By EDDIE PELLS
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — In a tournament made famous by the notion that anything can happen, one thing still has not: In 129 tries, no 16 seed has ever beaten a 1.
Oh, but South Dakota State sure did make it interesting for a while Thursday.
The Jackrabbits of the Summit League gnawed away at Gonzaga for the better part of 35 minutes before the Zags started looking like the No. 1 seed they are and pulled away for a 66-46 victory in the West region.
Jordan Mathews scored 16 points to lead the Bulldogs (33-1). No. 1 seeds are now 129-0 vs. 16s since the bracket was expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
"That 1-16 game, someone else can have that from here on out," said Gonzaga coach Mark Few, who also sweated out a six-point win over Southern as a No. 1 in 2013 — in the same arena, no less. "I've served my time in it. I'll go ahead and land somewhere else."
The Jackrabbits (18-17) weren't your typical 16. They came in with nine wins in their last 11 games. They beat Gonzaga to every loose ball at the start and led for the first 17 minutes, then kept it interesting deep into the second half.
"There's something about sports where you have a look in your eye and you look at your opponent and say, 'You're going to be in for a fight tonight,'" Jackrabbits coach T.J. Otzelberger said. "I thought we did that from start to finish."
They hung in without a breakout game from Mike Daum. The nation's second-leading scorer finished 7 for 16 from the floor with 17 points — more than eight below his average.
Daum did a nice job on Gonzaga's 7-foot-1 center, Przemek Karnowski, holding him to four points over the first 32 minutes.
But Karnowski , who finished with 10 points, scored three straight buckets for the Bulldogs to help them expand the lead to 20 with 5 minutes left, and it was over.
Not before a bit of a scare, though.
"That was a confident, well-coached, tough team," Few said. "They were one of those teams that came here on a roll."
STOPPER: The Bulldogs draped 6-9 forward Johnathan Williams on Daum for most of the game, and he kept the South Dakota State big man in check. Williams finished with six points, 14 rebounds and two blocks, though his biggest contributions didn't show up on the stat sheet. Williams said he got used to covering players like Daum from his years practicing against former Bulldog Kyle Wiltjer, who was an inside-outside shooter like Daum. "I just moved my feet, made him close out and tried to make it tough for him. But he's a tough player," Williams said.
PLAYING FOR BILLY: South Dakota State guard Michael Orris made this game a tribute to his older brother , Billy, who died in a motorcycle accident in 2015. Orris, who graduated from Northern Illinois, had another year of eligibility and extended his career with the Jackrabbits. Orris went out with a leg cramp in the second half but returned. He finished with four points and three assists. "It means the world to me," Orris said of his first and only trip to the tournament. "It's exactly what me and coach talked about and exactly what I wanted for my life and my last season."
FRESHMAN CONTRIBUTION: While the Zags were struggling to find their footing in the first half, freshman Zach Collins kept them in it. Collins had nine of his 10 points in the first half.
'D' UP: Both teams walked away satisfied with their efforts on defense. This was only the fourth time this season Gonzaga has been held under 70 points and only the second time it shot worse than 40 percent (39.7). But South Dakota State only shot 31 percent, and one of its best 3-point shooters, Reed Tellinghuisen, went 1 for 10 behind the arc. "We knew on the defensive end we were doing our jobs, and eventually, the shots were going to fall," Collins said.
UP NEXT: Gonzaga plays the winner of Thursday afternoon's 8-9 matchup between Northwestern and Vanderbilt.
Showing posts with label South Dakota St.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Dakota St.. Show all posts
Thursday, March 16, 2017
S. Dakota St.-Gonzaga Preview
Stats, LLC
SALT LAKE CITY — Things didn’t work out well for Gonzaga the last time it came to Utah as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2013.
The Bulldogs flirted with disaster in the Round of 64 when they did not pull away from 16th seed Southern until the final minute. Then, in the next round, ninth-seeded Wichita State sent Gonzaga home with a crushing defeat and used the upset victory to fuel an unexpected run to the Final Four.
Gonzaga (32-1) will get a chance for redemption in the same arena where it flamed out four years ago. The Bulldogs return to Salt Lake City as a No. 1 seed for just the second time in school history and will square off against 16th-seeded South Dakota State.
They also bring in a team that is talented enough on both ends of the court to make a serious push to reach the Final Four.
“We’re 32-1, this team has been exceptional all year,” Bulldogs coach Mark Few told the school’s official website after his team beat St. Mary’s 74-56 to win the West Coast Conference tournament title. ”They’ve stepped up and met every challenge. We’ve been good from Nov. 10 to March 7 and haven’t taken any nights off. Our results speak for themselves.”
Leading the way for Gonzaga is talented guard Nigel Williams-Goss. The junior has elevated his game to another level since joining the program as a transfer from Washington.
