Gonzaga Ranked Number One: Gonzaga Bulldogs Number One In NCAA Men's Basketball For The First Time In History

For the first time in the school's history, the Gonzaga Bulldogs of Spokane, Washington are ranked number one in NCAA I men's basketball.

Gonzaga has tallied off 12 victories in a row on its way to the top-ranked position for both the Associated Press poll and USA Today Coach's Poll.

"They are a very good basketball team without any weaknesses," University of Portland coach Eric Reveno told Bloomberg after his team lost to Gonzaga 81-52 two days ago. "They should be No. 1."

The previously top-ranked Indiana lost to Minnesotta last week, leaving another change in the number one overall team in the country.

Since the beginning of this season, there has been a new number one ranked team six times in the AP Top 25 and seven times in the USA Today Coach's Poll. Indiana and Duke have served the number one spot twice, with Kanas, Michigan, Louisville and now Gonzaga taking its claim.  

"I don't think we're too caught up in what number we're at or what we're seeded," Gonzaga coach Mark Few told reporters. "We're just going to go play. We're going to go down to Vegas to try to win the thing. We're going to go into the NCAA tournament trying to win the thing."

The Gonzaga Bulldogs produced NBA hall of famer John Stockton, but made its claim in men's basketball throughout the yearly NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs have made 15 consecutive trips to the "big dance." Only Kanas, Michigan St and Duke have longer, active streaks.

Gonzaga would pull off upsets during "March Madness," from 1999 to 2003. It would get closer and closer to a final appearance, but never score enough victories to make it there.

In '99, as a number ten seed, Gonzaga upset its way to the Elite 8. It went on to lose to a number one ranked UCONN team.

Since the program's rise to fame in the late 90's, the team has won 10 of the last 14 West Coast Conference (WCC) conference tournaments. Gonzaga has gone on to become the top team in the WCC, expected to win the conference every year.

"We played every game with a huge bull's-eye on our chest and we played pretty darn well in almost all of them," Few told reporters. "They've been really, really focused. We've been so consistent with our effort and preparation. That's the most impressive thing about it."

Gonzaga has a possible two games remaining, including the WCC semi-final and possible finals appearance.

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