5 things to know as Gonzaga plays for national championship title

Spokane’s Gonzaga University will play against North Carolina in the NCAA Championship on Monday night. If the Gonzaga Bulldogs will, it will be their first national championship.

KIRO 7’s Alison Grande is in Spokane ahead of the game on KIRO 7 News. Watch her report at 5 p.m. and then watch game on KIRO 7 News. Watch our newscast on-air here or online. Watch the game live on-air on KIRO 7. 

For those who follow college basketball, the idea that Gonzaga Bulldogs (No. 1 seed) is playing North Carolina (No. 1 seed) for the national title doesn't seem all that strange. For those who don't — or only get involved when it's time to fill out a bracket — it still might. Here’s five things to know ahead of the game.

1. This was the second time Gonzaga was ranked as a No. 1 seed. 

Gonzaga was rewarded with its second No. 1 seed at the start of the tournament. The team started in the same place the Bulldogs did the other time they got it in 2013. In that year, Gonzaga ended its tournament on the opening weekend. The Bulldogs lost that year in the round of 32 by eventual Final Four team Wichita State.

2. Coach Mark Few boasted his confidence from the start.

Coach Mark Few believes that this year’s team dominates “like no team we’ve ever had.”

Few told The Washington Post, "It's been a sounder sleep than most years, I'll give you that, it has been a sounder sleep, because I trust these guys so much."

3. Many expected Gonzaga to make it to the Final Four. 

Many sports analysts expected Gonzaga to make it to the Final Four at the start of the tournament, but they noted that it wouldn’t be easy for the team.

Going into the last game of the tournament, some analysts call it a toss up, but others believe the Bulldogs will win their first national championship.

4. North Carolina will present a problem for the Zags in championship game.

This is the third meeting between Gonzaga and North Carolina.

Gonzaga allows 61.2 points per game and they have stayed at the number for the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs allow teams to shoot just 36.5 percent, 29.5 percent from 3-point range.

"They change their defenses a little but not much. They're mostly a man-to-man team," Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said.

North Carolina will present a different problem for the Zags.

"The biggest challenge is their transition defense," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "Getting back, and they're so fast and so good at it."

5. Gonzaga and North Carolina both have quality players.

Both teams have quality players coming off the bench and they are capable of being that championship game star.

Gonzaga has 7-foot freshman Zach Collins, who had 14 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks in the Final Four win over South Carolina. Silas Melson is the first backcourt reserve and he had six points, four rebounds and three assists against the Gamecocks. He was 2 for 3 from 3-point range, where he shot 38.9 percent this season.

North Carolina has three reserves averaging at least 5.0 points per game in the tournament. That starts with Luke Maye, whose 10.4 average includes the winning jumper against Kentucky in the regional final.

Tony Bradley, a freshman big man, is averaging 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in the tournament while guard Nate Britt averages 5.2 points and is tied for second in assists with 10.

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