HOMETOWN MAGIC
In front of a pair of packed and raucous crowds at the Kennel, the Gonzaga women won two games and propelled themselves into the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2015.
It was a destiny that this fantastic team not only deserved, but fully earned on their home court. The Zags have been consistent winners for years, but again and again they'd missed breaking through to the tournament's second weekend. But this team would not be denied.
A slow start in the opening round against a brutally physical 13-seed UC Irvine team on Saturday saw the 4-seed Zags trailing after the first quarter. However, things quickly turned into a blowout in favor of the home team. Gonzaga ended up winning 75-56.
Two days later, on Monday night against 5-seed Utah, the Zags overcame a slow start by brutalizing the Utes with a 19-to-3 run midway through the game to pull out of reach of the visitors from Salt Lake City. By the time the run ended, Utah could only try in vain to claw back, but the sellout crowd was so deafening that the Utes stood little chance. Gonzaga won 77-66 and punched their ticket to a Sweet 16 date in Portland with 1-seed Texas on Friday.
A pair of wins in the Rose City would set this team apart from previous Gonzaga teams, as the women have never advanced beyond the Elite Eight. And now, the Final Four is just two wins away. (WM)
Gonzaga vs. Texas • Fri, March 29 at 7 pm • ESPN
TURNAROUND KINGS
Two months ago the Gonzaga men might've been a safer bet to miss the NCAA Tournament than make the Final Four.
Now? The Zags are playing like one of the best teams in the country.
In 24 years at the helm of GU, this is Coach Mark Few's most impressive midseason turnaround.
The Bulldogs breezed through the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament last week in Salt Lake City. Against trendy upset pick McNeese State in the First Round, GU barely broke a sweat. It was clear within five minutes of game action that the Southland Champs had no shot of even making the game competitive. GU's size and execution overpowered their foe. Anton Watson nearly had a triple double (12 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists) and Graham Ike shot a perfect 100% from the field (6-6). The Zags also shooting 47.6% from 3 was just the icing on the cake.
Saturday's showdown with perennial power Kansas was much closer... for one half. The Jayhawks were winning 44-43 at halftime, but the undermanned KU squad got run out of the building in the final 20 minutes of the game, leading to a 82-68 Zags win. Again the Zags were electric behind the arc (53.3%), and four of five starters notched 15+ points.
The Zags now face off against 1-seed Purdue in the Sweet 16 on Friday evening in Detroit. The two teams squared off at the Maui Invitational at the start of the season, with the Boilermakers winning 73-63. But that game was far tighter than the score indicated. Gonzaga led at half and were still within a bucket with under seven minutes to play despite shooting an abysmal 6-32 (18.8%) from 3. If the Zags can shoot even mediocre from deep, pressure Purdue's guards, and stay out of foul trouble caused by giant and soon-to-be two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey, they have a legit chance of advancing to the Elite Eight and potentially having a date in the Final Four this time next week. (SS) ♦
Gonzaga vs. Purdue • Fri, March 29 at 4:39 pm • TBS / TruTV
