ESPN Men's Basketball

PITTSBURGH -- The month of March can be like a great big tub of aloe, here to cure all that ails you, make you forget everything that went wrong in the regular season.

And surely a lot went wrong for Gonzaga this season, or at least by the Zags’ incredibly high standards.

For the first time since 1997, Gonzaga won neither the West Coast Conference regular-season nor tournament titles. Worse, the Zags ceded both to rival Saint Mary’s.

It was not an entirely illogical result, considering this is a Gonzaga team heavily dependent on freshmen at key spots, but a tough pill to swallow nevertheless.

Two weeks later, and suddenly those things seem like ancient history.

Gonzaga, the original mid-major gone big-time, rolled over home favorite West Virginia 77-54, putting together arguably its most complete game of the season.

“We played pretty well against BYU in the [WCC] tournament, too, but yeah, this might have been our best,’’ coach Mark Few said.

The Zags flew 2,000 miles to play this game, compared to the 75-mile bus ride the Mountaineers took from Morgantown.

Somehow West Virginia looked jet-lagged.

The Mountaineers were never in it, trailing by 18 at the break and then merely playing out the clock from there, handing coach Bob Huggins his worst loss in NCAA tournament play since West Virginia's 21-point defeat to Duke in the Final Four in 2010.

Gonzaga did what it wanted on offense, shooting at 56 percent from the floor, and locked down WVU on the other end. Never a good shooting team, the Mountaineers were positively dreadful Thursday, clanking to the tune of 32 percent from the floor and a woeful 3-of-17 from the arc.

“The truth of the matter is, this is really a microcosm of our season,’’ Huggins said. “This is the worst defensive team I’ve had in 30 years. We don’t get the help, we don’t get the loose balls, we don’t do the things we’ve done for years and years and years. A lot of it is because we’re so inept offensively. They get breakouts. We throw the ball around, throw the ball to them. That adds to it.’’

Robert Sacre came to Pittsburgh hoping he would finally get a taste of some Big East beefcake basketball. It never really happened. The Zags doubled Kevin Jones every time he touched the ball and Jones, who does a lot of his damage on the offensive glass, was fairly innocuous. He scored 13 but had just 4 rebounds and, more, only 2 offensive rebounds, as the Zags were able to match the Mountaineers’ effort on the glass, something Few had emphasized all week.

“I just want to go out with a bang,’’ Sacre said. “Coach always says, ‘Play like Rob, have a lot of energy, have passion, have fun.' That’s what I’m trying to do. That’s what the results are.’’

He’ll have another chance on Saturday, against either Ohio State or Loyola, and perhaps a little more of a soothing balm, too.

It didn't look like a great slate of games coming in, but Saturday turned out to be full of upsets and last-second thrillers. Here are some things we learned from all the action ...

The Top Three

Florida State 90, No. 3 North Carolina 57
What we learned: Wow. A true beatdown. Perhaps we don’t have an elite team in college basketball this season. North Carolina has as much potential as any team in the country to warrant that title, but Saturday’s meltdown -- the most lopsided of the Roy Williams era -- contradicted much of what we thought we knew about the Tar Heels. The Seminoles are always feisty against Carolina and Duke and tend to be giant-killers, but this was just silly. The Noles were 12-for-27 from the 3-point line in this victory. Deividas Dulkys was 8-for-10 from beyond the arc and scored a career-high 32 points. He had scored a combined 32 points in his previous nine games. The Tar Heels lost their fire once the barrage began. The Seminoles saw a vulnerable team and pounced. For the third time this season, the Heels lost a game outside of Chapel Hill. But in this loss, they were bullied and lethargic. How will UNC recover, and what on earth is the ACC about right now?

No. 2 Kentucky 65, Tennessee 62
What we learned: Cuonzo Martin’s Volunteers haven’t looked like an 8-9 squad over the past week. In their past three games, they’ve defeated Florida, nearly knocked off Mississippi State on the road and battled Kentucky for all 40 minutes. Freshman Jarnell Stokes, the highly touted prep player who joined the team Monday, recorded nine points and grabbed four rebounds in his debut. Once Stokes gets into shape, he’s going to have a major effect on a Tennessee squad that led Kentucky by eight in the second half and stuck with the Wildcats until the end. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (17 points, 12 rebounds) and Anthony Davis (18 points, 4 blocks) are two of America’s best, but their squad is going to get caught in league play soon if it continues to show up only after halftime.

No. 1 Syracuse 78, Providence 55
What we learned: This game was over when Ed Cooley announced stud point guard Vincent Council would not play. The Friars’ leading scorer might not have affected the final outcome, but he could have helped his squad’s deplorable offense (3-for-14 from beyond the arc, 22 turnovers) against Cuse's press. Council was a beast in PC's 31-point destruction of Louisville earlier this week. But Syracuse proved, again, that it’s the undisputed No. 1 team in the country. SU has separated itself from one of the most competitive leagues in the country. The Orange’s 19-0 start matches the best in school history. With North Carolina losing to Florida State and Kentucky struggling against Tennessee, it’s about time that Syracuse gets more credit for its strong start. Best team. In the country. No debate.

The Midwest Upsets

Northwestern 81, No. 7 Michigan State 74
What we learned: Oh, Big Ten. How you always find a way to amaze us. Within the past week, the league’s top three teams all have fallen in upsets. At home in Evanston, the Wildcats (losers of four of their previous five entering the game) snapped Michigan State’s 15-game winning streak as John Shurna led four double-figure scorers with 22 points. This game meant a few things: (1) There’s far less separation between the top and bottom of the Big Ten than there appeared to be two weeks ago. (2) Much like Michigan and Wisconsin, the Spartans are looking for a consistent No. 3. Draymond Green and Keith Appling were the team’s only two scorers in double figures. (3) Northwestern needs to prove it can put together a string of games that resemble Saturday’s outing. The Wildcats have pieces, but they tend to showcase their potential in spurts. Wonder whether this season will be different.

