History is on Gonzaga's side.
For only the 10th time since the NCAA tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, a non-"Big Six" conference school occupies a prized No. 1 seed. Since the bracket was revealed on Sunday night, analysts have questioned the Gonzaga Bulldogs' body of work, citing a weak strength of schedule and few quality wins. But it turns out they may have history on their side. Of the nine previous No. 1 seeds from non-"Big Six" conferences, only one HASN'T made at least the Elite Eight.
1987: UNLV Runnin' Rebels - Mountain West Conference
How far did they go? UNLV made it to the '87 Final Four, where they lost to eventual champion Indiana 97-93.
Who led them there? The Runnin' Rebels' best player was Armon "The Hammer" Gilliam, who averaged 23.2 ppg and went on to become the No. 2 overall pick in the 1987 draft.
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1988: Temple Owls - Atlantic 10 Conference
How far did they go? Temple made it to the Elite Eight where they lost to the Duke Blue Devils 63-53.
Who led them there? The Owls' star was freshman phenom Mark Macon, who led the team with 20.6 ppg.
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1990: UNLV Runnin' Rebels - Mountain West Conference
How far did they go? UNLV won the 1990 National Championship over the Duke Blue Devils in dominating fashion, 103-73.
Who led them there? Rebels headliners included junior college transfer Larry Johnson, who averaged a team-high 20.6 ppg and 11.4 rpg, as well as Greg Anthony (11.2 ppg, 7.4 apg) and Stacy Augmon (14.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg).
Source: bullcitystateofmind.com