It’s hard to quantify just how phenomenal a job Mark Few has done at Gonzaga, but the best way is probably to point to the Zags’ consistency: Few is in his 18th season coaching the Bulldogs, and they’ve made the NCAA tournament in each of his 17 years so far (and have 18 straight appearances overall). In 11 of those years under Few, they boasted a No. 8 seed or better. Few’s Goznaga teams have won at least one game in the Big Dance 15 times, and he hasn’t suffered an opening-round loss since 2008.
Even last year, when Gonzaga’s NCAA streak was in real jeopardy after it dropped both of its regular-season games against Saint Mary’s, the Zags took down the Gaels when it mattered most, in the West Coast Conference tournament championship.