Iowa 75, No. 13 Michigan 59
What we learned: I can’t figure out Iowa or the Big Ten right now. The Hawkeyes knocked off their second nationally ranked opponent in two weeks. And in a Big Ten that’s as hard to peg as any league in the country right now, the Hawkeyes look like a factor. I didn’t say contender. But the Hawkeyes prove the Big Ten doesn’t offer any easy victories. No pushovers in this conference (see Minnesota-Indiana, Northwestern-Michigan for further proof). For Michigan, this game just confirmed how much the Wolverines rely on Tim Hardaway Jr. He is 17-for-55 in the team’s four losses. The only way the Wolverines -- now 1-3 on the road -- will make a push toward the top of the Big Ten standings is if Hardaway is more consistent.

Oklahoma 82, No. 18 Kansas State 73
What we learned: Frank Martin was enraged after his team lost to an undefeated Baylor squad Tuesday at home. He preached defense in his postgame interviews. That was a major challenge for the Wildcats on Saturday, too. The Big 12’s eighth-ranked scoring defense allowed a Sooners team that lost its first three Big 12 games to shoot 55 percent from the field. K-State's performances against Mizzou and Baylor suggested the Wildcats deserve a spot among the Big 12’s elite. That’s not necessarily the case anymore, with the Wildcats having dropped three of their past four games. Their conference slate gets easier from here over the next few weeks, but the Cats will find themselves in vulnerable spots, especially on the road, if their defensive woes continue. That's now 3-8 in its past 11 Big 12 road games for KSU. After a strong debut, Lon Kruger’s squad fell hard (the Sooners had lost four of five entering Saturday’s game). But the Kansas State victory should be a major confidence booster for OU. The Sooners snapped a 14-game losing skid against ranked opponents.

The Mountain West Thriller

No. 22 San Diego State 69, No. 12 UNLV 67
What we learned: The Mountain West is going to make noise in March. The league’s top two squads, both nationally ranked, battled for 40 minutes in San Diego. This wasn’t a basketball game. It was a title fight. I wasn’t there, but it felt like a tournament game from my couch. This game had some of the best back-and-forth action I’ve seen all season. Neither team could pull away. Jamaal Franklin (team-high 24 points) tumbled over a photographer in the final seconds and hurt his ankle. But he returned to the floor moments later and scored the game-winning bucket. Steve Fisher continues to exceed expectations after losing Kawhi Leonard to the NBA draft and three other starters. The Rebels won’t beat the top squads in their league or the NCAA tournament if their two leading scorers, Chace Stanback (7 points, 3-of-9 shooting) and Mike Moser (9 points, 3-of-11), struggle in big games. But San Diego State is headed to Las Vegas on Feb. 11 for the rematch. Can’t wait to see that. This matchup wasn’t just a boost for the two teams on floor; it was a boost for the entire league. The Mountain West is tough. And don't forget about New Mexico, which won its 13th straight with a victory at Wyoming. The Aztecs and Lobos go at it Wednesday night.

Taking Care Of Business

No. 9 Missouri 84, Texas 73
What we learned: The Tigers aren’t conventional. They’re undersized in a league with a multitude of skilled bigs and they’re not very deep. But Frank Haith used seven players in his second consecutive victory since last week’s lopsided loss at Kansas State. Ricardo Ratliffe led the Tigers with 21 points (10-of-12). Marcus Denmon, who had six in a win at Iowa State on Wednesday, scored 18 against the Longhorns. Phil Pressey (18 points, 10 assists, 0 turnovers) continued his impressive play. Few teams possess the perimeter depth and skill to challenge Missouri’s talented backcourt for 40 minutes. J’Covan Brown scored 34 points for the Horns, matching the combined scoring tally for the team’s other four starters. But they couldn’t defend a Mizzou team that held a 43-30 edge at halftime and finished with four scorers in double figures. A week ago, folks questioned the Tigers' legitimacy. But they clearly have regained their mojo since the KSU loss and should pose a threat to any top-tier Big 12 team.

No. 20 Mississippi State 56, Alabama 52
What we learned: Alabama entered this game on a five-game winning streak. But Bama won’t beat most teams in the SEC by scoring 52 points. JaMychal Green (14 points) was the Crimson Tide's only double-digit scorer. The Bulldogs weren’t much better. However, Arnett Moultrie’s 25-point, 13-rebound output was the difference. The two teams combined to shoot 4-for-26 from the 3-point line, but Dee Bost was 3-for-3 from long range in the closing minutes and that was that. Man, the SEC is confusing. Kentucky is obviously the league’s best, but who are Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5? This was an opportunity for these squads to make a definitive statement about their places in the league. Didn’t really happen. I expected more from this one, but hey, Mississippi State will take the win.

