Long time Gonzaga fan here. Heck, I remember back to John Stockton playing there and being last cut for the olympic team. Going into this year no one knew much about this team having lost 4 guys who are now playing professionally (1 in NBA). Oh, and those 4 were some of the most highest regarded recruits ever to come to Spokane. Historically recruits have needed time to develop or were "sleepers".
Last years team had quality and would have been considered a disappointment with less than a sweet 16. They dutifully got there and I enjoyed watching them but, and it pains me to write this, they seemed "soft". Played more afraid of losing or getting injured than getting floor burns.
The current team hearkens back to those "surprise" teams. They play defence, rebound, and after practice scrimmages need band-aids and ice-packs. In games this year I've seen them commit hard "send a message" fouls that cross over into technicals. Um, maybe scrappy is a better term. The youngins have been a surprise that remind me of the sleepers of old. Coach Few likes to play early season with a short bench and rotate the new guys in with "audition" minutes. He believes some players play better/worse when the lights and camera's are on. These frosh have earned they're minutes and are now getting them. An exception is Harris. 20 yr old freshman who plays 1st team German National team is obviously the best freshman Gonzaga has ever had. No, he won't be college player of the year like Adam Morrison or go on to be an all time NBA great as good as John Stockton, but he will be somewhere between Detlef Schrempf and dirk Nowitski at the next level.
To sum up Gonzaga this year.... Preseason it was expected/feared that they would finish 2nd in the WCC, maybe 3rd, and would have to win the conference tourney (or rely on reputation) to get in the tourney. Instead, out of conference play has shown they are a tourney (top64) team. Conference play opened with the 2 toughest road games possible and has shown they are #1 in their conference. They WILL be in the tourney and SHOULD win a game or two. No way they beat a Kansas. Or Duke. Or etc. They are young and while surprisingly good are still really young. But if they can get 1 lucky win in the tourney - and if as you always hear during march madness that senior leadership in the back court matters (that's where the 2 upperclassmen starting are)- then if the moon is right they could be a final 4 team. But more likely a round of 32/16 exit.
I now return you to your previously scheduled forum.
PS. Please excuse excited Gonzaga fans. It's like how you feel when you've lost $100. Only to find it later. You don't think your back even, it's more like now your ahead $100!