That was not luck -- that was a symptom of Gonzaga being a really really good mid major program, perhaps the most consistently good mid major program of all time. But their inability to reach a Final Four and make it to just 2 Elite 8's in their current 17 season run of making the NCAA Tournament points out their inablility to handle elite teams on the big stage. Part of this may be to their conference affiliation -- they generally face slower, less physical teams in the WCC and hence face little quality competition since the end of pre conference play in December. Gonzaga had trouble down the stretch -- whether it be from fatigue or lack of conditioning or simply being athletes not on the Duke level -- as well as being a half step slower and a less physical in going after rebounds and loose balls. Wilcher's rush of his missed FG attempt which would have tied the game at 51 was just another subsconscious indicator that Gonzaga was just a bit overmatched. I am not saying that Michigan State will not cover against Duke, or might not even deefeat the Blue Devils, but Duke's late run was far from being lucky. It's what elite teams do very often (not always) in the waning stages of tight games. It's the old adage of some teams knowing how to win tight games whereas others always seem to come up short. Note that during Gonzaga's 17 season NCAA Tournament run programs such as Wichita State, VCU, Butler and George Mason, to name a few, have each made it to the Final Four despite nmot having nearly the long term success as has had Gonzaga. It's not coaching either -- Mark Few is an excellent coach -- has to be to have dominated his league for so long. Perhaps Gonzaga's best chance to make a deeper run would come if they were invited to join a major conference although the Pac 12 and other Power Conferences are unlikely candidates due to Gonzaga's lack of a football program.