The March to Madness: Recap of Week 2

This week on HBO's Gonzaga: The March to Madness, many viewers were treated to a stroll down memory lane. Week 2 featured footage of grimy college house(s), waking up at the crack of dawn to get in line for ticket allocation, the senior night experience, and of course tent city. For those that have graduated, or just love Gonzaga/the college experience, this week was HBO's chance to tug on your heart strings.

The episode picked up right after the SMU loss, so it was no surprise that the producers opened with some footage of Wiltj shooting in the gym, probably hoping with each shot that he could get a do-over on the game in Dallas. Alas, that's not how life, or the game, work.

We didn't stay with Brooding Wiltj for very long as Rem Bakamus and Dustin Triano, bench mob extraordinaires, welcomed us into their humble abode, aka "The Basketball House." Despite the house's moniker, the entire team does not live there, but a fathead of just about every Zag ever probably does. Rem and Dustin showcased some of their "cooking talents," masterfully preparing a nice dinner for the whole team later in the evening. Also, can we get those guys some more heated blankets? Oh wait, that would probably be an NCAA violation. I'm not really sure how they survive the winters with their "only on special occasions" usage of the heater.

After an evening at the basketball house, HBO took us through ticket allocation day for the SMC game. My girlfriend was watching beside me and took this opportunity to wistfully squeal (?? i'm not really sure what to make of it) at the sight of every building on campus and all the memories therein. As an outsider, I couldn't partake in her glee, but I understood. If nothing else, this show will have succeeded in making all of us wish we could turn back the clock and re-live the college days all over again. With that said though, my body probably wouldn't make it through a tent city during the winter at this point, but Zag students, I salute you! Also, props to the Kennel Club Board for making the Zag experience happen all season long.

I don't need to go into how painful it was to watch the clips from the SMC game at the end of the episode, but I commend all the guys for how they carried themselves afterwards. Losing the last home game of the season, and especially as a senior, is one of the worst feelings in sport. Let's hope they can fulfill E-Mac's guarantee of a conference title.

One last thing, props to assistant coach Tommy Lloyd for breaking the seal on the swear jar with not one, but two F-bombs during halftime of the SMC game. Thanks for saying what we were all feeling, Coach Lloyd.

One more last thing, I hope Lisa Fortier is keeping a spot warm for Coach Few's daughter. She looks like she could be a baller in the future!