One and None: Gonzaga Didn't Reverse Trend of Win Crowd Entering Playoffs
April 2nd, 2017 - 14:56
Regal regular-season records persuade pollsters, arm alumni with arrogance and impress Division I committee members dispensing seeds in the NCAA Tournament. In a "teachable moment," Kentucky learned two years ago the acclaim doesn't guarantee postseason success because the "Road to the Final Four" is filled with potholes. There is no evidence Wisconsin made "nasty" actress Ashley Judd cry authentic tears at the 2015 Final Four or whether the dim damsel in distress blamed UK's defeat on #TheDonald helping Russians hack the scoreboard even before running for POTUS.
Over the first 41 seasons since the last undefeated team (Indiana '76), Gonzaga was the 24th school entering the NCAA playoffs undefeated or with one setback. None of the 24 squads in this group went on to win the national title. Only nine previous teams - Indiana State '79, UNLV '87, Temple '88, UNLV '91, Massachusetts '96, Duke '99, St. Joseph's '04, Illinois '05 and Memphis '08 - reached a regional final. Of the 22 entrants in this category since seeding was introduced, only four weren't accorded a #1 seed - Alcorn State '80, La Salle '90, Texas Tech '96 and Princeton '98. The Zags joined the following chronological list of 24 schools entering the NCAA tourney either unbeaten or with only one setback since IU went undefeated in 1975-76: