Gonzaga was thought to have improved defensively this year, but that didn’t seem to be the case against BYU.

They allowed Jimmer Fredette to score 34 points despite doubling him much of the night and also gave up 14 three-point shots.

The Cougars shot 50 percent from three-point land while Gonzaga made just two of their nine attempts.

The ‘Zags did outrebound the Cougars by 11 and held an advantage on the inside, but it wasn’t near enough to overcome the difference in outside shooting.

The Bulldogs took advantage of St. John’s issues on the interior, pounding them 41-18 on the glass.

The rebounding advantage was the biggest difference in the game, holding St. John’s to one shot on almost every possession.

It also allowed the ‘Zags to get a number of second and even third-chance opportunities on the offensive end.

Marquise Carter had a game to remember, scoring 24 points, grabbing six rebounds, and racking up six assists.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs long ago shed the Cinderella tag. They might be a No. 11 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament, but Gonzaga looked every bit like a team that belongs on this stage on Thursday.

Extending their winning streak to 10 games, the Bulldogs controlled every aspect of an 86-71 victory over St. John’s in the Southeast region in Denver.

Gonzaga takes on BYU for a trip to the Sweet 16 in Saturday’s third round. If the Bulldogs play anywhere near like they did on Thursday, the No. 3 seeded Cougars will have a challenge on their hands. The Bulldogs shot 54 percent from the field against the Red Storm, hit 21 of 26 free throws and outrebounded St. John’s 43-20.

Marquise Carter paced the Bulldogs with 24 points. Steven Gray scored 16 points and Elias Harris added 15 for Gonzaga, which hit 9 of 15 3-point attempts to fuel the victory.

Down 8-2 early, the Bulldogs scored the next 12 points to take control and advance past the Red Storm.

—30—

The victory occurred in the rubber match of their three meetings this year and gave them the WCC conference tournament title.

It seems like the ‘Zags are predicted to lose the tournament each and every year but always find a way to win it.

Steven Gray lead the Bulldogs with 15 points and seven rebounds despite taking a nasty shot near his eye.

Give Gonzaga credit for finding ways to win even during what is considered a down year for their program. 

Elias Harris scored just six points, and when he isn’t an offensive force, Gonzaga usually isn’t going to win.

Steven Gray lead Gonzaga with 17 points while center Robert Sacre added 16 points and seven rebounds.

A win would have put some serious distance between Gonzaga and every other team in the WCC.

Instead, things are now tightened up considerable, and the Bulldogs don’t seem to be overwhelming favorites this year.

It’s not entirely surprising that Gonzaga was blown out, but it was the way they lost that was most alarming.

It seemed like the ‘Zags packed it in early and were ready to call it a season, not even trying to fight their way back into the game.

Gonzaga is notorious for playing poor defense, and they didn’t disappoint by leaving Andy Rautins wide open the entire game.

Head coach Mark Few can’t be pleased with the way his team didn’t compete or show any pride when they got down double-digits.

Matt Bouldin finished with 17 points, but it was his 14 in the second half when Florida State started to make a move that helped carry Gonzaga forward in the tournament.

The Bulldogs now advance to the second round to take on the top-seeded Syracuse Orange, who will still likely have to play without their starting center.

Gonzaga could give Syracuse’s zone problems simply because the Bulldogs are a good outside shooting team and won’t be afraid to launch some three-point shots.

At the same time, Gonzaga’s questionable-at-times defense is going to need to step it up against a Syracuse squad that has an awful lot of offensive weapons.

The first round game is one they should win, but the major drawback of the 8-9 game is a game against the No. 1 seed over the weekend. A win over the Seminoles would mean a game against the Syracuse Orangemen.

Florida State has impressive size inside, but the Seminoles aren’t the most skilled team and have underwhelmed throughout the season. Still, they do sport a 7-footer in Solomon Alibi, who should be a first-round draft pick whenever he decided to declare.

Gonzaga hasn’t made a serious run in the tournament since Adam Morrison and Co. choked against UCLA a few years ago. And now that it’s likely they’ll go out before then again this season, the one big “What if?” will haunt them all offseason.

On Sunday, the Bulldogs withstood a 2nd-half rally to hold on for a 77-62 win over the Loyola Marymount Lions in the conference tournament semifinals. As a result, they’ll face the St. Mary’s Gaels in the title game on Monday night for the second straight year.

While Gonzaga is a lock to make the NCAA Tournament regardless of Monday’s outcome, there is still plenty at stake. First-and-second round games are being played in Spokane, Washington, and with a top-five seed could mean the Zags being placed in that pod and essentially getting two home games to start off. A loss to St. Mary’s, though, would put their seed in jeopardy.

St. Mary’s needs the game to ensure a berth, but after early-round struggles in recent years, a win tonight would be even more cause for celebration for Gonzaga.

After building a five-point halftime lead, tThe ‘Zags managed to pull away in the late moments of what was a close game the entire way.

As usual, the Bulldogs were led in scoring by guard Matt Bouldin, who put up 19 points. Robert Sacre had 13 points while Steven Gray added 12.

Gonzaga played much better defense than they are known to play, but free-throw shooting continues to be a major question mark. Gonzaga was just 68 percent from the charity stripe.

Even though Memphis isn’t that good this year, it was still a good test for the Bulldogs to go out of conference, on the road and pick up a big victory.