In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, ranked fifth, overcame 4-seeded Kansas and advanced to the round of 16 for the ninth consecutive year after defeating the Jayhawks 89-68.
The Zags’ victory against McNeese State in the first round was similar to the Bulldogs’ ability to distribute the ball, as five players finished with double-digit points.
With a team-leading 21 points via dunks, jumpers, and a three-ball, Anton Watson was in his element the whole time. Nolan Hickman scored 17 points on 7 of 11 shots from the field and 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. He was lights out wherever he put the ball. Ben Gregg was unstoppable, scoring 15 points on 2-of-2 shooting from three and 6-of-6 shooting from the field. He also pulled down nine rebounds. forth the paint, Graham Ike also put forth a lot of effort, scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Braden Huff, a rookie, scored 11 points in a row while playing a ton of useful minutes off the bench during crucial situations.
The effort down low propelled the Zags to a 21-point win, even if the three provided Gonzaga a lift and enabled them to pull away. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Jayhawks 38–33 and scored 32 points in the paint.
Gonzaga started on a fiery start in the first half, going on a 6-0 run before letting off and enabling Kansas to seize the lead with a 15-4 run.
Kansas led by just one point at the half, but whatever Gonzaga head coach Mark Few told his team in the locker room seemed to work, as the Zags opened the second half with 10 straight points, went on an 18-5 run, and took a 61-49 lead after just five minutes.
Kansas was only able to score 24 points in the second half of the game as the Zags dominated the game by keeping their foot on the throttle and their hands in the faces of the Jayhawks players.
With a 60.3% field goal percentage, a 53.3% three-point percentage, and a 73.3% free-throw percentage, Gonzaga’s shooting efficiency was exponential. In contrast, the Jayhawks’ offensive performance was subpar as they only made 38.6% of their field goals, 40.9% of their three-pointers, and 55.6% of their free throws.
Despite having just five points and a 1-of-6 shooting percentage, Ryan Nembhard was a master passer, throwing out a team-high twelve assists. With 236 assists this season, Nembhard leads the Zags in assists per season. His 11th assist of the game set up Watson for an open three. Josh Perkins, who left the Zags in 2019, was surpassed by him. In only 34 games, Nembhard broke the previous record established by Perkins, which was achieved in 37 games.
The fifth seed In the round of 16, Gonzaga will take on the victor of Sunday’s 11:40 a.m. match between Purdue, the top-seeded team, and Utah State, the eighth-seeded team. Following the conclusion of the second round NCAA Tournament games, the Gonzaga Bulldogs will travel to Detroit, Michigan, for their round of 16 clash at Little Caesars Arena on Friday. The time and broadcast information will be disclosed at that time.
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