I have spent three years at Gonzaga now, in my first two years, seven players left the program, now as the third year closes out more are set to leave.

Gonzaga announced officially Wednesday that Ryan Spangler, a freshman from Oklahoma, had been granted release papers to transfer to a school closer to home. The 6’8” post player was a great freshman bench contributor to the squad this year and will be a great boost for any program he chooses.

Freshman Ryan Spangler is set to transfer from Gonzaga

According to Spokane’s CBS affiliate KREM2 News, who spoke with Spangler’s father, five schools were given his transfer papers: Oklahoma (the front runner), Tulsa, Oral Roberts, Kansas State, and Arkansas. It is rumored that Kansas is also inquiring about the soon-to-be sophomore as well.

It is understandable for a kid to go far from home and realize he would much rather play closer to his family and spend more time with them, and that it is not an easy choice to go away to school, or even transfer. However, with eight official transfers, and the likelihood of at least two more Zags leaving the program (Mathis Keita and Mathis Mönninghoff) this year, a lot of questions about what goes on behind closed doors are raised.

In an elite program like Gonzaga, players will come and go for various reasons, in particular playing time, but if Keita and Mönninghoff leave, that will be ten players in three seasons gone. It just doesn’t seem right. It is possible that multiple life circumstances led the athletes to leave GU to better their career or be closer to family, but the fact of the matter is something is not the same.

The end of the Bulldog’s streak of regular season titles occurred this season, and a major story on UCLA’s basketball team and their fall from a perennial power position ran in Sports Illustrated this year. Could it be that Gonzaga is the next UCLA? Could the second most dominant school in conference regular season championships in all of college basketball follow suit of the university with the most titles?

It is only speculation, but the reality is things can’t be perfect in the locker room if a full teams worth of guys, in less than one recruiting cycle, choose to vacate a program.  This just may be the beginning of the end for Gonzaga men’s basketball—let’s hope not.

After taking a home series from Pepperdine last weekend in the rain and wind, the Bulldogs headed to sunny San Diego to face the No. 19 ranked Toreros in the second WCC series of the season. GU took the first of three games Thursday, but lost the remaining two to drop the series to USD.

Thursday, the Zags drove in six to take the contest 6-2. Seniors Alex Stanford and Maxx Garrett each drove in two runs, with Royce Bolinger and Payden Cawley Lamb bringing home the other two. Tyler Olson was the starting pitcher for GU, and tossed the entire game, including four K’s.

On Friday, Stanford and junior Billy Moon brought in the runs, as Eric Lane and Cawley Lamb scored for the Bulldogs. Andy Hunter started on the mound, earning nine strikeouts in seven and a third innings. GU lost the game 5-2.

In the Saturday game, Moon threw the first seven innings, striking out four Toreros in seven innings. The Bulldogs lost 5-3, with RBI’s coming from juniors Clayton Eslick and Brock Slavin, and Cawley Lamb. Lane, Eslick, and Cawley Lamb crossed home plate in the game as well.

After using Easter Sunday as a travel day, the Zags will head to Seattle to play in state rival University of Washington Monday and Tuesday. GU is now 20-9 on the season, and 3-3 in the WCC.

The Pacific Tigers will become a member of the WCC in July 2013

It was announced Wednesday morning that the University of Pacific in Stockton, Calif. would be joining the West Coast Conference in July of 2013. This makes U o P the tenth member of the WCC, and is finally a conference realignment decision that makes sense. With the Tigers joining the league, it creates a larger, more stable western region conference out of the WCC.

Pacific is the perfect addition to the conference, as they provide an even number of schools—ten, and are very similar in the style of university compared to the other schools; aside from BYU. When the Cougars joined the league in 2011, it made no sense; they are a humongous institution in Utah, not on the west coast, like the rest of the schools. They also created an odd number of conference participants.

U o P on the other hand, is a medium sized non-denominational private school in the heart of California, with a strong athletic department. It expands the Northern California fan base to the Central Valley region from the primarily focused Bay Area conference. All the while, the Tigers make travelling to multiple conference games much more accessible with four universities in the region; perfect for sports like volleyball and basketball that play two opponents in a weekend.

If common sense continues to reign in the WCC, it would be likely that within a few years or less, BYU would exit the league and Seattle University would join the conference. Right now, Seattle U is an independent school, who would thrive in the West Coast Conference, and be a much more suitable member than the Cougars overall. But for now, the league welcomes Pacific to one of the great private university athletic conferences in the nation.

