(PHOTO AND STORY: KHQ.COM)
Gonzaga is a No. 1 seed for the second time in school history, and it comes with some memories - not all of them good.
Gonzaga will face No. 16 seed South Dakota State on Thursday in Salt Lake City. The other time the Bulldogs received a No. 1 seed was 2013. And they were sent to Salt Lake City. And they were upset in the round of 32 by Wichita State as the Shockers made a run to the Final Four. This time, the Bulldogs could end up facing tournament first-timer Northwestern in the second round.
This is a different Gonzaga squad led by West Coast Conference player of the year Nigel Williams-Goss. The Bulldogs have five players averaging in double figures scoring, but the question will be how they handle a close game.
Aside from its loss to BYU, Gonzaga's only had one game decided by less than 10 points since Dec. 3.