Zags to face Florida State in Buffalo

As you all know by now, Gonzaga will face Florida State in Buffalo on Friday. When the pairing flashed on the TV screen, I quickly checked the weather in Buffalo: 38 degrees, windy, wind chill of 28. Driving to Gonzaga’s media session Sunday afternoon, the temp was 56 degrees.

Oh well. I’m guessing it’ll be about 70 inside the HSBC Arena.

Read on for my contributions to Monday’s S-R. There’s an article on GU’s reaction to the draw and a look at the four teams in Gonzaga’s bracket. I’ll post John Blanchette’s column in the morning.

First the main bar….

By Jim Meehan

jimm@spokesman.com; (208) 765-7131

Gonzaga senior guard Matt Bouldin has been to Buffalo . He was about 12 on a family vacation. He went to Cooperstown, the Baseball Hall of Fame, Niagara Falls . Great trip. Head coach Mark Few’s been there, too, as an assistant under Dan Fitzgerald during Gonzaga’s 1993-94 season. Tough weekend.

“Not a stellar 72 hours for the Zags,” said Few, chuckling. “It’s a little rough when you lose that first game to Canisius and back it up by losing to Niagara . People in that city are going to be absolutely shocked – Do you realize that team actually went on to win the conference that year. I’m not sure they saw our best basketball at that tournament.”

Few wouldn’t mind if Gonzaga played a little better basketball and shocked some people along the way when his Bulldogs travel to Buffalo later this week to take on Florida State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga, which earned its 12 ^th consecutive trip to the NCAAs, is the eighth seed in the West Region while the Seminoles, who earned an at-large bid out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, are No. 9. Game time is 4:10 PST Friday at HBSC Arena.

If the Bulldogs (26-6) knock off the Florida State (22-9), they’ll likely face No. 1-seeded Syracuse , which opens against No. 16 Vermont. Syracuse is roughly 150 miles east of Buffalo .

Bulldogs players and coaches gathered in the Herak Room inside the McCarthey Athletic Center on Sunday afternoon to learn their seeding, site and first-round opponent.

“I think those two (seeding and site) together, it was kind of like dang, dang,” Bouldin said, “but I really don’t know where our resume stood with all the other tournaments that were going on last week. I knew the loss to Saint Mary’s (in the WCC Tournament title game) would hurt us, but it’s going to be fun, no matter who or where we’re playing. It’s the best time of the year.”

Gonzaga knew its chances of playing at the Spokane Arena in the opening rounds were all but gone after losing in the WCC title game.

“As long as you see your name on the board I’m happy with that,” guard Steven Gray said. “This is what we’ve been doing pretty much all year – hop on a plane, travel wherever, play in hostile environments and try to go take on the world.”

Florida State finished tied for third with Virginia Tech in the ACC. The Seminoles had a bye into the ACC Tournament quarterfinals where they lost to 11 ^th -seeded North Carolina State 58-52. That score was indicative of many FSU games. The Seminoles led Division I in field-goal percentage defense (37.2), just in front of No. 2 Kansas (37.7), the tournament’s overall top seed.

The Seminoles are balanced offensively with six players averaging between 6.9-11.6 points. Sophomore center Solomon Alabi, 7-foot-1 and 251 pounds, is the team’s top scorer with 6-9 forward Chris Singleton next at 10.3.

“They can really, really defend,” Few said. “They take a lot of pride in defending and they’ve been keeping the games in the 50s and grinding it.”

Few had an inkling Gonzaga might end up in Buffalo .

“I told our guys we were going to Buffalo on Monday or Tuesday. They think I’m clairvoyant,” he said. “With all the information and the bracketology that’s out there, I just wanted them to understand how special the NCAA Tournament is and to truly enjoy the moment and feel very proud of what you’ve accomplished this year.”

Sounds like the message got through.

“We were going to take whatever they handed us,” Gray said. “This team has the right mind set to go in and make the most of the opportunity.”

Next, the four teams in GU’s bracket…

By Jim Meehan

jimm@spokesman.com; (208) 765-7131

The last time Gonzaga was in the 8-9 game in the NCAA Tournament, the Bulldogs were the ninth seed and knocked off No. 8 Cincinnati in Salt Lake City in 2003. They exited the tourney after an epic double-overtime loss to No. 1 Arizona.

