ZAGS 360: NCAA Tournament Edition – Bulldogs Reach Sweet 16
Teresa Powe
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March Madness is here, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are on their way to the Sweet Sixteen party! The undefeated streak continues – two down, four to go.
March Madness is here, and all eyes are on Indianapolis. The Gonzaga Bulldogs faced their first opponent, the Norfolk State Spartans, winners of their first-four matchup with Appalachian State.
Norfolk State was one of two historically Black colleges/universities (HBCUs) to make history this weekend. The Spartans and Texas Southern are the first to win NCAA games in the same tournament. Texas Southern defeated Mount St. Marys 60-52 to move on.
Gonzaga vs. Norfolk State
The Spartans came out fierce and, for maybe two minutes, held the lead. Corey Kispert lit a fire under his teammates as his three-pointers rained all over the court. The Bulldogs swiftly defeated the Spartans 98-55.
Kispert hit five three-pointers in the first half, leading the Zags with 23 points and five rebounds. Right behind Kispert is Anton Watson, who played like a beast with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals! Up next, Joel Ayayi, with 15 points, nine rebounds, and two steals, had the Zags in their element! Drew Timme had ten points, six rebounds, and five assists. Jalen Suggs got in early foul trouble. But never fear, Aaron Cook was there with seven assists to lift the team while Suggs was on the bench.
Devante Carter and Kyonze Chavis each had 12 points for Norfolk State.
Gonzaga vs. Oklahoma
Where Corey Kispert was the first-round hero, Drew Timme wore the cape for the second round as the Zags defeat Oklahoma He had 14 points in the first half on his way to a career-high 30. Timme was everywhere, and the Oklahoma Sooners could do nothing with him. Make no mistake. This was a very physical and hard-fought game.
The rest of the Trio did their parts. Kispert had 16 points, including 4 of 8 from three and three rebounds. Jalen Suggs also had 16 points, three rebounds. Joel Ayayi contributed 12 points and eight rebounds.
Austin Reaves had 27 points for the Sooners. Jalen Hill had 11 points, and Alondes Williams had 15 points. These three tried hard but no go against the Bulldogs.
What’s next?
Welcome to the Sweet Sixteen. All but one of the Big East teams remain. What does that mean? Serious upsets happened last weekend. GU faces the Creighton Bluejays on Sunday, March 28, at 2:10 pm. The Bluejays defeated UC – Santa Barbara in the first round and the Ohio Bobcats in the second. In the Ohio/Creighton game, the Creighton starters were all in double figures.
Let’s cheer our Bulldogs on as they take it step by step on their way to their desired goal – undefeated 32-0, NCAA champions.