Some more observations from Saturday

• Baylor looked like a national champ in its 106-65 victory over Oklahoma State. No, the Cowboys aren’t an elite team. But the Bears shot 52 percent on 3-pointers (15-of-29) and had almost twice as many rebounds as OSU (48-25). Nine players scored for the Bears. Their depth is underrated, and it’s going to be a huge asset in March.
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Al BehrmanMaalik Wayns, left, dropped 39 for Villanova in a loss at Cincinnati.
• Iowa State blew a 12-point second-half lead and lost its second consecutive matchup against a ranked opponent in its 82-73 defeat at Kansas. But with Royce White (18 points, 17 rebounds), the Cyclones can win nine or more in the Big 12. By the way, a career-high 28 points out of Tyshawn Taylor should quiet a few of his critics.
• Connecticut is such a different team when Alex Oriakhi and Andre Drummond are fully engaged. Drummond (10 points, 13 rebounds) and Oriakhi (12 points, 7 rebounds) were impressive in the Huskies’ 67-53 win at Notre Dame, ending the Irish's 29-game home win streak. The Huskies didn’t have Ryan Boatright, but they played like a complete team with their bigs being so active.
• Pittsburgh played better Saturday but still lost at Marquette 62-57. The Panthers, the models of consistency over the past decade, have lost six straight and are 0-5 in the Big East. Holy cow. Let that one sink in.
• His team lost once again in a close game at Cincinnati, but it's worth mentioning the effort by Villanova's Maalik Wayns, who had a line of 39 points (6-of-13 from 3), 13 rebounds and six assists, and put his struggling Wildcats in a position to win on the road.
• Xavier has won three in a row, after topping St. Bonaventure 77-64. Mark Lyons and Tu Holloway combined to score 33 points in the victory. The Musketeers didn’t secure any signature wins during this mini-revival, but that doesn’t matter. X needed to get back to winning as it prepares for the Atlantic 10's toughest squads. Until someone in the conference knocks off the Musketeers at the Cintas Center (where they've beaten 42 consecutive A-10 opponents), this team is still the league favorite in my opinion.
• Conference USA should be fun this season. Like Xavier, Memphis -- a decisive winner at Houston on Saturday night -- should still be considered the favorite until someone proves they can beat the Tigers on the road. But Marshall and UCF played a classic in a 65-64 Thundering Herd victory, and both could give Memphis trouble. Southern Miss is right in the mix as well.
• Meanwhile, in the Mid-American Conference, Akron now has to be considered the favorite after a 68-63 victory over Ohio, which looked so solid in nonconfernece play but has faltered of late. The Zips have wins at Mississippi State and Marshall. If they make the NCAA tournament, look out.
• Have to be impressed with the way Oregon swept the Arizona schools. Winning in Tempe is nothing to be overjoyed about, but winning in Tucson -- no matter how mediocre the Wildcats have been for most of the season -- is still special for any Pac-12 school. The Ducks are as good a bet as any to win this crazy league.
• You know who won't win the Pac-12? The Ducks' rival, Oregon State. The Beavers have played great at times this season, but the bottom line is 1-5 in a down conference after a horrendous double-digit loss at Arizona State on Saturday.
• You know who just might win the Pac-12? Stanford. The Cardinal now are 5-1 in the conference after a 20-point beatdown of Colorado, which began 3-0 (all at home) but got a rude awakening in the Bay Area by Cal and Stanford.
• Gonzaga was shaky early Saturday night, but the Zags have to be happy with their 62-58 win at Loyola Marymount, a team that has knocked off UCLA and Saint Louis this season. Mark Few's team was absolutely humiliated at Saint Mary's on Thursday. A bounce-back victory was a must, and the Zags got it done.

Gonzaga forward Elias Harris went through a sophomore slump and knew he had to get in better shape heading into this season. Now the German national is no longer eating hot dogs.

Telling The Spokesman-Review he eliminated his "American eating habits" by cutting out hamburgers, hot dogs and sugary sodas from his diet, Harris lost weight and is gaining confidence.

The Bulldogs’ junior forward dropped 11 pounds over the summer. He enters this season at 234 pounds, down from the 245 he carried as a sophomore. It’s one of several measures Harris has taken to try to bounce back from a difficult sophomore season.

"This might sound stupid to some people but I was on a diet," Harris said. "I was just too chubby, too heavy. I lost a bunch of body fat, some weight. I was running a lot so I’m in way better shape."

...

"Being lighter contributes to my game because I’m a player that uses quickness and speed and balance," he said. "I feel bouncier and quicker with my moves. I didn’t lose my strength.

"For me, that’s a perfect combination."

Harris is a WCC player of the year candidate and is an NBA prospect even at 6-foot-7 because of his athleticism. Harris' dedication to getting in shape is great news for coach Mark Few, who at WCC media day last month raved about the offseason Harris had.

Harris decided to remain at Gonzaga rather than train with the German national team in part because he was still recovering from shoulder and Achilles injuries. But even in a substandard year, he averaged 12.4 points and 6 rebounds as a sophomore and came on strong later in the season.

1. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said senior forward Nasir Robinson should be back at practice sometime next week after missing the past few weeks following a torn meniscus in his right knee. Robinson is one of two key seniors for the Panthers. The other is lead guard Ashton Gibbs. Dixon said Gibbs has been playing at a high level, making shots, and proving to be the necessary leader for the Panthers. “He’ll play in the NBA some day,’’ Dixon said of Gibbs.

2. BYU coach Dave Rose said that so far the two players on the Cougars who appear to be ready to take over for Jimmer Fredette’s production are wing Charles Abouo and big man Stephen Rogers. Rose said both have been highly productive so far in practice. But the one player who has the most NBA potential and is starting to be even more assertive is forward Brandon Davies. Davies was reinstated to the team in the fall after being dismissed for an honor code violation last February. The Cougars will need the inside-out combination to have a chance to catch Gonzaga in the WCC.

3. Gonzaga coach Mark Few said he might have his best set of big men in his tenure with Robert Sacre, Elias Harris, Kelly Olynyk, Sam Dower and Ryan Spangler. If Gary Bell and Kevin Pangos can have as much of an impact as projected and David Stockton proves to be a calming presence at the point then the Zags have a shot to be a deep March team. Gonzaga needed to be deeper inside and with more options. It appears they have that this season.

