Gonzaga's Mark Few reacts to Selection Sunday: Bulldogs earn 8-seed in Midwest Region

The Bulldogs face Georgia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. / Gonzaga Bulldogs On SI

Over the last quarter-century, the NCAA Tournament has taken the Gonzaga men's basketball team all across the continental United States.

Mark Few and company have traveled coast to coast, from San Francisco to Atlanta, and visited just about every major city in between during the program's remarkable run of 26 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

"We count 27 around here," Few corrects the media following Selection Sunday at Gonzaga. "We were in that Covid one; we had already qualified, we were going to be a No. 1 seed."

The Zags have been to 25 cities and counting for the NCAA Tournament, but the start of their next potential postseason run will mark a first. After earning an 8-seed in the Midwest Region on Selection Sunday, Gonzaga will begin the 2025 NCAA Tournament in Wichita, Kansas, where it'll face 9-seed Georgia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Zags battle the SEC's Bulldogs in the first round at Intrust Bank Arena this Thursday at 1:35 p.m. PT.

Here's what Few had to say after Selection Sunday.

On whether reaching the NCAA Tournament feels more special this season:

"I don't ever do the 'more special' — all the teams are the same to me, pretty much. I would just say this: I hope for our fans, people that follow the program and stuff, that they understand after a year like this, nothing's given to you. You earn your way into this tournament. That's what makes it so special and such an awesome, awesome day to get your name called and see it flash up on the board and I think we've done it so many times that I think there's a sense of entitlement around here. I hope they appreciate it after there were times this year where it probably looked like we weren't going to make the tournament. It was well-earned and hopefully it kind of rattles everybody back into reality. That's the reality that I operate in and make sure the team does too."

On facing Georgia in the first round:

"We got a really tough opponent, when you're in that 8-9 game you know you're gonna have that. And just the interesting ties that happened just because of the life of basketball. We recruited [Georgia freshman] Asa Newell really, really hard. Just a great player, great family. Mike White's done a really, really good job. I thought he did a great job at Florida, and Georgia, to be able to scoop him up in their program, that's quite a coup. I know we'll have our work cut out for us. They've got some really, really nice wins, I mean — gosh they beat St. John's, I think they beat a couple of No. 1, No. 2 [seeds]; they beat Florida, they've beaten Auburn so, that's quite a resume."

On if there's a sense of momentum or 'survive and advance' with the team:

"I think it's probably a little bit of both. I think guys are feeling really good about where they're at, but I also think, just like the year before, we got to that point where it was a sense of urgency and desperation a little bit. I think certainly the NCAA Tournament brings that out also ... so guys will definitely have both of those."

On the formula to making a deep run in the postseason:

"You can't have a bad night. I shared that with the [Team] USA guys because the Olympic tournaments like that too. It's not a seven game series; you can't have a bad night. In order for that to happen — look, maybe you don't shoot it good, but you can't have a bad effort night. You can't have a bad mental night. You just have to be dialed and [have a] 'next play' mentality and great attention to detail."

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