Where is Gonzaga? Location, coach, record, more of Purdue's Sweet 16 opponent in March Madness
Over the past 25 years, a school and its basketball program that had long been an unknown to much of the country has improbably become one of college basketball’s most dominant and consistent powers.
Gonzaga’s rise and success over that quarter-century has been one of the best, most compelling stories in the sport. A program that had just one NCAA Tournament appearance and no victories in the event prior to 1999 is now a regular threat to not only make the Big Dance, but advance deep into it once there.
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The Bulldogs have done so again this year with a trip to the Sweet 16, where, as a 5 seed, they’ll face off against 1 seed Purdue on Friday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
The program, known colloquially as the Zags, will stand as the Boilermakers’ biggest test yet in the tournament. Zach Edey and his team enter the matchup as 5.5-point favorites, according to odds from BetMGM on Monday, after winning their first two games in March Madness by a combined 67 points.
While Gonzaga has become a March staple for an entire generation of college basketball fans, here’s a refresher on the Bulldogs as they try to make it back to the Elite Eight:
Where is Gonzaga?
Gonzaga is a private Jesuit university located in Spokane, Washington, a city of a quarter-million residents located about 20 miles from the Washington-Idaho border.
Founded in 1887, the school is named after Jesuit saint Aloysius Gonzaga. In the fall of 2023, the university had an undergraduate enrollment of 5,163.
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Gonzaga basketball coach
For the past 25 years, Gonzaga has been led by coach Mark Few, who is tied with Yale’s James Jones as the longest-tenured coach in Division I men’s basketball this season (Purdue’s Matt Painter, in his 19th season, is 10th on that list).
Few has coached at Gonzaga his entire career, starting as a graduate assistant in 1989 before being named a full-time assistant a year later. In 1999, shortly after then-Bulldogs coach Dan Monson left for Minnesota after Gonzaga’s stunning run to the Elite Eight as a 10 seed, Few was elevated to head coach.
An Oregon native, Few has gone 716-142 over his tenure. Among active Division I coaches, he trails only John Calipari, Bill Self, Rick Barnes, Dana Altman, Kelvin Sampson, Jim Larrañaga and Rick Pitino in career victories.
Gonzaga basketball conference
Since 1979, Gonzaga has been a member of the West Coast Conference (though it was known as the West Coast Athletic Conference for its first 10 years in the league).
Among the other schools in the conference are Saint Mary’s, San Francisco, Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.
Few things illustrate the Bulldogs’ success over the past three decades more than their dominance within their league: Gonzaga has won 20 of the past 26 West Coast Conference Tournaments.
Gonzaga basketball record
Gonzaga enters its matchup with Purdue with a 27-7 record. It marks the 17th consecutive year that the Bulldogs have won at least 25 games in a season.
After an uncharacteristically slow 11-5 start to this season, Gonzaga has won 16 of its past 18 games. One of those early losses this season came against Purdue, which defeated it 93-83 on Nov. 20, 2023 in the opening game of the Maui Invitational.
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Gonzaga basketball Sweet 16 streak
With its 89-68 victory over 4 seed Kansas on Saturday in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Gonzaga advanced to the Sweet 16 for the ninth consecutive time — the longest active streak in the sport.
Starting with their run to the Elite Eight in 1999, the Bulldogs have also made 24 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, the second-longest active streak at the Division I men’s level, behind only Michigan State’s 25 straight tournament berths.
Gonzaga basketball history
Gonzaga’s 24 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances have included several deep runs in which it reached the largest, most coveted stage in college basketball.
The Bulldogs have made two Final Fours and two national championship games, though they fell short of a title in both attempts, losing to North Carolina in 2017 and Baylor in 2021. The setback in 2021 prevented them from completing the first undefeated season in Division I men’s basketball since Indiana in 1976.
Since 1999, Gonzaga has made 14 Sweet 16s and four Elite Eights.
It’s basketball lineage predates its modern accomplishments. Ten-time NBA all-star and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton played at the school from 1980-84, long before it became a nationally relevant power. Other notable Gonzaga players over the years include Adam Morrison, Chet Holmgren, Domantas Sabonis, Kelly Olynyk, Rui Hachimura and Jalen Suggs.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Where is Gonzaga located? Coach, record of Purdue's Sweet 16 opponent
