I wonder if Bulldog fans even celebrate NCAA Tournament appearances anymore, like even a little bit.

I can't help shaking an image of two elderly men sitting in a park in Spokane, one reading the paper while the other feeds the birds. The man reading the paper says aloud, "The Zags made the Dance." The other guffaws and responds, "Talk to me when they reach the Sweet 16."

I'm sure there are some fans that have reached that point. Think about it, if you were four or five the last time Gonzaga didn't partake in March Madness, you could very easily be a freshman at said university full well thinking of the NCAA Tournament as an annual tradition rather than a significant achievement after the Bulldogs earned their 13th straight bid with a 12-point win over the Saint Mary's Gaels.

That now leaves another mid-major power on the bubble. While there will be plenty of commentary on this game in tomorrow's Mid-Major Morning Mashups, we're left to contemplate the fate of the Gaels with Selection Sunday less than a week away.