March 7, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Gary Bell Jr. (5) and guard Kevin Pangos (4) celebrate against the San Francisco Dons during the first half in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Five Reasons Gonzaga Can Reach The Final Four
5)Â Experienced Guard Play
Kevin Pangos, Gary Bell Jr. and Byron Wesley are all seniors. This is not something that can be understated.
Let’s look at some recent national champions.
- 2014 Connecticut: PG Shabazz Napier (Sr.), SG Ryan Boatright (Jr.)
- 2013 Lousiville: PG Peyton Siva (Sr.), Russ Smith (Jr.)
- 2011 Connecticut: PG Kemba Walker (Sr.)
- 2010 Duke: PG Jon Scheyer (Sr.), SG Nolan Smith (Jr.)
- 2009 North Carolina: PG Ty Lawson (Jr.), SG Danny Green (Sr.), SG Wayne Ellington (Jr.)
Kentucky in 2012 is obviously the one exception, but the vast majority of national championship teams are led by upperclassmen.
And not only are Gonzaga’s guards upperclassmen, they are all four-year starters. Bell and Pangos have been the starting back-court for the Zags the past four seasons and Byron Wesley had been a starter since his freshman year at USC before transferring to Gonzaga. This is the most experienced back-court in the country.
Comparatively, two-thirds of Duke’s starting back-court are freshmen, and Iowa State is lead by sophomore PG Monte Morris.
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