Kingston, Rhode Island was the last stop on the five month journey the Gonzaga women’s basketball team completed this season. Beginning the year with a home game November 11^thagainst Hofstra, the Zags were determined to pick up where they left off the 2010-2011 season, and they did. It was a great season that included a conference title and a trip the Sweet Sixteen—incredible accomplishments for an incredible group.

Gonzaga's road to the Final Four ended in Rhode Island Sunday

Unfortunately, after winning the first two games of the NCAA tournament, the third round was not so kind to the Bulldogs as Kentucky knocked off GU 79-62. It was quite a game to begin with, as it remained close for much of the first half. The Wildcats were going wild from the three, as they ended the game with 12 treys. Nearly half of their scoring came from outside, and they could hardly miss (they ended 12-21); and when your opponent is draining threes, it’s hard to stay in the game.

It’s even harder when you can’t answer with threes. Although the Lady Zags had the height and interior presence advantage, they were only 1-6 from beyond the arc, and quickly caught on that they were not going to be able to trade threes with UK. While the paint was where the Bulldogs could do the damage, the tenacity and feisty defense the Wildcats played on the perimeter was extremely productive, and preventative of allowing GU to pound the ball inside.

In many ways, the fact that the 11^th seeded Bulldogs even made it to the Sweet Sixteen was incredible. Kentucky, the two seed, definitely had their work cut out for them, as GU had already upset Rutgers (6) and Miami (3) to make it to Rhode Island. Yet going into the Elite Eight as a tournament, only the one and two seeds remain—indicating the selection committee was right on par with their rankings. For the Lady Zags to have won the first regional game would not have only been an upset, but it would have defied all other statistics, this just wasn’t the year for Cinderella to make a deep run.

It is only appropriate that the three starting seniors of the Bulldogs ended their careers with the double digit scoring. Kayla Standish provided the main offense for GU with 25 points. Kelly Bowen added 11 points and Katelan Redmon finished with ten. All three women had incredible careers at GU, and will leave some big shoes to fill next year.

Kentucky will face top seeded UCONN for a bid to the Final Four Tuesday, while Gonzaga ends the year with a 28-6 mark.

Gonzaga faces Kentucky in Kingston on the "Rhode to the Championships"

Over 2,700 miles, but they are finally there. The Lady Zags are ready to play in the Sweet Sixteen for the third straight year, but this time it’s a little different. Last year, the Bulldogs landed what was arguably the best possible seeding ever, as they played the first two rounds in their home gym, and the next two a mile down the road at the Spokane Arena.

The year before, the regional round was held in Sacramento, after the first two games had been played in Seattle—not exactly home games, but at least in the same time zone. But this year, after winning twice in the MAC to earn a trip to the round of sixteen, the Zags are across the country in Kingston, Rhode Island—waiting for the Kentucky Wildcats.

GU made it to the Sweet Sixteen as an 11 seed; UK is the second seed team in the bracket. The Wildcats are 27-6 for the year, with some strong wins over several tough teams. Kentucky even beat perennial power Tennessee for the SEC regular season title. To reach the round of 16, UK beat 15^th seeded McNeese State, and seventh ranked Green Bay in very close games to advance.

The Zags are 28-5 this year and knocked off sixth seeded Rutgers and third seeded Miami to make it to the Sweet 16. After capturing the regular season WCC crown, the Bulldogs are ready to fight for another magical run into the Big Dance. With Tennessee knocking off Kansas early Saturday, GU remains the only double digit seed in the tournament.

Both teams like to run in transition, so for the typically slower paced women’s game, this looks to be an exception. Expect both teams to play fast, tough, and determined basketball. The game will be the final matchup of the third round, played Sunday at 3:30 (PST) on ESPN2.

Home court advantage.

That was one of the biggest assets to the Gonzaga (11) upset over Miami (3) Monday night in Spokane. The Lady Zags are still dancing as they swing into the Sweet 16 for the third straight year, while the team from the Sunshine State is headed home.

It was a physical and hard-earned 65-54 victory for GU. While it was probably unfair seeding by the selection committee to ship both Rutgers and Miami to the freezing Northwest to play Gonzaga on their home court in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, it is also the return the Bulldogs get for consistently making and winning in the Big Dance. A cold Eastern Washington and a trip to the Sweet 16 is better than South Beach any day of the week.

For Miami, Shenise Johnson racked up 20 points and 13 rebounds to earn a double-double. Her teammate, 6’6” center Shawnice Wilson, also scored in double figures with 12 points—she was one board shy of a double-double.