Gonzaga is out to win its 12th consecutive West Coast Conference title and has a loaded roster highlighted by Robert Sacre, a fifth-year senior who'll be the latest in a long line of players in the program to be relied upon for leadership.

The 7-footer has experience going all the way back to the 2007-08 season when as a freshman he started in the NCAA tournament. The Zags now hope he can help carry them to the postseason again, and coach Mark Few holds the veteran big man in very high regard.

"There's probably no bigger, stronger, tougher center in all of college basketball," Few told 710 ESPN Seattle. "He's just got the biggest heart in the whole world and is just an amazing teammate. He probably could have came out been and been drafted in the late first or early second in the last draft."

Few continued with his praise in announcing today that Gonzaga has scheduled the BC Basketball Classic in Vancouver, Canada on Nov. 19 against Hawaii in order to give Sacre an opportunity to play in front of a hometown crowd.

"It will be exciting to get Rob back home to play," Few said in a statement. "He's one of the all-time great Zags."

Sacre last season averaged 12.5 points and a team-leading 6.3 rebounds, with the 260-pounder serving as a force in the middle with tattoos that cover his arms featured prominently. He's also a gentle giant in many ways and one of the bright personalities in college basketball.

From North Pole Hoops:

"Sometimes if we are going through a hard stretch I'll try and cheer people up -- like wear a teammate's shorts to practice, and they'll be too small for me, but I'll wear them anyway. Just to crack guys up and keep things loose. Then when everything's alright, you go right back to staying on each other and working hard."

Another example of Sacre's humour is the greeting left on his voicemail, imploring you to "stay thirsty my friends", after the famous Dos Equis beer commercial.

Sacre, who suffered through a medical redshirt season in 2009 the last time Gonzaga went to the Sweet 16, has to hunger for big-time NCAA tournament success of his own. It couldn't have been easiest offseason to go through following news that his father, Greg LaFleur, had been fired as Southern's athletic director after an arrest.

But this year the Zags could go far. They return a frontcourt that also includes experienced players in Elias Harris, Sam Dower and Kelly Olynyk.

And it's Sacre who will be asked to lead them.

Butler and Gonzaga are the two kings of college basketball's mid-majors (if you can still call them that), and they'll be starting a home-and-home series in December for the next two seasons, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Butler is to travel to Spokane, Wash., to meet the Zags on Dec. 20. The Bulldogs are to play at Stanford two or three days later. Gonzaga is to visit Hinkle Fieldhouse in December 2012.

“It’s an exciting series, and it’s going to benefit both teams and help them prepare,” Butler associate head coach Matthew Graves said today.

It's a buzz-worthy match-up that brings together two programs that didn't need power conference affiliations to rise up as basketball powerhouses. Gonzaga has won 11 straight regular-season titles in the West Coast Conference, making annual trips to the NCAA tournament during that span. Butler is coming off consecutive national championship game appearances and has seen its profile boosted as well by Brad Stevens and his celebrity status.

The Bulldogs versus Bulldogs games should bring plenty of intrigue, especially this coming season in Spokane. While Butler will be in the process of finding out which players will step up after the departures of Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard, Gonzaga returns a team of veterans that include Elias Harris and Robert Sacre.

It will be a big early-season test for both Cinderella programs and will reunite Stevens and Gonzaga coach Mark Few, who helped each other through rough starts last season, as Andy Katz reported in March.

"We talked through it," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "I kept telling him that it would be OK. We were going through something similar [back-to-back losses to Santa Clara and San Francisco]. I kept following them through January and February and compared how we both took care of business."

Like Butler, Gonzaga rallied to win a share of its league title and then won its conference tournament.

"I'm sure the people around the Butler program were lamenting coming off a national championship game with the expectations of all those guys coming back and all that noise," Few said. "But you have to believe in the system. And his guys did."

Wait a second, you may be thinking. Gonzaga guard Demetri Goodson plays football? Or wants to? Does Gonzaga even have football? What's going on here?

Let's start from the top.

Before we knew Demetri Goodson as a solid if unspectacular starting guard for the Gonzaga Bulldogs -- Goodson started 68 of 69 games in his past two (sophomore and junior) seasons -- the Texas native received an offer to play football at Arizona State despite having given up the sport during his sophomore year of high school. Goodson turned that offer down and committed to play basketball at Gonzaga instead.

That would have seemingly been the end of Goodson's footballing career. Alas, after three years of hoops, Gonzaga coach Mark Few told the Spokane Spokesman-Review that Goodson has the pigskin itch again -- Brett Favre can relate -- and will be leaving the Zags to pursue that talent:

“I’m proud to be associated with him,” Few said. “He’s a tough kid, a great teammate and from a coaching standpoint, day in and day out at practice he gave everything he had and in games, too. That’s a great quality. He gave it a good run up here, but his heart is kind of set on this. I just want him to graduate, and he’s in great shape to do that and then he’ll be in great position for the rest of his life.”

According to the Spokesman-Review's Jim Meehan, Goodson is likely to end up at a college in his home state. It could be Texas A&M, where his older brother, Mike, played running back. It could also be Texas State, which is coached by former A&M coach Dennis Franchione. Because Gonzaga doesn't offer football, Goodson should have two years of eligibility remaining.

Wherever he lands, one thing is certain: Demetri Goodson is attempting to pull off a remarkable two-sport feat. Unless you're a Gonzaga fan -- and, yeah, tough day for Gonzaga fans, and for the Zags' backcourt in general -- you may question the wisdom of the switch, but you can't question the courage behind it.

