Gonzaga's attempt to reach the very pinnacle of the college basketball world came up just short, but the ascent made clear they belong in the rarefied air of the sport's most elite programs.
Undefeated for three-and-a-half months before bulldozing through their conference tournament, earning a No. 1 seed and advancing to the first Final Four appearance (and win) in school history, the Bulldogs (37-2) fell to the North Carolina Tar Heels (33-7) in the NCAA tournament championship game Monday night at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
A cold night offensively (the Zags shot just under 34 percent on the night and were outshot for the fist and only time on the seaosn) plus early foul trouble for the Bulldogs' big men allowed the Heels to outlast Gonzaga 71-65 in a game that will not be remembered for its beauty outside of Chapel Hill.