Parallels between Gonzaga, McNeese in opening round

Years ago, there was a plucky underdog out of the northwest region of the country. Their past was famously linked to a Hall of Fame point guard. Frankly, not much else was worth bragging about for the school’s men’s basketball program.
Today, there’s a plucky rags-to-riches underdog story out of the Gulf Coast. They, too, are famous for a Hall of Fame point guard and frankly there isn’t much else to brag about in the history of the school’s men’s basketball program.
Figured it out yet? The parallels between No. 5-seed Gonzaga and No. 12 McNeese aren’t obvious to the naked eye being that these days, the former underdog has turned into one of college basketball’s blue blood programs.
However, the ghosts of John Stockton and Joe Dumars helped shape these programs and give them a sense of pride that helped shape the direction both programs are currently heading.
The Bulldogs have been there for years. This year marks the 25-year anniversary of their famed Cinderella run to the Elite Eight in the 1999 NCAA Tournament.
That, for the record, is a full three years before McNeese even made its last NCAA Tourney appearance. The Cowboys are heading to the Big Dance for the first time in 22 years, its last appearance coming in 2002, and much of that has to do with the belief of a coach and a vision that helped shape the program into an overnight success.
That coach is Will Wade, who now famously called his shot that the Cowboys would go from losing over 20 games to winning over 20 in his first season.
They’ve far eclipsed that. McNeese is heading into the tournament with a 30-3 overall record and as the Southland Conference’s regular and tournament champion.
They’ve done so with a high-pressure defense that wreaks havoc on opposition and a bevvy of transfers headlined by the Southland Player of the Year, Shahada Wells.
Wells has been the do-it-all cog for the Cowboys this year in leading the team in points, assists and steals. He, paired with the plucky Christian Shumate, have boosted McNeese’s defensive numbers into the stratosphere.
Shumate, the lone holdover from the previous regime, has led the team in rebounding and blocked shots all season long.
The Cowboys’ fast pace is going to be a handful for Gonzaga, who enters the tournament on a “down year” of going 25-7.
The Bulldogs have a lethal pair of leaders in Graham Ike and Anton Watson. Ike leads Gonzaga in scoring and rebounding despite playing seven fewer minutes per game than Watson. His efficiency should be a handful for McNeese to handle.
Still, many believe that this is an unfavorable matchup for Gonzaga. McNeese is a team who will threaten from beyond the arc as well with four guards who shoot 40 percent or better from there.
The question of the game will come down to experience. Can Wade’s leadership pull McNeese through against a team who has seen the best and brightest of NCAA basketball? Are Wells and Shumate ready for the biggest stage of their careers?