While the Gonzaga Bulldogs have emerged as one of college basketball's powerhouses, there's a notable absence in their resume: a national championship. Mark Few's squad has been to the championship game once (last season), only to get trounced by Baylor. It's like Italy and soccer (only Italy actually won the World Cup), where the Azzurri are prone to missing the World Cup carelessly.
A similar fate happened today, as Arkansas defeated Gonzaga, 74-68. The Zags had no answer for JD Notae, who had 21 points, six rebounds, and six assists. This has been a recurring theme for the WCC powerhouse, who were pickpocketed so many times today. It also brings up the question: will Gonzaga EVER win a championship with Mark Few?
The Zags have been the beneficiaries of not playing in a Power 6 conference. Instead of playing the likes of Duke, Kansas, and Villanova, they play... Pepperdine and an above-average Saint Mary's squad. They might get the upstart BYU Cougars and San Francisco Dons. But that's it. As a result, the Bulldogs get exposed by Power 6 teams and end up getting bounced early in the tournament.
The one thing that seems to beat Few's squads is turnovers. Arkansas hung 15 on the Zags today, giving no looks for the Bulldogs. Throw in some solid shooting from Notae, and you have the typical recipe for disaster for Gonzaga.
So will Mark Few's crew ever hoist a title? Not unless they take care of the basketball. Gonzaga looked extremely shaky out the gate at the tournament, going on cold spells and losing the ball too much. Unless Mark Few teaches his squad about not losing the basketball, they'll be stuck as also-rans for a long time.
