There's no reward right away for what the Cougars accomplished Saturday as 20-point underdogs, even though it rivals anything a Utah college basketball team ever has done in the regular season. They'll have to overachieve again by beating Saint Mary's just to get a shot at the Zags in the finals of the West Coast Conference tournament, and little hope exists for an NCAA bid.
Yet when it comes to an endorsement of Rose and a jolt for his program, spoiling Gonzaga's perfect season by winning in Spokane for the third season in a row was certainly a welcomed development.