. Doesn’t matter what other people say. We had challenges this year. We met every challenge that was put in front of us, and that’s how we need to respond.”
Let’s omit school affiliation, the names on the jerseys and geographic origin for a moment.
Let’s just talk about talent.
Let’s say the starting 7-footer for a top-ranked college team once climbed NBA draft boards before a debilitating back injury ended his 2015-16 campaign, but now he’s back and more dangerous. On Saturday night, his backup — a talented freshman NBA scouts traveled to Northern California to see in his squad’s double-digit victory over its chief rival — came off the bench.
This squad’s starting power forward is a versatile, 6-foot-9 athlete — ranked 55th in the 2013 recruiting class, per RecruitingNation — who once entertained scholarship offers from Michigan State, Georgetown and Tennessee before he picked Missouri in more fruitful times for the SEC program. The team’s best player averaged 15.6 points per game in the Pac-12 two years ago. Another guard previously starred at Cal.
Now, let’s hypothetically drape this crew in North Carolina blue. Or Kentucky jerseys. What if they were the Arizona Wildcats, a team they beat earlier this season?
Perhaps the haters would reconsider the hot takes about Gonzaga then, such as the false attacks on their schedule (the Bulldogs have beaten Iowa State, Florida, Tennessee, Arizona and swept Saint Mary’s). They could knock off the knocks against the West Coast Conference, as if a Bulldogs program in eastern Washington that doesn’t field a football team could just join the Pac-12 tomorrow.
The Bulldogs can only handle the teams on their schedule. And they have, winning 22 of their 26 games by double digits this season.
With the college basketball world watching — College GameDay visited Saint Mary’s for the first time — Gonzaga dominated its greatest West Coast Conference rival for the second time this season.
Karnowski, the veteran who missed most of last season with a back injury, scored on his first six shots. Nigel Williams-Goss, who once starred for Washington before transferring to Gonzaga, added 14 points, despite missing a chunk of the first half due to foul trouble.
Johnathan Williams, a transfer from Missouri, finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and one steal. Zach Collins, the NBA prospect who wowed scouts with his touch on Saturday night, played just 16 minutes but added six points and three rebounds.
After Williams-Goss, Gonzaga’s top scorer, missed most of the first half with foul trouble and a tweaked ankle sidelined Karnowski just before halftime, Gonzaga did not stop. A 17-2 run turned a 23-23 matchup into a more lopsided event. Saint Mary’s rallied before halftime, but Gonzaga still led by nine points at the break.
Starting Gonzaga guards Jordan Mathews, the transfer from Cal, and Josh Perkins finished 1 for 8 combined. Mark Few’s squad adjusted.
“It just means, ‘Next guy up,’” Few said, “and we go with somebody.”
The combination of depth, skill and experience makes Gonzaga a problem for any opponent, now and in the postseason. But even after their 26-0 start, the Bulldogs won’t convince the doubters.
And they don’t care.
The Bulldogs know who they are. They know their capabilities.
And they also know it’s hard to start 26-0 in any league, against any slate.
That means something.
So they’ll push for a Final Four berth but won’t view the potential achievement as validation.
They’ll just continue to enjoy this special ride.
“We just try to keep the noise out,” Williams said, “and make sure our light shines brighter than the outside.”
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