Williams-Goss leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 16.9 points per game and also chips in 5.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals. He is also money at the free throw line, hitting 91.0 percent on his attempts to rank ninth nationally in free throw shooting.
Complementing Williams-Goss on the inside is a tough frontcourt that features leading rebounder Johnathan Williams (6.5 rebounds), mammoth center Przemek Karnowski and sixth man Zach Collins. It speaks to how much depth Gonzaga has when Collins, a projected first-round NBA draft pick, is the first player off the bench.
Gonzaga’s average margin of victory this season is a nation’s best 23.4 points per game and the team averaged 51.8 percent shooting from the field while holding opponents to 36.8 percent. The Bulldogs also rank second in the NCAA defensively in points per possession.
Hanging with such a team will be a tall task for Summit League tournament champion South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits (18-16) will likely need a big game from Mike Daum to pose a serious threat to Gonzaga.
Daum ranks No. 2 nationally in scoring, averaging 25.3 points per game. The sophomore forward tore it up in the Summit League title game, scoring 37 points and collecting 12 rebounds in a 79-77 win over Nebraska-Omaha. Daum shot 12 of 24 from the field, including 5-of-9 from distance.
A 16th seed has never won an NCAA Tournament game, but South Dakota State feels good about its chances after coming on strong late in the season. The Jackrabbits have won six straight and nine of their last 11 games.
The Jackrabbits also have last year’s NCAA Tournament experience to draw on for a chance at history.
“We’re a team full of surprises this year,” Daum told the Argus Leader. “People overlook us. With how we’re clicking right now, we’ll be a tough matchup for other teams.”
South Dakota is making second straight NCAA Tournament appearance after taking Maryland to the wire as a 12 seed a year ago. The Jackrabbits are 0-3 all-time in the tournament.
SALT LAKE CITY — Things didn’t work out well for Gonzaga the last time it came to Utah as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2013.
The Bulldogs flirted with disaster in the Round of 64 when they did not pull away from 16th seed Southern until the final minute. Then, in the next round, ninth-seeded Wichita State sent Gonzaga home with a crushing defeat and used the upset victory to fuel an unexpected run to the Final Four.
Gonzaga (32-1) will get a chance for redemption in the same arena where it flamed out four years ago. The Bulldogs return to Salt Lake City as a No. 1 seed for just the second time in school history and will square off against 16th-seeded South Dakota State.
They also bring in a team that is talented enough on both ends of the court to make a serious push to reach the Final Four.
“We’re 32-1, this team has been exceptional all year,” Bulldogs coach Mark Few told the school’s official website after his team beat St. Mary’s 74-56 to win the West Coast Conference tournament title. ”They’ve stepped up and met every challenge. We’ve been good from Nov. 10 to March 7 and haven’t taken any nights off. Our results speak for themselves.”
Leading the way for Gonzaga is talented guard Nigel Williams-Goss. The junior has elevated his game to another level since joining the program as a transfer from Washington.
Williams-Goss leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 16.9 points per game and also chips in 5.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals. He is also money at the free throw line, hitting 91.0 percent on his attempts to rank ninth nationally in free throw shooting.
Complementing Williams-Goss on the inside is a tough frontcourt that features leading rebounder Johnathan Williams (6.5 rebounds), mammoth center Przemek Karnowski and sixth man Zach Collins. It speaks to how much depth Gonzaga has when Collins, a projected first-round NBA draft pick, is the first player off the bench.
Gonzaga’s average margin of victory this season is a nation’s best 23.4 points per game and the team averaged 51.8 percent shooting from the field while holding opponents to 36.8 percent. The Bulldogs also rank second in the NCAA defensively in points per possession.
Hanging with such a team will be a tall task for Summit League tournament champion South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits (18-16) will likely need a big game from Mike Daum to pose a serious threat to Gonzaga.
Daum ranks No. 2 nationally in scoring, averaging 25.3 points per game. The sophomore forward tore it up in the Summit League title game, scoring 37 points and collecting 12 rebounds in a 79-77 win over Nebraska-Omaha. Daum shot 12 of 24 from the field, including 5-of-9 from distance.
A 16th seed has never won an NCAA Tournament game, but South Dakota State feels good about its chances after coming on strong late in the season. The Jackrabbits have won six straight and nine of their last 11 games.
The Jackrabbits also have last year’s NCAA Tournament experience to draw on for a chance at history.
“We’re a team full of surprises this year,” Daum told the Argus Leader. “People overlook us. With how we’re clicking right now, we’ll be a tough matchup for other teams.”
South Dakota is making second straight NCAA Tournament appearance after taking Maryland to the wire as a 12 seed a year ago. The Jackrabbits are 0-3 all-time in the tournament.
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