Don't Panic Gonzaga Fans

Gonzaga fans probably aren't feeling too comfortable after the Bulldogs lost at home to Portland State, 77-70. Most fans can rationalize a loss to No. 2 Connecticut, but have a little bit harder time digesting a loss to Portland State.

Don't.

Hey, I'm not going to sit here and spin yarns about Portland State being in the same class as Connecticut, Tennessee or Memphis. But that's part of the problem right there. These are still college kids and after playing a grueling game against Connecticut, you can imagine that these kids weren't fired up about playing Portland State.

The Vikings (yeah, that's their nickname) certainly were. This was a season-making game for them and they certainly played like it. Gonzaga, not so much. And you can't blame coach Mark Few. He likely stressed how important this game was, but kids can be kids.

If there is one nagging concern about this team, they seem to lack a certain toughness. Josh Heytvelt seems to play a little timid at times. I like his game and remember him doing great against some of the nation's best. But he really needs to start butching up a little bit. He only had one foul, he really needs to assert himself on the floor at times.

But hey, everybody has problems. And Gonzaga is still certainly capable of being a Final Four team. They just need to fine tune some things and get serious about games like this.