There will be talk throughout this NCAA tournament, from teams both favored and forgotten, about reaping the benefits of dedication and hard work paying off. Wichita State guard Malcolm Armstead did things a little differently. He paid, quite literally, for the right to work hard.

Out of the corner of his eye, junior forward Sam Dower caught a few seconds of the Kansas State-La Salle game on a wall-mounted television inside Gonzaga’s locker room. He took note of the score – Kansas State trailed big and would eventually lose 63-61 – and slowly shook his head.

Bill Fennelly’s phone lit up Monday as friends responded to Iowa State’s NCAA tournament assignment. “I probably had 20 text messages saying, ‘Congratulations, and you got a terrible draw,’” the veteran Iowa State women’s basketball coach said Friday.

Gonzaga’s Most Valuable Player appreciated the timely support from Gonzaga’s Most Valuable Player.

In a new twist to an old tale, the Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrated their latest bauble with a hike among their flock roaring hosannas at the Orleans Arena. Sure, past champions have gone into the stands before to celebrate with their peeps. But these Zags climbed all the way to the top.

Elias Harris had 21 points and eight rebounds to lead No. 1 Gonzaga over Loyola Marymount 66-48 on Saturday night in the semifinals of the West Coast conference tournament.

Here’s what we knew about the Gonzaga Bulldogs when the women’s basketball season began: more than half the team’s scoring and rebounding from last year gone, no all-league players returning, 10 freshmen and sophomores on the roster.

The top-seeded Bulldogs utilized multiple scoring options and smothering pressure defense to crush No. 4 seed BYU 62-43 in the WCC women’s basketball tournament semifinals at the Orleans Arena.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs’ rise to No. 1 in the men’s college basketball polls hasn’t clouded their memories entering the WCC tournament.

It’s happened to virtually every Gonzaga standout player through the years. They become the focus of opponents’ scouting reports, draw the most attention, an occasional gimmick defense and usually end up with the most bruises.

Elias Harris had 20 points and nine rebounds as No. 2 Gonzaga beat Portland 81-52 on Saturday to stake a claim to its first-ever No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press’ Top 25.

They entered Gonzaga’s basketball program at different times but will exit together. Elias Harris, Mike Hart and Guy Landry Edi have shaped unique careers at Gonzaga, which closes the regular season today against Portland on Senior Day at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

There are no guarantees in men’s college basketball this season, as demonstrated by an upset-filled last month. That applies to No. 2 Gonzaga, which has adeptly sidestepped the Top 10 upset craze to reach the highest Associated Press ranking in program history. After No. 1 Indiana lost to Minnesota on Tuesday, the natural assumption was that Gonzaga was next in line for the top spot.

Kevin Pangos scored 18 points and No. 3 Gonzaga beat San Diego 81-50 on Saturday, putting the Bulldogs in position to rise to second in the AP poll after No. 2 Miami was upset.

No. 3 Gonzaga defeats San Diego 81-50 at home on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013.