NEW ORLEANS -- Brad Stevens doesn’t have all the answers.

Sure, he is 9-3 in the NCAA tournament as a head coach. He's taken his team to back-to-back Elite Eights and is one win away from his second consecutive Final Four.

In his four seasons at Butler, he has a remarkable 115-24 record, is 62-10 in the Horizon League, and has won at least a share of the conference title in each season.

But what Stevens figured out early in his career is this: He must continue to learn. He must reach out to his coaching brethren and search out solutions to problems that can persist throughout the course of the season.

It's hard to remember now, but there was a time not long ago that the Bulldogs found themselves in a major rut. They had just lost three straight league games to Milwaukee, Valparaiso and last-place Youngstown State. It was early February and they were 6-5 in a mid-major conference and didn't even look like a fringe bubble candidate for the NCAA tournament.

So Stevens called for support.

“We talked through it,’’ Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “I kept telling him that it would be OK. We were going through something similar [back-to-back losses to Santa Clara and San Francisco]. I kept following them through January and February and compared how we both took care of business.’’

Like Butler, Gonzaga rallied to win a share of its league title and then won its conference tournament.

“I’m sure the people around the Butler program were lamenting coming off a national championship game with the expectations of all those guys coming back and all that noise,’’ Few said. “But you have to believe in the system. And his guys did. They believed in the core values. He did a masterful job, maybe more so this year than last year.

“It was all fun and games last year, like being on a hot streak at a craps table in Vegas,’’ Few added. “This year he had to go to the ATM three or four times. I would argue he’s the coach of the year now.’’

Stevens didn’t let any personal frustrations flow to the players. He remained poised, the way he has throughout his brief tenure.

“He kept saying there were things we could do better and instilling confidence in us,’’ Butler senior forward Matt Howard said. “He kept saying how we could get our confidence back. They were critical in that next game [a 13-point road win over Cleveland State] and that got us on the run we’re on now.’’

Stevens didn’t lean only on Few. He also called Florida’s Billy Donovan. Stevens befriended Donovan years before and had attended his coaching clinic in August -- set up by Donovan’ top assistant, Larry Shyatt, and their good friend, UCLA assistant Scott Duncan.

Stevens and Donovan talked for 30-45 minutes -- sharing insights and thoughts on how to handle success after a Final Four run. Donovan, of course, has experience in the matter. And more importantly, Donovan has dealt with disappointment after two consecutive titles were followed by two straight NIT appearances.

“What I respect about Coach Donovan is that he’s won two national championships and he’s been to a Final Four before and he’s at the pinnacle of the profession, but he’s always trying to grow and get better,’’ Stevens said. “I’ve always been impressed by that.’’

Donovan, 45, is no wise sage. But he is 11 years older than Stevens.

“It was one of those things where he was just reaching out to share ideas with me,’’ Donovan said. “We bounced different things off each other, and it’s great when you get a chance to be able to talk to someone like that.

“The one thing that I respect and admire about Brad in getting to know him is he’s got a great passion and enthusiasm for the game and for coaching, and I also think he has a tireless and relentless attitude to try to get better and improve,’’ Donovan said. “He loves the game.’’

Few said he views Butler as an elite job, a destination. The Bulldogs have had success from a coaching tree that flowed from Barry Collier to Thad Matta to Todd Lickliter to Stevens.

Stevens signed a 12-year contract after getting to the title game last April. He doesn’t need to take a higher-level job. He has the best job in his league and is at home in Indianapolis. He is at a place where basketball is king -- he has chartered aircraft, made-for-TV games, coveted spots in early-season tournaments, and a program with consistent March success.

“You don’t get to a national championship game or the amount of Sweet 16s that they’ve gotten to by being Cinderella,’’ Donovan said. “That doesn’t happen year after year. They’ve got a great tradition and a great basketball program.’’

Donovan said he feels a responsibility to counsel coaches if any were to call. Stevens did and Donovan was glad to help.

“Probably why Brad and I hit it off is that I see a guy like me that’s trying to get better and trying to improve as a coach, and that’s what I think we’re all trying to do,’’ said Donovan, who added he has sought out the advice of some of the giants in coaching from the NBA, MLB and NFL. “At least I think the best ones are always trying to get better. It’s no different than players. Players are trying to get better.’’

Donovan added an anecdote from his brief stint as a player with the New York Knicks, remembering a story when Larry Bird and the Celtics were playing at Madison Square Garden. The Garden floor was being put down after a hockey game, and Donovan saw Bird taking a few shots while standing on an island of parquet. Bird was shooting at the basket as workers were laying down the rest of the court around him.

“I couldn’t believe it, and it registers that the really great ones understand the level of focus and commitment and time that goes into it,’’ Donovan said. “He was going to be a Hall of Fame player and yet he still had the drive to want to get better. I think in life when you’ve got that drive, you genuinely have a better chance of reaching your potential.’’

And while it’s too early put Stevens in any elite coaching category, his 115 wins after four years is indeed historic. Stevens tops a list that includes NC State’s Everett Case (107), Few (105) and Pitt’s Jamie Dixon (105).

Heading into the Horizon League tournament final at Milwaukee, Stevens said he didn’t know if the Bulldogs could get an at-large bid. But he wasn’t going to let his team fret or feel any additional pressure. When the Bulldogs played with such purpose, pounding the Panthers by 15, he knew then that Butler could go on another run in the tournament.

“After we lost to Youngstown, I told Matt Howard that this three-game losing streak will be the most valuable thing you experience at Butler,’’ Stevens said. “It might not be as fun as a lot of other things, and he’s won 115 games, but it’ll be the most valuable because you’re going to have to react to this and you’re going to have to tread your way through this and you’re going to have to do it together. And if you do it together, it’ll be really rewarding.’’

