PORTLAND – Mark Few flashed a smile when asked about the former midseason games between Gonzaga and Memphis.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Her head was still sore, but Kayleigh Truong was feeling the joy Friday night.

PORTLAND – While the rest of the country was learning about Jamaree Bouyea on Thursday night, players and coaches from Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s were sitting in Portland hotel rooms watching the dynamic San Francisco guard from a different viewpoint.

PORTLAND – “Analytics” isn’t exactly a dirty word to Gonzaga coach Mark Few, but it sometimes is attended by a mildly critical modifier.

RALEIGH, North Carolina – They’ve been hitting milestones at a regular pace over the past two seasons. Considering the Washington State Cougars’ steady ascent, what seems to be the next logical step for the program?

Sometimes it’s good to dwell on the past.

RALEIGH, North Carolina – Years before they began a rebuild at Washington State, three contemporary Cougars coaches built Kansas State’s program into a consistent NCAA Tournament contender.

It should be a March Madness feast for NBA scouts and college basketball fans. It should also have a lot to do with the outcome when Gonzaga faces Memphis on Saturday. At the highest levels of prep and summer basketball, the best players see quite a bit of each other at various all-star games, camps, showcase prep events and top AAU tournaments. Therefore, GU’s Chet Holmgren and Memphis teammates Jalen Duren and Emoni Bates won’t require pre-game introductions.

Mark Few frequently points out that one of the hardest feats in sports is getting back on track when a player or team hits a rough patch. Few cited an example of each after the top-ranked Zags pulled away from Georgia State on Thursday. GU center Drew Timme rebounded from a sluggish first half with 22 second-half points. And Gonzaga’s next opponent – young, but highly talented Memphis – as a prime example of a team that has weathered low points to emerge as a formidable obstacle in the Zags’ attempt to reach the Sweet 16 in the seventh straight NCAA Tournament when the teams square off at 6:40 p.m. Saturday at the Moda Center.