Would you trade with Virginia?

[scrooner]

Would you trade our tournament record since 1999 with Virginia's? Would it be worth it for a title? Keep in mind you also get to have a 1v16 loss to UMBC, a 1v10 loss to Syracuse, a 4v13 loss to Ohio, and a 5v12 loss to....Gonzaga? Maybe that would be a loss to Virginia instead. At any rate, those are all worse than any we've had so far.

The gray line at 0 in the graph represents 'making the tournament', and then each positive number represents a game won.

[StatZag]

I'd rather have GU's tournament record but I'd rather have UVA's schedule and conference.

[GonzaGAW]

- interesting question, but quick emphatic no!
- i would not want a national title at any cost.......such as miss the tournament 5 years in a row, crap your pants 5 times in the tournament. no thank you!

[GonzagasaurusFlex]

No but it’s a cool graph. All “it’s the journey that matters” aside (which I agree with), I like looking at that chart and naming the all time greatest Zags teams in terms of tourney success. With ‘98-‘99 as the baseline these are:
‘98-‘99
‘14-‘15
‘16-‘17
‘20-‘21
Just spent 15 minutes reviewing each of those teams’ rosters and tourney opponents. Fun trip down memory lane.

I think the ‘14-‘15 squad w Pangos and Bell starting backcourt is my favorite. No particular reason just loved the journey those two led us on for four years. That team was full of seniors, juniors and a couple upperclassmen transfers. A reminder that in college hoops, older is more better than young and shiny..for the most part.

[bdmiller7]

I’d like to see this graph with GU vs Villanova.

[jazzdelmar]

I’d like to see this graph with GU vs Villanova.

And then opt for it.

[zagfan24]

Hard pass. A natty would (will) be great, but missing the tournament that often would take a huge piece of Gonzaga's appeal away from recruits. I also think the Zags would have been hurt far more by a 16-1 defeat than a power-5 team was. I remember when the game with (Southern?) got too close for comfort late and I was already imagining the nauseating response that would have resulted.

[ZANY]

I’ll take the consistent success over the one NC. Also agree that the 16-1 upset would have been way, way worse for GU.

[scrooner]

Here's Villanova's record. It's much more appealing than Virginia's.



The reason I asked the question is that someone on Reddit suggested that many teams would trade their records with Virginia to get a championship. I said that I wouldn't, and was downvoted, ha ha. I'd rather be in the hunt every year than have one spike of success and years of sufferering on either side.

[zagdontzig]

I don't think Virginia will ever live down the loss to a 16 seed, no matter how many titles they win. They will forever be enshrined as the first (and for a while, maybe only) team to ever lose to a 16 seed.

Kyle Guy and those two teams made for a great comeback story though.

[CarolinaZagFan]

Nope. Can you imagine how fast the talking heads and haters would have buried us if we had been the first team to lose to a 16 seed?

[TexasZagFan]

Nope. Can you imagine how fast the talking heads and haters would have buried us if we had been the first team to lose to a 16 seed?

Many talking heads still are under the impression we don’t play anybody.

[zagfan08]

Losing to Southern in 2013 with our first ever 1 seed would have truly been a disaster. Almost happened!

I agree, I'd take our success over Virginia's. But I don't see college basketball as national title or bust given how random the tournament is.

[TexasZagFan]

Losing to Southern in 2013 with our first ever 1 seed would have truly been a disaster. Almost happened!

I agree, I'd take our success over Virginia's. But I don't see college basketball as national title or bust given how random the tournament is.

I’m with you 08, Zag hoops for me has always been about the journey, instead of the destination. The Blue Bloods have a lock on “title or bust.”

[bdmiller7]

Here's Villanova's record. It's much more appealing than Virginia's.



The reason I asked the question is that someone on Reddit suggested that many teams would trade their records with Virginia to get a championship. I said that I wouldn't, and was downvoted, ha ha. I'd rather be in the hunt every year than have one spike of success and years of sufferering on either side.

Thanks. Nova went farther in the tourney than GU only 6 times, but 2 were championships. Also missed the tourney 6 times.