Gonzaga now "basketball royalty". Good grief.

[Mojocat]

First, I have no bone to pick with the Zags. Few seems like a good dude, and in fact I'll be cheering for them - and hard - tonight.

But the media is on some sort of pro-Gonzaga crusade. Here's the lede of a front page story right now at Sports Illustrated: "Even if Gonzaga loses to North Carolina in the national title game, its Final Four run this year has proved once and for all to skeptics that the Zags are basketball royalty—no buts about it."

Who knew that a single Final Four automatically grants "royalty" status - and that it's beyond debate? I understand people want to crow a bit after all the doubting about Gonzaga this year - but that doubting wasn't without reason. Can we slow this a bit?

Here are the seeds Gonzaga beat on the way to royalty:

16 South Dakota St.
8 Northwestern
4 West Virginia
11 Gonzaga
7 South Carolina

Does that prepare a team to play a 1 seed? And is it worthy of such lofty talk?

(I will withhold my whine about how much UK would pay to face an 11 in a regional final or a 7 in the final four. Ever.)

 

[gossie21]

Royalty may be going a bit far. But they are at least Basketball Nobility.

About 20 years strait going to the tournament is pretty impressive for a little WCC school from Spokane.

 

[gossie21]

Anyone know the lowest seeded team we've played in a Regional Final?

In the Cal era a we have played.
2010 - 2 seed WVU
2011 - 2 seed UNC
2012 - 3 seed Baylor
2014 - 2 seed Michigan.
2015 - 3 seed Notre Dame
2017 - 1 seed UNC

 

[Tampa_cat54]

ESPN just put out this stat:

Gonzaga is the only team in history to reach the national title game without playing a single Top-10 team all season (Tournament included).

 

[DanHalen88]

Royalty def a bit too much. Hell, Dayton has a Final Four and runner up. Plus they have made elite 8 at least 4-5 times. Royalty I think requires at least 2 championships or a championship along with at least 5-6 times to Final Four. Is Cincinnati Royalty? Wichita St? I know the Zags have established a nice tradition last 20 years and I hope they do move to MWC and play better competition. But to call them royalty is dumb.

 

[brian5562]

Is that at the time they played? I would've thought that Arizona was a top 10 by the end of the regular season.

They are not royalty yet, They don't have a championship trophy and ring to kiss. I do think they win tonight.

 

[TexKat]

Well I hope they royally beat some Heel azz tonite!

 

[mj2k10]

Anyone know the lowest seeded team we've played in a Regional Final?

In the Cal era a we have played.
2010 - 2 seed WVU
2011 - 2 seed UNC
2012 - 3 seed Baylor
2014 - 2 seed Michigan.
2015 - 3 seed Notre Dame
2017 - 1 seed UNC

11. But that was LSU in 86, a team UK had played and beaten 3 times. The only other time UK got a team seeded below 4 was Michigan State in 05, a team that was underseeded that year (they were 22-6 entering the tournament, and finished the year 5 in KenPom- no idea why they got a 5 seed) and had just taken out the 1 seed.

 

[rick64]

Zags royalty?!?!?!

 

[the nail at the foul line]

Anyone know the lowest seeded team we've played in a Regional Final?

In the Cal era a we have played.
2010 - 2 seed WVU
2011 - 2 seed UNC
2012 - 3 seed Baylor
2014 - 2 seed Michigan.
2015 - 3 seed Notre Dame
2017 - 1 seed UNC

Lost to 11 LSU in 86.

Amazing how our brackets under Cal stick together like glue.

 

[UKWildcats#8]

First, I have no bone to pick with the Zags. Few seems like a good dude, and in fact I'll be cheering for them - and hard - tonight.

But the media is on some sort of pro-Gonzaga crusade. Here's the lede of a front page story right now at Sports Illustrated: "Even if Gonzaga loses to North Carolina in the national title game, its Final Four run this year has proved once and for all to skeptics that the Zags are basketball royalty—no buts about it."

Who knew that a single Final Four automatically grants "royalty" status - and that it's beyond debate? I understand people want to crow a bit after all the doubting about Gonzaga this year - but that doubting wasn't without reason. Can we slow this a bit?

Here are the seeds Gonzaga beat on the way to royalty:

16 South Dakota St.
8 Northwestern
4 West Virginia
11 Gonzaga
7 South Carolina

Does that prepare a team to play a 1 seed? And is it worthy of such lofty talk?