Gonzaga’s seniors led the way, with Kayla Standish dropping 19 points for the night with eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Katelan Redmon knocked in 16 points with eight boards as well. Likewise, sophomore Haiden Palmer grabbed eight rebounds and was in double figures scoring wise with 15.

While the Hurricanes will return to Miami to soak up the sun and mourn the loss, the Zags will pack up for a cross country trip of their own and visit Kingston, Rhode Island. The girls are slated to face second seeded Kentucky in the round of 16 next Sunday. The time has yet to be determined.

Gonzaga's bench celebrates Monday after beating Miami and earning a spot in the Sweet 16. (Photo courtesy of @ZagWBB)

The Good: Gonzaga’s women upset Rutgers to advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Bad: The men fell to Ohio State in the round of 32, ending their season at 26-7.

The Ugly: Whatever that stuff growing on the faces of the men’s team is.

THE GOOD: Lady Zags' bench celebrates

Zags don’t lose in the McCarthey Athletic Center, and that fact remained true as the 11^th seeded Lady Bulldogs took down No. 6 Rutgers 86-73. It was all blue as the Zags wore their dark uniforms as the away team, despite playing in their home gym. The Scarlet Knights never really had a chance, they trailed from the first basket and no way were the Zags or the crowd going to let them back in.

GU held a 20-4 advantage 10 minutes into the game, and kept that 15+ point lead most of the game. Kayla Standish led the team in scoring with 23 points. Kelly Bowen earned a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Also in double figures was Haiden Palmer with 21 and Taelor Karr who chipped in 14 points.

For Rutgers, Erica Wheeler took over the scoring with 28 point. Khadijah Rushdan grabbed a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards. In all fairness, it was rather rude for the selection committee to send a six seed to an 11 seed’s home gym across the country. In the words of the Scarlet Knight’s head coach C. Vivian Stringer; however, “it’s the arena we play in,” indicating that wherever her game is scheduled is where her team needs to play, no matter any other circumstances, they need to step up.

Gonzaga advances to the second round of the Big Dance to face third seeded Miami. The Hurricanes defeated No. 14 Idaho State Saturday. Game time is set for 6:30pm (PST) in Spokane.

THE BAD: GU's bench as the loss sets in

In Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon, Gonzaga came out playing tough as the men took on second seeded Ohio State. Until the last few seconds of the half, GU made a statement leading the Buckeyes. OSU took a two point advantage into the locker room at the half—they never looked back.

The Zags remained in the game, even after trailing by as much as ten in the second half, but in the end OSU avoided the huge upset with a 73-66 win. The Zags fought for the Sweet Sixteen, and brought it to a three point game with one minute to go, but things just didn’t fall their way.

By the looks of the box score, OSU should have dominated GU, as four of their starters were in double figures; however, their bench had no points. The Bulldogs added ten from the bench, keeping them that much closer—three starters were in double digits for GU.

Gary Bell Jr. led the Zags with 18 points and five assists. Elias Harris chipped in 16 points, while Kevin Pangos added 10. The Buckeye’s two big men, Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas each racked up 18 points, while Aaron Craft contributed with 17 and William Buford tossed in 13.

GU played three Big Ten teams this season, and lost all three of those games. I guess that conference just had the Zags’ number. And if nothing else comes from the loss, the nasty facial hair can disappear off the boys’ faces now that they lost.

THE UGLY: Gross facial hair growing on Rob Sacre and Elias Harris' faces during the tournament

GU Basketball will be in full force Saturday as the men face Ohio State and the women take on Rutgers. Both the Buckeyes and Scarlet Knights have the dominant color of red, while Gonzaga’s true colors are blue and white—red is occasionally added as a complement, but Saturday, leave out the crimson and scarlet because the Zags are fired up and taking over March Madness.

The seventh seeded men will play second seeded OSU around 11:45am on CBS. While on paper, most people surely don’t see Gonzaga having a chance against one of the nation’s best teams, a second look at a few factors may indicate otherwise.

Many experts figured the Bulldogs would drop out after the round of 64; instead they blew past West Virginia, resting several starters and giving their young guards a chance to experience the NCAA tournament and get rid of any jitters. On the other side of the bracket, Ohio State was in a close game much of the way against Loyola (MD) Thursday.

The Buckeye starters combined for 154 minutes; while GU’s only played 125 minutes. This meant of the five main guys for each squad, OSU’s played over five more minutes than the Zags, wearing and tearing their bodies down just that much longer.

