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SALT LAKE CITY — Back in 2011, with a Sweet 16 appearance at stake, BYU and superstar Jimmer Fredette blew out Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Since then, which was the last time the teams played in different conferences, the two programs have gone in different directions. One sets out to make the Final Four each season, while the other is looking for the rare tournament win.
The current edition of Gonzaga is, again, rampaging through the West Coast Conference, ranked No. 2 in the country and atop the standings at 8-0 (19-2 overall). Mired in a four-game losing streak, the Cougars reside in sixth place with an NCAA berth in jeopardy.
In head-to-head competition this season, Gonzaga has outscored BYU 200-141. In the second of two games, the Bulldogs won 90-57 in the Marriott Center last week.
"We used to say we were 'chasing a ghost' (against Gonzaga)," said former BYU assistant Tim LaComb. "They just play so free and easy, but so very efficient."
Under Mark Few, in his 23rd year as the coach, Gonzaga has become a national program that ranks among the best in college basketball. And without a doubt over the last several years, the best program in the West resides far off the beaten path in Spokane, Washington, playing in the 6,000-seat McCarthey Athletic Center.
"It's strange," said former BYU coach Steve Cleveland. "It's not in a big city. It's not a big arena."
Few made his mark immediately, leading the Bulldogs to the Sweet 16 his first two seasons. From there, aside from another pair of Sweet 16 appearances in 2006 and 2009, Gonzaga was ousted in the first weekend.
Until 2015.
Over the last seven years, excluding when the tournament was canceled in 2020, Gonzaga has advanced to at least the Sweet 16 every season. The Bulldogs lost in the national championship game in 2017 and last season.
As with all great programs, the formula for success is the same: recruiting, as every college coach in every sport will say, is the difference.
"Obviously, you've got to have players," Cleveland said during his weekly appearance on The Zone Sports Network. "Their recruiting base is different; it's international. They're getting guys from all over the place and now inside the United States. They've developed such a reputation of having so much success and playing a highly competitive schedule."
In an 89-67 tournament loss to BYU in Denver, Colorado, center Robert Sacre was the only Gonzaga starter to stick in the NBA. Typical of the program at the time, Sacre was part of a contingent of foreign players (he was born to a Canadian mother in Louisiana but raised north of the border).
Kelly Olynyk, another Canadian, played only 10 minutes in the game off the bench as a sophomore. Leaving the following season, the 7-footer has enjoyed a long NBA career.
Under lead assistant Tommy Lloyd, who is in his first season as Arizona head coach, Gonzaga was a leader in mining the international market and also landed excellent transfers. A major reason for substantial improvement is the program's ability to successfully recruit the top U.S. stars, including Jalen Suggs (drafted fifth last year by the Orlando Magic) and Chet Holmgren, the potential No. 1 pick in June.
To bolster its strength of schedule, which takes a hit playing WCC teams, Gonzaga annually plays great teams in made-for-television games in the nonconference. The Zags went 3-2 against ranked teams in November and December.
It all adds up to a recipe of greatness.
"Guys want to play with each other. No different than the NBA. High school kids that are coming out, they want to play with other good players," Cleveland said.
"They have so many national TV games. Their preseason is filled with playing other top 10 teams in the country. Those are all things the elite players want. They want to go where they can be seen and play in those big-time games. Gonzaga provides that."
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