The road was a little more difficult this season, but in the end the Bulldogs made their 12th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs captured their 10th straight West Coast Conference regular-season title, but Saint Mary’s College upset the Bulldogs in the WCC Tournament title game, leaving Gonzaga at the mercy of the NCAA Selection Committee for a chance to dance again in March. With a resumé that included road wins over the University of Illinois and the University of Memphis; an earlyseason near-miss at No. 2 Michigan State University; the EA Sports Maui Invitational title with victories over the University of Colorado, University of Wisconsin and University of Cincinnati; a win in the Spokane Arena over the University of Oklahoma, and games against eventual national champion Duke University and at home
Final 2010 Associated Press Poll Team 1. Kansas (65) 2. Kentucky 3. Duke 4. Syracuse 5. Ohio St. 6. West Virginia 7. Kansas St. 8. New Mexico 9. Villanova 10. Purdue 11. Butler 12. Temple 13. Michigan St. 14. Georgetown 15. Tennessee 16. Wisconsin 17. BYU 18. Pittsburgh 19. Baylor 20. Maryland 21. Vanderbilt 22. Gonzaga 23. Texas A&M 24. Richmond 25. Xavier
‘10 Record 32-2 32-2 29-5 28-4 27-7 27-6 26-7 29-4 24-7 27-5 28-4 29-5 24-8 23-10 25-8 23-8 29-5 24-8 25-7 23-8 24-8 26-6 23-9 26-8 24-8
against ACC power Wake Forest University, the Bulldogs had a strong case. And the committee agreed. After taking Michigan State to the limit in the Breslin Center before succumbing 75-71, the Bulldogs headed to Maui. Gonzaga came from a 15-point deficit in the opener to down the University of Colorado, then defeated Wisconsin and Cincinnati to claim its first Maui crown. Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray earned Co-MVP accolades. Gonzaga returned home from Maui to defeat Washington State University, lose a tough contest to Wake Forest University when Elias Harris was ejected from the contest early and defeat Augustana College. The Bulldogs won their first Battle in Seattle in three years with a victory over Davidson College in a re-match of a 2008 NCAA First Round matchup. Following a loss to Duke University in Madison Square Garden, the Bulldogs would open WCC play with six straight victories on their way to a 12-2 record and the regular-season title. Gonzaga battled from 14 points down to come back for a victory at Santa Clara University in one of their biggest road comebacks in WCC memory. The Bulldogs defeated Loyola Marymount University 77-62 in the WCC Tournament semifinals, Steven Gray pouring in 18 points, grabbing six rebounds and handing out seven assists despite having two of his fingernails bent backwards which led them to bleed throughout much of the contest. But the title game was not to be the Bulldogs night in Las Vegas as Saint Mary’s took an 81-62 victory. The Bulldogs were without Manny Arop for the WCC title game
and NCAA Tournament as he suffered a broken foot in the WCC semifinal and had surgery upon the team’s return home from the WCC Tournament. Despite not getting the WCC’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, there seemed to be little doubt the Bulldogs would see their name flashed on the screen on Selection Sunday. And it was. Gonzaga was sent across the country to Buffalo, NY, as a No. 8 seed in earning the at-large bid, and were pitted against No. 9 seed Florida State University in the first round. The Bulldogs got 14 second-half points from Bouldin to avoid squandering an 18-point lead in a 67-60 victory. Next up was No. 1 West seed Syracuse University, and the Orangemen connected on 12 3-pointers on their way to an 87-65 victory. After falling behind by 10 in the first half the Bulldogs closed the gap to 32-28, but Syracuse upped the lead to 47-32 by halftime. The season saw Gonzaga nearly sweep the WCC honors as Bouldin was named the Player of the Year, Harris the Newcomer of the Year and Few the Coach of the Year. Few also garnered National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 9 Coach of the Year accolades as voted by his peers, and Bouldin and Harris were named to the NABC District 9 first team. Gonzaga’s 27-7 record marked the 13th straight year the Bulldogs reached the 20-win plateau. Few’s team have won 20 games every year he has been at the helm, and the Bulldogs have suffered doubledigit losses under Few just once in 11 seasons.
* The final 2010 rankings with Gonzaga opponents in italics. * GU ranked No. 23 in final ESPN/USA Today Poll. www.gozags.com
post season
2010 - NCAA Second Round
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