SALT LAKE CITY — And to think, some people doubted their ability to make it to March Madness.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs easily dismissed such doubts and defeated an exhausted Kansas team on Saturday with a score of 89-68, securing their ninth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance.
Led by Anton Watson’s 21 points, fifth-seeded Gonzaga performed nearly as well in the second half of this game as they have over the second half of the season. The team scored 15 consecutive points early in the half, turning the game into a runaway, with players in navy jerseys shining as stars.
Since January 18, they have won 16 out of 18 games, with their only losses being to Saint Mary’s. This team beat Gonzaga for the West Coast Conference title but was eliminated from the tournament on Friday night.
“In late December, it seemed like it might not happen,” said Mark Few, with his hair still wet from the celebration in the locker room. “But I have to give credit. These guys stayed open to coaching and we figured it out.”
After drying off, Few and the Zags, who are participating in their 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament, will prepare for their usual trip to the second weekend to face the winner of Sunday’s game between Purdue and Utah State.
The Zags (27-7) made their first five 3-pointers of the second half and only missed one long-range shot by the time 1:30 remained on the clock. They had a field goal percentage of 60% and a 3-point percentage of 53%. Ben Gregg had a standout performance, shooting 6 for 6 and finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Graham Ike, a big man for Gonzaga, also had 15 points and nine rebounds, putting up a strong performance against KU’s Hunter Dickinson, who finished with a quiet 15 points.
Ryan Nembhard made all the Bulldogs look good, despite having a tough time shooting (1 for 6). He ended with 12 assists, becoming the program’s all-time leader in that category.
“Ryan has been performing at a high level for the past eight weeks,” Few said. “He’s been making excellent decisions and driving us forward.”
Kansas was exhausted after a late and emotionally intense victory over Samford on Thursday night. Coach Bill Self realized they were in trouble when he tried to make a substitution and his bench couldn’t provide the needed support.
“Not often do you take a player out, they sit through a three-minute timeout, and when you ask them to return, they say they need more time,” Self said.
The Jayhawks (23-11) faced familiar struggles, including depth, shooting, consistency, and injuries. Their leading scorer, Kevin McCullar Jr., was unable to play due to a knee injury. During Gonzaga’s 15-0 run, the Jayhawks missed 10 consecutive shots.
Gonzaga continued the run, making it 32-4; Kansas only managed to score 2 out of 23 shots during that time.
“When you can’t make shots and you can’t stop them, disaster is inevitable,” said Kansas forward KJ Adams Jr., who finished with 10 points.
Some of those missed shots were particularly unattractive, such as when Dickinson, who had missed the Big 12 Tournament due to a dislocated shoulder, grabbed a rebound under the basket and struggled to get the ball to the rim.
"Hunt gave us his maximum effort," Self stated. "But he looked very exhausted out there today."
For 22 minutes, this game was as good as expected — a rare match between highly popular strong teams. There were eight lead changes. At one point late in the first half, the teams made nine consecutive shots from the field, exchanging leads almost every time down.
Gonzaga continued its momentum. Kansas, on the other hand, could not keep up.
The Zags won both their games in Salt Lake City by 21 points. The first win against McNeese was expected, but the second one, even against a flawed KU team, was a surprise. Nothing else about this team making a deep March run should be that surprising.
"We've always emphasized to them, if we make it to this tournament, we know how to succeed in it," Few said. "This is not a new concept for our program."
ON THE SIDELINE
Lamar Simpson, the official who called the questionable foul that helped KU secure its opening-night win over Samford, observed both games from press row as the alternate official.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
The Zags improved their record to 10-3 in tournament games in Salt Lake City. Their next destination is Detroit, where they have never played a tournament game.