The words could have been applied to Stevens, too. He adhered to exactly the same advice and it proved just as fruitful, with another Elite Eight appearance in his belt and a chance for much more.

DENVER -- Steve Lavin momentarily put on his analyst’s cap and gave a glowing review of Gonzaga’s chances in the NCAA tournament after the Zags dominated his St. John’s team throughout an 86-71 second-round win.

“They’re definitely a Final Four-capable team, national championship-potential team,” Lavin said.

Those were the words the former ESPN analyst used to describe a No. 11 seed, one that began the season 4-5 and slogged through the tough part of its difficult nonconference schedule. Gonzaga was even three games out of first place in the WCC at one point.

But expectations are high again now for the Zags, who have won 10 games in a row and are feeling good enough about themselves to say that in their minds, taking down the 6th-seeded Red Storm wasn’t much of an upset.

“If you look at the bracket, yes,” forward Elias Harris said. “If you know us, this was a fair fight. For them, it was not cool to play us.”

Said center Robert Sacre: “I don’t see why it was an upset. I don’t think we get enough credit.”

Yes, the Zags have heard all the talk about them not having played anyone in the one-bid WCC. They simply don’t believe it and try to make their case on the court.

So rather than look at St. John’s as a favorite that needed to be slayed, Gonzaga just went out and thrashed its Big East opponent. With leading rebounder D.J. Kennedy lost for the season, the Red Storm saw the Zags out-rebound them 43-20. In fact, after going up by 11 with 18:59 left, Gonzaga never saw its lead slip under double-digits again.

Marquise Carter was fantastic in his first NCAA tournament game, as the junior college transfer had 24 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Point guard Demetri Goodson played what coach Mark Few called his best game, handling St. John’s press, traps and zone defense. Steven Gray scored 16 points, and Harris added 15.

“I’m tickled pink for these guys,” Few said. “They took the game plan and executed it. “

The Zags might consider itself a young team, but Gray, Harris and Sacre make up a big lineup that is battle-tested from its previous tournament experience, and Few said it helped the Bulldogs against a senior-laden St. John’s team dancing for the first time in nine years.

Dwight Hardy scored 26 points, and Justin Brownlee had 14 for St. John's, but Gonzaga’s rebounding edge was difficult to overcome. The Zags also shot 9-for-15 from beyond the arc, with Gray and Carter doing the most damage. For the game, they shot 53.8 percent from the field.

So while Harris has heard the criticism that the Zags don’t play anyone in the WCC, he said that the team doesn’t really listen to it. Playing with blinders is how Sacre described it.

The Bulldogs have fingers in their ears while the rest of the nation either continues to doubt them or adores their underdog status.

After convincingly beating St. John’s, does the slipper actually still fit for Gonzaga?

MORAGA, Calif. -- It was a close call, but Gonzaga’s streak lives to see another day.

The Zags prevented Saint Mary’s from stopping their dynastic stretch of 10 straight WCC regular-season titles, and in the process, they prevented their rival from capturing its first in 22 years after an 89-85 overtime win at McKeon Pavilion on Thursday night.

They survived two potential go-ahead shot attempts by Saint Mary’s guard Mickey McConnell as well as an off night from their leading scorer Steven Gray.

Gonzaga pulled itself into a first-place tie in the league with one game left and then talked about how meaningful it was to win this one.

“We pride ourselves on winning league championships,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “That’s our motivation. We win league championships and go to the NCAA tournament.”

Gonzaga freshman Sam Dower scored 21 points off the bench, including four clutch free throws in overtime to seal the win, and Elias Harris added 18 points and six rebounds. The Zags blew a 10-point second-half lead, but said they prevailed because of their defense.

McConnell, who had burned the Zags with the game-winning leaner in Spokane on Jan. 27, saw a 3-pointer at the buzzer of regulation rim out and then the potential go-ahead layup draw back iron with 11.9 seconds left.

“Nine times out of 10, you’re probably going to make it,” McConnell said of his driving attempt.

Afterward, the Zags had no problem talking about how they had circled this date on the calendar following the home loss to the Gaels, which left them three games behind Saint Mary's -- a deficit that is no more.

“We’re going to beat ‘em down there,” Sacre said of the team‘s thinking. “We wanted to redeem ourselves."

Just how close was the game on Thursday? The two teams were tied at halftime, after the end of regulation, and went back and forth into the final minute of overtime.

A foul called on McConnell going for the strip, and Dower’s resulting two free throws with 19.9 seconds left, gave Gonzaga the lead. After McConnell missed at the other end, Sacre came through with two free throws of his own.

The Zags fouled Stephen Holt to prevent the Gaels from attempting a potential game-tying 3-pointer since they shot 43.5 percent from beyond the arc for the game. Holt made one of two, and Dower was able to close it out by sinking two more.

Not only did Saint Mary’s not get to celebrate a league title at home, but now the Gaels are in serious jeopardy of not making the NCAA tournament if they don’t win the WCC tournament. McConnell said the team would take on that mindset, and it’s not just because Saint Mary’s traditionally takes that approach as a mid-major.

“Losing three in a row doesn’t help at this point in the season,” said McConnell, who finished with 15 points and nine assists.

The Gaels were set to clinch at least a share of the title at San Diego on Feb. 16, but that bad loss has snowballed into three losses in the past nine days, wrecking what had been a fine résumé for the NCAA selection committee to review.

Still, each team will receive byes into the WCC semifinals and will need to win just once to meet for the rubber match in Las Vegas on March 7. No one who witnessed this classic on Thursday would wish for anything else.

