On Tuesday night in Las Vegas, Nevada, No. 1 ranked Gonzaga will look to get revenge for a regular season loss and win another West Coast Conference tournament title when it squares off with No. 17 Saint Mary’s.

Make no mistake, the Zags will be playing to win and are looking to hoist yet another WCC trophy after the final buzzer sounds. A title tonight would be their 18th since 2000. No matter what anybody tries to tell you about the competition level, that would be a ridiculous feat.

That being said, Mark Few and the Zags are once again locked in on a bigger goal. Winning a National Championship is the ultimate end game here. While it shouldn’t take one to firmly establish the Zags among college basketball’s elite programs, the fact of the matter is that until they take a natty home there will be questions about just how elite the program is.

After coming oh so close in 2017 and 2021 when it made trips to the title game, Gonzaga is once again poised for a deep run. Drew Timme is an experienced veteran, All-American and a load in the post. Andrew Nembhard is a steady floor general who has played in more than his fair share of big games, proven to be someone who can deliver. Julian Strawther has taken huge strides this season and the Zags have some depth.

Oh yeah, they’ve also got Chet Holmgren who is maybe the single most unique weapon in all of college basketball.