SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The criticism dogged Gonzaga wherever it went, no matter how much it won.
Few outside of Spokane, Wash., believed the program Mark Few helped build from scratch belonged in the national powerhouse conversation.
Overrated no more, Gonzaga is finally headed to the Final Four.
The Bulldogs took the pressure of history head on with a performance worthy of their No. 1 seed, rolling to a dominating 83-59 victory over Xavier in the West Region final Saturday.
"Just an incredible feeling of elation and satisfaction," Few said. "It's been a long, hard journey to get this program here."
Few and the Bulldogs have won the West Coast Conference Tournament 16 times, been regulars in the NCAA Tournament since 1999 and reached the Sweet 16 eight times.
The Final Four was the only missing piece on their resume.
The Bulldogs (36-1) claimed their spot in Arizona with a superb all-around game, showing off their usual offensive efficiency while flexing a smothering type of defense that had previously been the chink in their armor.
Gonzaga made 12 of 24 shots from three-point range after struggling the first three NCAA Tournament games. The Bulldogs were No. 1 in defensive efficiency during the regular season and shut down the underdog and No. 11 seed Musketeers (24-14) to become the first WCC team to reach the Final Four in 60 years.
Nigel Williams-Goss scored 23 points after struggling against West Virginia. Johnathan Williams added 19 points and center Przemek Karnowski, who was still recovering from back surgery a year ago, created open perimeter looks with his deft passing out of the post.
The Bulldogs are headed to the Final Four, where they'll play the winner between South Carolina and Florida.
"The Final Four doesn't validate or discredit a season. It's not an end-all, be-all," Williams said. "Gonzaga has been a great program and we're just happy to keep carrying the torch."
The Musketeers burned through a string of upsets to reach their third Elite Eight and first since 2008.
Their bid for the program's first Final Four ran into a buzz saw.
Xavier played well offensively early to hang with the Bulldogs. Once Gonzaga got rolling, the Musketeers had no answer.
"They're really good. Sometimes you just lose to a better team," Xavier Coach Chris Mack said. "They've proven it all year long."
The Bulldogs struggled to find an offensive rhythm against West Virginia in the regional semifinals but had it flowing against Xavier.
After hitting 29 percent of its three-point shots its first three NCAA games, Gonzaga found the range against Xavier, hitting 8 of 13 from the arc in the first half, mostly against the Musketeers' zone or on kick-outs from Karnowski.
Xavier had a good offensive start, only to hit a dry spell as Gonzaga stretched to a 49-39 lead by halftime.
Halftime did little to slow the Bulldogs, who pushed the lead to 59-42 on three-pointers by Williams-Goss and Jordan Mathews.
Sports on 03/26/2017