Mark Few emphatically denied there was a monkey on his back after Gonzaga advanced to the Elite Eight on Thursday. Now he’ll never have to answer the question again. The ‘Zags are going to the Final Four for the first time in program history after defeating Xavier 83-59 on Saturday. It was a dominant effort from beginning to end.
NCAA Tournament 2017: Gonzaga blitzes Xavier to lock in first Final Four trip ever
The ‘Zags are going to the Final Four for the first time ever.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Gonzaga built a big first half lead off the strength of its outside shooting. Xavier was in a zone for most of the game and tried doubling the post due to Gonzaga’s size advantage on the inside. The ‘Zags hit 8-of-13 shots from three-point range in the first 20 minutes, while Xavier went just 1-of-5 from deep.
Xavier was never able to get back in the game after that. Gonzaga’s talent level simply looked overwhelming. The ‘Zags continued to hit shots from the perimeter (12-of-24 shooting from three) while the big men ate on the inside.
The star of the night for Gonzaga was Nigel Williams-Goss, who finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Johnathan Williams also added 19 points and eight rebounds in the win. Both players were transfers in their debut season with the team.
This ends an inspired run for 11th-seeded Xavier, who upset No. 3 Florida and No. 2 Arizona on their way to the Elite Eight. Chris Mack’s program will continue to be formidable moving forward.
For the ‘Zags, this is the moment the program has been waiting almost two decades for. Gonzaga has made 19 straight NCAA tournaments, but never broke through to the Final Four. It’s over now. The ‘Zags will face the winner of Florida vs. South Carolina in Phoenix.
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