For the second consecutive season, Gonzaga will enter March Madness play as the tournament's top-overall seed, hellbent on destroying its reputation as a big-game underachiever and celebrating a long-coveted national title at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Another year, another Final Four favorite.
The Bulldogs couldn't have come closer to cutting down the nets last spring. They entered the national championship game with a flawless record of 31-0, hoping to become the eighth team in NCAA history to achieve an undefeated title campaign. But the dream didn't come true -- they lost by double digits to Baylor -- and Gonzaga's players haven't forgotten that shared disappointment.
"We've really just got one more goal -- that's to win a national championship. And I want to be part of that team that brings it back here," Gonzaga forward Anton Watson told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Monday. "[The loss to Baylor] motivates us a lot. The dudes who were here last year saw how it was in the locker room after. I don't think anybody wants to go through that again. For how much work we put in in the offseason, accomplishments we made.
"We were proud, but we want to top it off with a win in the championship. So hopefully this season can be different... It's the one thing that we all want to accomplish, this championship -- so people can stop saying we choke once we get there and we don't deserve it. A championship would make everyone happy in Spokane and in this area, all the players and coaches. It'd be nice."
For the third consecutive season and ninth time since 2013, Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference title last weekend, beating Saint Mary's in Las Vegas. The Bulldogs' leading scorer has been forward Drew Timme, who's averaging 17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds on average. With a record of 26-3, their offense ranks first in the nation in average points, first in field-goal percentage, fourth in rebounds, and first in point differential.
This year's edition of March Madness begins on Tuesday, with the traditional 'First Four' games in Dayton. Gonzaga's journey back to the Final Four starts on Thursday afternoon, with a matchup against 16th-seeded Georgia State in the West Region. The Bulldogs currently have a 61-percent chance to reach the Final Four and a 27-percent chance to win the national title, according to FiveThirtyEight's projections.
The entire Gonzaga hoops conversation between Watson and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.