“We might see them in the tournament,” Sacre said.

But after the Gonzaga win, it’s the Zags’ own NCAA tourney credentials that got a major boost, and they’re very much alive for at-large consideration after winning seven of their past eight games.

The Zags are 20-9 after playing a difficult nonconference schedule, and a win against Saint Mary’s will be looked upon favorably.

"We just persevered," Sacre said. "It was just a dogfight."

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco upset Gonzaga at home in overtime for the second straight year, but Dons coach Rex Walters noticed this time the celebration was different.

This year when the students came running onto the court after the 96-91 win, he didn't need to pull his celebrating players into the handshake line.

"All of our guys were in line," said Walters, whose program hasn't reached the NCAA tournament since 1998. "That was great for me to see, that we expected to win this game."

The Dons won the battle for second place in the West Coast Conference, and perhaps their confidence in their ability to beat the Zags was the worst sign for the 10-time defending WCC regular-season champions.

Both of Gonzaga's games in Northern California this week ended in court stormings and career nights for the opponents. The Zags two days earlier saw Santa Clara's Kevin Foster torch them for 36 points, and all five opposing starters once again scored in double-figures as USF freshman Cody Doolin had 23 points, including the go-ahead 3-point play in overtime on Saturday.

For the first time since 2000, Gonzaga lost consecutive conference games. That was Mark Few's first season as head coach and the last time the Zags didn't win the WCC. Still, he's not ready to push the panic button just yet after the team's seventh loss of the season dropped it into a third-place tie.

"I told them, 'It's early in the league season,'" Few said. "We still control our own destiny. We can hang our heads after the last game of the season."

Funny things happen on the road, and one particularly critical ruling left Few frustrated. With 24.5 seconds left in regulation, Robert Sacre corralled a rebound with the Zags leading 81-80 but was whistled for an intentional foul while swinging his elbows to protect the ball and hitting Angelo Caloiaro in the face.

"I feel good," mused Caloiaro, who hit two free throws to give the Dons the lead and also possession of the ball. "Best elbow I've taken in a while."

Said Few: "I don't know what the rebounder's supposed to do. I don't know what to coach the rebounder on."

The Zags eventually sent the game into overtime on Demetri Goodson's 3-pointer. But 12 missed free throws -- including six in overtime -- ultimately cost them, and Doolin hit the game-winner on a drive in the lane with 4.1 seconds left.

Gonzaga now trails Saint Mary's by two games in the standings heading into its Thursday showdown in Spokane.

USF, meanwhile, has won six of seven and is off to its best conference start (4-1) since 1982. Walters' third year hasn't been without challenges, but when point guard Dominique O'Connor was lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Michael Williams stepped into the lineup and has led the team in scoring while Doolin continues to improve.

Also a positive sign for the 10-10 Dons?

"We beat a good team not playing our best," Walters said.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Santa Clara coach Kerry Keating acted as if he’d been there, calmly walking back toward his bench coming out of the handshake line as hundreds of students engulfed his players on the court.

That’s when assistant coach James Ware grabbed Keating from behind and messed up his hair a little bit, just to let it be known this wasn’t any other win. The Broncos’ 85-71 triumph against Gonzaga on Thursday was, in fact, the biggest win of Keating’s young head coaching career and the Broncos' first at home against the Zags in 10 years.

“If you want to establish yourself, Gonzaga’s proven you have to do it through them,” said Keating, who is in his fourth year at Santa Clara and is in search of his first winning season. “They set the bar, and that bar’s pretty high.”

Kevin Foster hit 3-point daggers from all over the court to score a career-high 36 points and freshman point guard Evan Roquemore added 13, forming a winning backcourt that has Keating’s fingerprints all over it.

It was Keating who demanded that Foster lose weight this offseason to minimize his chances of suffering another foot injury like the fracture and subsequent surgery that ended his 2009-10 season. It was Keating who signed the under-the-radar recruit Roquemore in July and saw him develop into a floor general after Robert Smith transferred last month.

After recently suffering losses to Delaware and San Francisco at home before getting trounced by 25 at rival Saint Mary’s, the Broncos (11-9) came out and aggressively hounded Gonzaga into 19 turnovers while Foster was unstoppable from long range, hitting six 3-pointers.

“To be able to rebound from getting your butts handed to you, and now play the team that’s been the best team, that says a lot about our team,” Keating said. “Maybe this is a chance for us to grow.”

In the final minutes, Foster dominated. At one point, he scored 11 straight points for the Broncos to give them an eight-point lead with 2:35 to play, draining three 3-pointers during the stretch.

With 45 seconds left, the Leavey Center shook as Gonzaga coach Mark Few told his Bulldogs to stop fouling. For good measure, Foster hit another 3-pointer with 18.7 seconds left and some Broncos soon took to the top of the radio broadcast table as students rushed the court.

“He just carried us on his shoulders tonight,” forward Marc Trasolini said of Foster.

Gonzaga (13-6, 3-1 WCC), which saw its nine-game winning streak snapped, couldn’t stop Foster nor find any sort of rhythm with its Big 3 -- Steven Gray (17 points), Robert Sacre (16 points) and Elias Harris (six points) -- saddled with foul trouble. Foster put an end to any thoughts of Gonzaga getting back into the national rankings after struggling in the early part of the season.

“He hurt us on the drive, and we just couldn’t get stops at all the entire second half,” Few said. “We had a bunch of silly turnovers. They beat us to the ball over and over and over again.

“Hey, it’s life on the road. I’m disappointed. We went back to turning the ball over. We did not defend well. And we didn’t rebound well. Those are pretty good recipes for a loss.”

