As you may have heard, Gonzaga’s 36th victory of the college basketball season on Saturday night earned the Bulldogs a spot in their first Final Four. Oregon, South Carolina and North Carolina eventually joined the party – because this is a competition, not a coronation.

So surely there must be at least 36 reasons the Zags can win it all in Phoenix:

1: Because after Mark Few cut down the last of the net in San Jose, he hollered to his players “Might as well win it!”

2: By contrast, South Carolina coach Frank Martin asked, in his locker room after beating Florida, “Why not?”

3: The declarative always beats a question, especially one that sounds as if there’s a shrug attached. More here.