Gonzaga needs to do something in this tournament

Spokane collectively held its breath yesterday as Akron gave a valiant fight against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. They certainly had upset in their eyes, but the Zags proved to be too much for them - pulling away at the end for the 77-64 victory.

What should be promising to Spokanites is the fact that the Zips put up a battle (hard fouls and tough defense) and Gonzaga responded. Sure they came out flat for the game, something that wasn't lost by the announcers, but at least they turned it up when it mattered.

Now that being said, the Zags need to do something in this tournament because their reputation is at stake here. Long have they been the media darlings and frankly, some people are starting to grumble about when the Bulldogs are going to "get over the hump." One Sweet Sixteen appearance in the last seven years is really "all" Gonzaga has to show.

That may seem a little harsh but if you think about the label that is put on the program as "elite" - you've got to show more than getting knocked out in the first round the past two years. 

It seems like they have a good shot to make the Sweet Sixteen this year since they're in Portland which basically means they're playing in front of a home crowd and they'll have to beat low-seeded Western Kentucky to go there. Beating a 13-seed and a 12-seed to go to the Sweet Sixteen? These are games that the Zags should win.

And please, don't give me the whole "they're Spokane's team, we should support them anyways" because Gonzaga carries themselves like an Elite program and they need to show they can produce like an elite program. No incarnation of the Zags since 1999  has gotten back to the Elite Eight despite all the prized recruits, the shiny new arena and the media attention. 

Spokane still supports their teams no matter what, but the local media sure tends to butter them up regardless of whether they get shown the door early or not. 

I'm convinced that if this were a bigger market - people would be calling for Mark Few's head (which by the way, did you see the Zags inability to rotate on defense against the three? Just saying). Not that it's warrented, but he'd certianly have more pressure on him as opposed to the campfire song treatment he gets in this town everytime they beat a crummy WCC team.

You don't make a splash in this year's tournament - you have to look at this season as a disappointment. Many people had this team going to the FINAL FOUR in the preseason.

I'm sorry but if you have a program that's so big that the head coach wont even show up to his own coaches show - you better do a hell of a lot more than lose to Western Kentucky in the second round. That's all I'm saying.