Okay basketball fans it's March Madness time and you know what that means: brackets upsets and the annual question... is Gonzaga even real? Yep you read that right. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has a hilarious conspiracy theory that Gonzaga University is just a made-up school that magically appears every year to crush brackets. Sounds wild right? Let's dive into this funny feud and Gonzaga's actual impressive basketball run.

Jimmy Kimmel's Crazy Gonzaga Conspiracy: Imaginary College or March Madness Masterminds?

For years now Jimmy Kimmel has been joking that Gonzaga University isn't a real place . He says it's all a big hoax a conspiracy to win basketball games and mess with our March Madness brackets. Kimmel even said "The files I want to see released have nothing to do with JFK. The files I want to see are related to a conspiracy theory... Involving an Imaginary College... the widespread hoax known as Gonzaga University." He claims he has seen "no evidence of it" and that if you Google "Gonzaga" you only find "basketball videos." Seriously Kimmel is going all in on this bit.

Now Gonzaga and Spokane Washington where the university is located are playing along with the joke. They have fired back on social media with funny responses proving they do exist. A former contractor for Kimmel even made a video showing off the campus. The Spokane 3-on-3 Hoopfest event invited Kimmel to join them and tourism accounts keep teasing him online. Someone even started an online petition to get Kimmel to be Gonzaga's commencement speaker. Over 1200 people signed it! It's become this whole hilarious back-and-forth between Kimmel and Zag nation.

Gonzaga Bulldogs Dominate Georgia: Sweet Sixteen Here We Come (Again!)

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Conspiracy or not one thing is definitely real: the Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball team and they are good. Really good. In their first-round NCAA Tournament game against Georgia the Zags absolutely rolled. They crushed Georgia 89-68. It was a dominant performance from start to finish. Gonzaga jumped out to a crazy 13-0 lead early on and extended it to 27-3 in the first ten minutes. Georgia just could not keep up.

Nolan Hickman had a fantastic game dropping 18 points and hitting five 3-pointers. Khalif Battle led all scorers with 24 points. As a team Gonzaga was on fire from beyond the arc hitting 12 three-pointers. After the game Hickman even joked "Honestly after the first one I just thought they didn't go over their scout. After that first shot I kind of got rolling." Sounds like Gonzaga came ready to play.

Coach Mike White of Georgia admitted "I didn't see that coming. I didn't anticipate that outcome especially the first ten minutes of the game." Gonzaga's fast start and Georgia's slow one basically decided the game early .

Gonzaga's Impressive March Madness Record: Reality Check for Kimmel (and Everyone Else)

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Let's just drop some facts to counter Kimmel's "imaginary school" claims. Gonzaga's win against Georgia marks their 16th straight first-round win in the NCAA Tournament. Sixteen! This is their 26th consecutive March Madness appearance overall. They have made the Sweet Sixteen 14 times including nine straight trips from 2015 to 2024. They have also reached the Elite Eight six times and played in the national championship game twice. Those are not stats for a fake school folks. Gonzaga is a real basketball powerhouse.

Next Up: Gonzaga vs Houston for a Sweet Sixteen Spot - Bulldogs Ready for a Physical Battle

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Gonzaga is not done dancing yet. Their next game is in the second round against a tough opponent: number one seed Houston. It's going to be a battle of the Bulldogs! The game is set for Saturday and is for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen. Players know it will be a physical matchup. Ben Gregg said "A lot like Georgia man: super physical. Especially on the rebounding aspect of the game. Defensively their lights out." Hickman added "They're a great physical team. They're gonna be strong with us. We gotta box out." Braden Huff expects a "great matchup super physical" and a "true test" for Gonzaga. Sounds like they are ready for the challenge and confident in their game.

Evidence Gonzaga University Actually Exists (Sorry Kimmel!)

  1. They Have a Real Campus in Spokane Washington: Numerous people have visited it and confirmed its existence despite Kimmel's jokes.
  2. They've Won 26 Straight March Madness First-Round Games: An imaginary team cannot have such consistent real-world basketball success.
  3. Jimmy Kimmel Has a Long-Running (Fake) Feud With Them: The university and Spokane tourism groups actively engage in the joke a sure sign they are in on the fun and very much real.
  4. They Have Real Students and Faculty: People actually attend classes there and get degrees. It's not just a basketball program in disguise.
  5. You Can Google Them and Find More Than Just Basketball Videos: Okay maybe basketball videos dominate but there's plenty of info about academics campus life etc.

So Is Gonzaga Real or Not? One Thing's for Sure: Their Basketball Team is Must-Watch TV

Whether you believe Jimmy Kimmel's conspiracy theory or not one thing is undeniable: Gonzaga basketball is legit. They are consistently one of the top programs in the country and always exciting to watch in March Madness. Maybe Kimmel is just jealous of their success? Either way the joke is all in good fun and Gonzaga seems to be embracing their role as the "imaginary" team that keeps winning. Tune in to see if they can keep their tournament run going and maybe even get Kimmel to finally admit they are a real university... maybe.