Most notably, Jared Sullinger, who is expected to contest Elias Harris, spent 32 minutes in the game, while Harris was only on the court for 15. The Buckeyes are an excellent team, of course, but the fact that Gonzaga was able to get a little more rest for their players will hopefully be one advantage to boost the Bulldogs over the Buckeyes.

Along with the minutes played Thursday, Gonzaga got a great momentum building victory over a solid West Virginia team from the Big East Conference. Ohio State meanwhile, came out slow against mid-major Loyola, and while they won by 19, they were a little flat and not too happy with their overall performance. The different attitudes and style of wins each team had also favors Gonzaga.

The Zags are a Cinderella team by nature. They overcome distance, opposing crowds, and power conference teams without hesitation. Ohio State is just another big name to knock off on the Road to New Orleans.

For the women, they will be on the road, but at home Saturday against Rutgers. The Bulldogs are seeded 11^th and the Scarlet Knights sixth, but the Gonzaga is the host sight for the first two rounds of the tournament. GU will look to keep their strong home court success rate in tact as they take on their opponent.

Last year, with the same seed number, the Lady Zags rallied to the Elite Eight; that goal is still in mind, but first they must beat an always challenging and talented Rutgers team. The game should be a great one, but the Bulldogs hope to follow the men’s lead by knocking off the Big East squad. Tip-off is set for 1:15 (PST) Saturday on ESPN2.

The chorus of the classic John Denver song, “Country Road” is what the West Virginia Mountaineers are singing as the Zags rocked WVU 77-54 Thursday. The Mountaineers are a one and done team, and Gonzaga proved the selection committee successful as they held their own as the seven seed against the highly favored ten seed.

Distance travelled didn’t make a difference, and hometown crowd had no effect, as the Bulldogs plowed to their victory—leading from the 17:51 mark of the first half on. It was absolutely stunning. An odd mix of Zags filled up most of the minutes throughout the game, giving the key players rest, while dominating a Big East team.

In the win, several Bulldogs had trouble controlling their aggression earning several early fouls, but by the end, no one had more than three, and physicality wasn’t a concern. Rob Sacre and Gary Bell Jr. led the team with 14 points apiece. Kevin Pangos contributed 13, and Elias Harris rounded out the double figure scoring with ten.

As a team, the Zags knocked down nine threes, shooting nearly 53% from behind the arc. Mike Hart and Ryan Spangler earned some great minutes and made a tremendous impact considering their typical lack of court time. Hart drained a buzzer beating three for five points and four rebounds with 17 minutes on the court. Spangler racked up 21 minutes, in which he grabbed a team high of eight boards; he tossed in four points as well.

The Bulldogs will face Ohio State, a two seed, Saturday Morning in Pittsburgh. Tip-off is set for after the conclusion of the Syracuse-Kansas State game; roughly 11:30am (PST) on CBS.

The day has come and later this afternoon Gonzaga and West Virginia will tip off in Pittsburgh for a fight to the round of 32. The Zags have been called America’s Team over the years, pulling off upsets and making their way through the Big Dance as the victorious mid-major program out of the northwest. Can they do it again, or will they fall to the hands of the east coast dominance?

Can Gonzaga be the Cinderella team again?

West Virginia and most of the country sure don’t think so. The Bulldogs may have the higher seed as a seven spot, but the Mountaineers don’t see their ten seed as a barrier to victory. WVU travelled an hour to get to Pittsburgh by bus—Gonzaga flew 2,500 miles to get to Steel City for the game.

This matchup bars extremely close resemblance with the 2010 NCAA tournament, where the Zags played Syracuse in Buffalo, NY; practically a home game for the Orange. Call it East Coast bias, call it mid-major neglect, call it whatever you want, Gonzaga is not in a favorable position to move on to the next round.

Despite it all, GU has the chance to make a statement. Taking down the Mountaineers in front of their crowd, while proving to the country that the little mid-major school from Spokane, Washington can take on any opponent, anywhere is what Gonzaga basketball is all about.

During the nonconference portion of the year, the Bulldogs are always willing to travel anywhere to face the best the nation has to offer, so why should the postseason be any different? It shouldn’t; it isn’t. Let the Big East overflow the bracket with nine teams, let the power conferences have their spotlights, and let the little guys make the big statements.

Gonzaga finished the regular season with a 25-6 overall record; West Virginia ended at 19-13. The only mutual opponent the two teams played was Oral Roberts, both of whom won their game against ORU, respectively. Tip-off is at 4:20(PST) on TNT.