2009–10 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2009–10 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball
Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball
The Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Gonzaga University. The school competes in the West Coast Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...

team represented Gonzaga University

Gonzaga University

Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...

in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 9, 2009, and ended with the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 5, 2010 on the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The opening round occurred on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, followed by first...

. The Bulldogs are members of the West Coast Conference

West Coast Conference

The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....

, were led by head coach Mark Few

Mark Few

Mark Few is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach at Gonzaga University. He has served on Gonzaga's coaching staff since 1989, and has been a constant on the sidelines throughout a period that has seen the Bulldogs rise from mid-major obscurity to regular participants in...

, and played they home games at the McCarthey Athletic Center

McCarthey Athletic Center

McCarthey Athletic Center or "MAC" is a 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Spokane, Washington. The arena opened in 2004. It is home to the Gonzaga University Bulldogs basketball program, and is often called "The New Kennel". This nickname was inherited from the school's former basketball arena,...

on the Gonzaga campus in Spokane, Washington

Spokane, Washington

Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...

. The Zags finished the season 27–7, 12–2 in WCC play to claim the regular season championship. They advanced to the championship game of the 2010 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament

2010 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament

The 2010 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament took place from March 5–8, 2010 at Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada.-Format:...

before falling to Saint Mary's

2009–10 Saint Mary's College Gaels men's basketball team

The 2009–10 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team represented Saint Mary's College of California in the 2009–10 college basketball season. This was head coach Randy Bennett's ninth season at Saint Mary's. The Gaels compete in the West Coast Conference and played their home games at the McKeon...

. They received an at–large bid to the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The first and second round games were played at the following sites:*March 18 / 20*March 25 / 27*March 26 / 28Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held on April 3 and 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium, hosted by the Horizon League and Butler University, as per the NCAA's...

, earning a 8 seed in the West Region. They defeated 9 seed Florida State

2009–10 Florida State Seminoles men's basketball team

The 2009–10 Florida State Seminoles men's basketball team represented Florida State University in the 2009–2010 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Seminoles were coached by Leonard Hamilton and played their home games at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, FL. The Seminoles are a...

in the first round before losing to 1 seed and AP #4 Syracuse

2009–10 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team

The 2009–10 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team represented Syracuse University in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Jim Boeheim, serving for his 34th year. The team played its home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York...

in the second round.

Roster

2009–10 team recruits

Sam Dower was the first to sign with Gonzaga for their 2009–10 recruiting schedule on September 6, 2008. He made only two visits to the schools on his recruiting list, but considered signing with the Marquette Golden Eagles

Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball

The Marquette Golden Eagles Basketball team is the basketball team that represents Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school's 1977 team, coached by Al McGuire, won the NCAA championship. Currently the team competes in the Big East Conference. It last played in the NCAA Division I...

, California Golden Bears, Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball

The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represents the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have played in the Big Ten since the conference began sponsoring basketball in 1905...

, and the George Mason Patriots

George Mason Patriots men's basketball

The George Mason Patriots men's basketball team represents George Mason University and competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of NCAA Division I...

. While visiting schools on his recruit list, G.J. Vilarino visited Gonzaga during the week of April 23, 2009. He was then officially signed to Gonzaga on April 27, 2009. Before signing to Gonzaga, Vilarino also considered signing with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights Men's Basketball team represents Rutgers University and is a NCAA Division I college basketball team, which competes in the Big East Conference...

, Memphis Tigers, Baylor Bears

Baylor Bears men's basketball

The Baylor Bears basketball team represents Baylor University in Waco, Texas, in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Bears compete in the Big 12 Conference. The team plays its home games in Ferrell Center and is currently coached by Scott Drew....

, and the Virginia Commenwealth Rams.

Rankings

**Legend**
		Improvement in ranking
		Drop in ranking
		Not ranked previous week
RV		Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll

Poll	Pre	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Wk 15	Wk 16	Wk 17	Wk 18	Wk 19
AP AP Poll The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...	RV	RV	RV	17	21	15	25	RV	19	17	15	13	17	16	13	18	18	18	22
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	16	22	15т	24	22	18	14	10	8	13	11	9	15	14	14	18

Preconference

Gonzaga opened the season with a 94–53 exhibition victory over Alberta

Alberta Golden Bears

The Alberta Golden Bears are the men's athletic teams that represent the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The women's teams are known as the Alberta Pandas.-History:...

on November 2. Matt Bouldin led the team with 17 points, followed by Sam Dower with 15 points and Robert Sacre with 11 points. Gonzaga led by as many as 26 points in the second half as they earned a 92–74 victory over Mississippi Valley State

Mississippi Valley State University

Mississippi Valley State University is a historically black university located in Itta Bena, Mississippi, in the United States. MVSU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund....

on November 14. Four Gonzaga players scored in double-figures, including Bouldin with a game-high 22 points, Elias Harris with 18, Steven Gray with 16, and Sacre with 17. On November 17, they played against Michigan State

2009–10 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team

The 2009–10 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Tom Izzo who was in his 15th year. The team played their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI and are...

at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center and finished with a 75–71 loss against the second-ranked Spartans. Sacre managed to match his career-high of 17 points, despite playing only 19 minutes in the game. The Zags returned home and finished with a 90–55 victory over IPFW

IPFW Mastodons

The IPFW Mastodons are the athletic teams of Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne. The Mastodons compete as an National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I school in the The Summit League for most sports and in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association for men's...

on November 20. Sacre lead Gonzaga with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

During Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving (United States)

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...

week, Gonzaga participated in the 2009 Maui Invitational Tournament at the Lahaina Civic Center

Lahaina Civic Center

The Lahaina Civic Center is a sports, convention and entertainment complex located at Kaaahi St & Honoapiilani Hwy in Lahaina, Hawaii, on the island of Maui. The zip code is 96761. It is the site of the annual Maui Invitational Tournament, held every November during Thanksgiving week and hosted by...

in Lahaina, Hawaii. On November 23, they defeated Colorado

Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball

The Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Pacific-12 Conference.The Buffaloes have competed in ten NCAA Tournaments, making it to the Final Four twice , and...

76–72 during the opening round of the tournament. Steven Gray scored a game-high 27 points to help the Zags overcome a bad first half. In the second round of the tournament on November 24, Gonzaga defeated Wisconsin

Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball

The Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team is a NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at the Kohl Center, located on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus in Madison, Wisconsin....

74–61. Four Gonzaga players scored in double digits, which helped the Zags maintain a double digit lead for most of the second half. On November 25, Gonzaga beat Cincinnati

Cincinnati Bearcats

The Cincinnati Bearcats are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Cincinnati. Since July 1, 2005, the school's athletic teams have been members of the Big East Conference....

61–59 to win the Maui Invitational for the first time in school history. Steven Gray lead the Zags with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Schedule

Maui Invitational Tournament

The Maui Invitational Tournament is an annual early-season college basketball tournament that takes place Thanksgiving Week in Lahaina, Hawaii at the Lahaina Civic Center on the island of Maui. It is hosted by Chaminade University of Honolulu, which participates yearly along with a field of seven...