(I will withhold my whine about how much UK would pay to face an 11 in a regional final or a 7 in the final four. Ever.)

UK lost to a 7 in the Final Four 3 years ago. (National Title is still part of the FInal Four)

 

[kev69]

We all know the so called media has been a joke for a number of years now.

 

[trueblujr2]

If Gonzaga is basketball royalty, then what's that make Butler? It was just a few short years ago they were in back to back national championship games. Pretty good for a mid-major trying to move up to high level status.

 

[ganner918]

At most they're a Baron.

 

[Kentuckee]

First, I have no bone to pick with the Zags. Few seems like a good dude, and in fact I'll be cheering for them - and hard - tonight.

But the media is on some sort of pro-Gonzaga crusade. Here's the lede of a front page story right now at Sports Illustrated: "Even if Gonzaga loses to North Carolina in the national title game, its Final Four run this year has proved once and for all to skeptics that the Zags are basketball royalty—no buts about it."

Who knew that a single Final Four automatically grants "royalty" status - and that it's beyond debate? I understand people want to crow a bit after all the doubting about Gonzaga this year - but that doubting wasn't without reason. Can we slow this a bit?

Here are the seeds Gonzaga beat on the way to royalty:

16 South Dakota St.
8 Northwestern
4 West Virginia
11 Xavier
7 South Carolina

Does that prepare a team to play a 1 seed? And is it worthy of such lofty talk?

(I will withhold my whine about how much UK would pay to face an 11 in a regional final or a 7 in the final four. Ever.)

Sports media is engaging in a leap-frog contest to prove who is the biggest clown.

Gonzaga plays a bunch of west coast nobodies every year. Whoop-De-Doo!

Racking up wins against Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara, and playing in your first final four, doesn't make you royalty.

Being the all-time leader in wins while hanging 8 National Championship banners-Now That's Royalty!

 

[funKYcat75]

At most they're a Baron.

Baron Von Zaga

 

[Mojocat]

UK lost to a 7 in the Final Four 3 years ago. (National Title is still part of the FInal Four)

Well, that's true - but we were an 8. I'm talking about a time when we were a high seed, a 1 or a 2, say, playing an 11 in the regional final or a 7 in the final four. Something like that. Since 84.28% of that is just bad luck, just happenstance, it's amazing. The bracket just holds for us. Cosmically so. (I'm willing to allow the other 15.72% may be attributable to incompetence or malfeasance on the part of the selection committee. Heh)

 

[brianpoe]

If Gonzaga is basketball royalty, then what's that make Butler? It was just a few short years ago they were in back to back national championship games. Pretty good for a mid-major trying to move up to high level status.

Forget Butler.

What does that make us?

Transcendent?
Omnipotent?
Divine?
Unequalable?
Supernatural?
Mythical?
Celestial?
Otherwordly?
Angelic?

 

[JasonS.]

If they win tonight, they're the new UConn ... Barbarians at the Gate. Stealing titles from Duke (1999), Kentucky (2014) and UNC (2017?) doesn't make you royalty, but it ain't bad.

Memphis/UMass under Cal kind of the same "elite mid-major" deal, but not the same kind of sustained performance.

 

[Aike]

I'm going with Duchess, or maybe just a lady.

Lady Zaga

 

[*CatinIL*]

"Even if Gonzaga loses to North Carolina in the national title game, its Final Four run this year has proved once and for all to skeptics that the Zags are basketball royalty—no buts about it."

I hope Gonzaga wins but sheesh...

 

[*CatinIL*]

Forget Butler.

What does that make us?

Transcendent?
Omnipotent?
Divine?
Unequalable?
Supernatural?
Mythical?
Celestial?
Otherwordly?
Angelic?

All the ABOVE??

 

[BigBlueFanGA]

Forget Butler.

What does that make us?

Transcendent?
Omnipotent?
Divine?
Unequalable?
Supernatural?
Mythical?
Celestial?
Otherwordly?
Angelic?

DA MAN

 

[Lovebaskelball]

Is that at the time they played? I would've thought that Arizona was a top 10 by the end of the regular season.

They are not royalty yet, They don't have a championship trophy and ring to kiss. I do think they win tonight.

Arizona was ranked 16th when they played and was without Trier.

 

[AnarchoNeoLuddite]

Its because their catholic. thats always worth something more to some folks....