WICHITA, Kansas – One team is in the NCAA tournament for the first time in 10 years, while their opponent is riding a streak of 27 straight tournament appearances. What do they have in common: both teams know it’s win or go home from here on out.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs face the Bulldogs of Georgia Thursday in Wichita for the first round game of the NCAA tournament.
Georgia finished the regular season 20-12 and are a nine seed in the Midwest region. They face eight seed Gonzaga who finished the regular season winning the WCC championship game.
Georgia’s players acknowledged that while it’s the first time in years for their team to play in March Madness, they’re not thinking about the history when they step on the court tomorrow.
“We’re not just satisfied being here,” said sophomore guard Blue Cain. “We’re here to compete and win.”
You can watch the opening round press conferences here
Most of the Gonzaga roster has experience in the NCAA tournament and offered perspective on what it’s like to step on the sport’s biggest stage when you’ve been there before.
“This is something that’s usual and easy for us,” said senior guard Nolan Hickman. “We understand how this thing goes.”
But don’t mistake that confidence for cockiness; the Zags certainly know what’s at stake.
“If you’re not desperate this time of year, you’re going home,” said senior guard Ryan Nembhard. “Every game matters, every game is important.”
Gonzaga Coach Mark Few reminded reporters: a streak of 27 years in the tournament is not typical and shouldn’t be expected.
“If it was so easy and everybody did it, there would be more of us that have done it 27 times,” Few said. “It’s really, really, really hard.”
Few said the team’s experience in the tournament means he doesn’t have to work too hard to get players ready. Instead, he has to remind them about the consequences of not putting their best game on the floor.
“You can’t have a bad afternoon or a bad night,” Few said. “It’s not so much whether you’re making shots or making perfect plays on defense. You just can’t have a bad night in your effort and in your energy – and also your mental prep. You’re not going to play perfect, but you have to have perfect effort.”
Gonzaga and Georgia tip off at 4:35 pm central time Thursday afternoon on TBS.
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