GU will be the No. 8 seed, taking on No. 9 Florida State on Friday. The other half of the bracket has No. 1 Syracuse facing No. 16 Vermont. Here’s a look at the four teams:

No. 8 Gonzaga

Coach: Mark Few

Record: 26-6

Strength: The Bulldogs have been proficient in tournament settings (Maui Invitational) and in games following quick turnarounds ( Oklahoma and Illinois ), so they should be equipped to handle an NCAA Tournament scenario.

Season highlight: GU won the Maui Invitational, captured its 10 ^th consecutive WCC regular-season title and will make its 12 ^th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Style of play: Gonzaga would prefer the pace to be up tempo, but it has shown it can win slower, possession-by-possession games ( Cincinnati ). The Bulldogs are at their best when they move the ball and have an inside-outside attack.

No. 9 Florida State

Coach: Leonard Hamilton

Record: 22-9

Strength: The Seminoles rely on defense. They are athletic, tall and long, which helps disrupt opposing offenses. Seven-foot-1 center Solomon Alabi swatted 74 shots and 6-9 Chris Singleton had 46 blocks.

Season highlight: Probably two. Early on in the ACC, Solomon Alabi and Deividas Duklys each scored 13 points as FSU knocked off Virginia Tech 63-58. The teams tied for third place in the ACC, but the win gave FSU the third seed in the tournament. The other was knocking off North Carolina , FSU’s first win in Chapel Hill since 2000. It capped a three-game winning streak and gave FSU its 20 ^th win.

Style of play: FSU prefers a slower pace and likes to utilize a sizable front line with Alabi, Singleton and 6-8 Ryan Reid. The Seminoles shot 70 more free throws than opponents and attempted 73 fewer 3-pointers. The Seminoles beat Wake Forest despite scoring just 51 points.

No. 1 Syracuse

Coach: Jim Boeheim

Record: 28-4

Strength: Syracuse is one of the most talented teams in the country and spent a week at No. 1 before losing to Louisville . Forward Wes Johnson was named the Big East Conference player of the year. He averaged 16 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

Season highlight: Take your pick. Syracuse beat Villanova 95-77, won at West Virginia, 72-71, and won at Georgetown , 75-71. Rick Jackson scored 19 points in the win over Villanova. Brandon Triche had a team-high 16 points against the Mountaineers. Andy Rautins scored 26 to fuel the victory over the Hoyas.

Style of play: Syracuse is known for its stingy 2-3 zone. The Orange held opponents to 39.9 percent shooting from the field and 31 percent on 3-pointers. Syracuse is efficient offensively, making 51.6 percent of its shots and attempting nearly 200 more free throws than its opponents.

No. 16 Vermont

Coach: Mike Lonergan

Record: 25-9

Strength: Vermont comes in having won 11 of its last 12 games. Ten of those 11 wins were by nine points or more. The Catamounts routinely keep opponents under 60 points.

Season highlight: The Catamounts defeated Boston University 83-70 to win the America East Tournament and earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Senior Marqus Blakely had 24 points, 18 rebounds and five assists in the title game.

Style of play: Defense is the key for the Catamounts. Opponents are making 39.7 percent of their field-goal attempts. Vermont limited New Hampshire to 13 field goals in a 57-38 victory a week ago.

And here’s a longer capsule on Florida State:

FLORIDA STATE (22-9)

Coach: Leonard Hamilton

Seed, region: No. 9, West

Location: Buffalo , N.Y.

Enrollment: 39,163

Founded: 1851

Mascot: Seminoles

Conference: ACC (10-6)

Bid: At large

NCAA tournament record: 12-11

Marquee players: Solomon Alabi, 7-foot-1 sophomore center who averaged 11.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Chris Singleton (6-9, 227) averages 10.3 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds. Junior guard Derwin Kitchen averages 8.2 points and 3.9 assists.

Famous alumni: Actor Burt Reynolds, singer/songwriter Jim Morrison, fitness expert Richard Simmons, astronaut Winston Scott.

Starting five

P. Player Yr. Ppg.

G Michael Snaer Fr. 8.8

G Derwin Kitchen Jr. 8.2

F Ryan Reid Sr. 6.9

F Chris Singleton Soph. 10.3

C Solomon Alabi Soph. 11.6