The crowd was hype. The players were ready. But the ‘Zags ultimately proved too much for USF, prevailing 89-73 in the Dons’ last home game of what’s been a resurgent season.
USF great Bill Cartwright looks on as the Dons basketball team takes on No. 1 ranked Gonzaga on the Hilltop. The USF legend led that last truly great Dons teams, over 40 years ago, when he dominated in the paint for a team that was ranked No. 1 in the nation for parts of the 1976-77 season. Big games and raucous crowds were the norm.
Indeed, USF has a tremendous basketball legacy, winning two national championships with the great Bill Russell in 1955 and 1956. Cartwright’s Dons were clearly the second best squad in school history. And this year’s team is hoping to break into that conversation with a strong late-season run. Even with the loss to their conference rivals, USF still has a chance to make the NCAA tournament, on the strength of their record and opponents.
You could sure feel it in the crowd Thursday night. There’s nothing quite like a high-level college basketball game in a mid-sized gym. The various field houses of the WCC are simply fantastic venues, with the War Memorial and St. Mary’s McKeon Pavilion ranking as two of the best. “We never used to get students at the games … we probably had 800 kids up there tonight,” said Golden.