Gonzaga entered the game having won 23 of its past 25 meetings against Santa Clara, which had no players on its roster that had experienced beating the 10-time defending regular-season WCC champs. All five starters ended up scoring in double figures, and Keating said he was especially happy for the seniors.

The freshman Roquemore was also able to get a feel for what it’s like to score a big win -- one that he felt confident in getting even earlier in the day while talking with fellow students.

“They asked, ‘Are you guys going to win?’” Roquemore said. “Of course I said yes.”

Gonzaga with a 4-5 record is off to the worst start of the Mark Few era, and the schedule gets tough again after tonight's game against Lewis-Clark State when the Zags head to Dallas to play Baylor on Saturday.

"Clearly we've played the most difficult schedule in college basketball up until this point in the season," Few said.

"The schedule's been brutal, but that's kind of how we always do it up here."

Losses to San Diego State, Kansas State, Illinois, Washington State and Notre Dame have the Zags reeling, but the hope for them is to stop opponents from shooting 40 percent from 3-point range against them and get Elias Harris healthier coming off an Achilles injury.

"If Harris continues to get back to form, there's no doubt this is a top-20 team, a very talented team that can make a deep run in March," Baylor coach Scott Drew said.

Said Few: "We have a younger team that people realize. We're in the process of those guys figuring out their roles."

The Zags still have Xavier, Oklahoma State and Memphis to play as well as Saint Mary's twice during the WCC portion of the schedule.

First comes a little breather against Lewis-Clark State tonight.

"It's nice to have a game at home," Few told KREM-TV. "It's nice to have a game not against a top-10 opponent or a top-20 opponent. Nobody in college basketball has played a schedule even close to ours right now. I think our players need to understand that, our coaches do, and our fans do. Bottom line."

As we get set for a hoops-filled weekend, here's a linky look back on the week that was at the College Basketball Nation blog:

• The ACC/Big Ten Challenge played out as most predicted -- a 6-5 win for the Big Ten -- but there were plenty of surprises along the way. Virginia toppled No. 13-ranked Minnesota in Minneapolis Monday night, temporarily throwing the ACC/Big Ten picture into question, before the Big Ten righted the ship, gaining a 4-2 lead on Tuesday night and finished it off Wednesday with a Purdue win at Virginia Tech and a 6-5 overall victory.
• We chatted throughout the action, and if you're the kind of person that reads live chats a few days after the fact, enjoy.
• Duke beat a turnover-prone Michigan State squad Wednesday night. Kyrie Irving looks like the best freshman -- and one of the best guards -- in the country. And both teams looked like they could very well meet again in Houston in April.
• Amid the ACC/Big Ten fun, Missouri got its first big test of the season Tuesday night, and even though an impressively flexible Georgetown team pulled out a win in the best game of the season thus far, the Tigers looked like a quality bunch with plenty of Mike Anderson up-tempo goodness to take them deep in the NCAA tourney.
• Kansas received what appeared to be an early Christmas gift, a questionable late foul call that handed the Jayhawks a one-point win against UCLA Thursday night.
• John Adams, head of NCAA officiating, contended that the referees made the right call on the play.
• Yours truly looked back on the first month of college hoops and handed out a few awards for early season performances. As you might expect, Connecticut's Kemba Walker and Arizona's Derrick Williams were prominently featured.
• Mark Few shared dystopic visions of his son as a chain-smoking couch potato.
• We mulled over New York basketball's apparent talent decline.
• Indiana discovered its one hope for adding legitimate size this season, junior college transfer Guy-Marc Michel, would be ineligible this season.
• Marcus Jordan became a star.
• Montana State unveiled its very own "Cat plane."
• Mark Adams discussed the rebounding prowess -- and still-untapped potential -- of Morehead State's Kenneth Faried.
• Old Dominion beat Richmond and continued to look as impressive as any mid-major team in the country.
• Mason Plumlee dunked three basketballs at one time.
• UNLV unveiled some sweet new jerseys.
• And Andy Katz prepared us for the weekend to come, which promises to be one of those great college hoops Saturdays that make college basketball season really feel like college basketball season. We're all the way in now. Doesn't it feel good?

Gonzaga coach Mark Few over the years has turned down numerous opportunities to potentially leave the Pacific Northwest for more lucrative jobs, most recently gently telling alma mater Oregon thanks, but no thanks.

He's always left the door slightly ajar in case some significantly better job situation presented itself, but in an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Few described in great detail his biggest fear when it comes to entertaining the idea of leaving Spokane.

"It has nothing to do with basketball," the Gonzaga coach said late Wednesday night. "It has to do with waking up one day, because we’re so involved in coaching, and my kid’s grown a beard and he’s smoking a cigarette on the couch, wearing a wife-beater. And I’m like, ‘Who are you? You’re not A.J., my 10-year-old.’ And he’s like, ‘Yes, I am -- when you were out recruiting, coaching, running all over the place, I grew up.’"

It's a bizarre vision of what life could be like if ever left and a concern brought on by the fact that things are so comfortable in their current state.

Few simply doesn't appear to have much an appetite for taking on a rebuilding situation and uprooting his family when he could be fly-fishing back home and consistently racking up wins.

That's great leverage for when that job he can't turn down opens up, but maybe just maybe Few's in the vast minority when it comes to hopping aboard the coaching carousel.

"I’ve seen so many people, so many coaches when we all get together as coaches on the road recruiting or on Nike trips,… with a lot of regret," Few said. "They’ll say, ‘I wish I’d stayed there, I was happy, my family was happy and those were the most fun times I had coaching.’ Because they went somewhere, it blew up or whatever, and it was miserable. … That was something that I watched."