Gonzaga delights in unusual under-the-radar role in this tournament

DENVER– It’s been decades because Gonzaga was anything but a basketball powerhouse.And the Bulldogs

definitely flexed their collective muscles Friday night in Ball Arena with a get-loose, we’re ready 82-70 win over Grand Canyon University in a West regional first-round game.The Bulldogs rolled into this year’s competition as a No. 3 seed in the West Region, the third time they’ve been a No. 3 considering that their yearly competition campout began in 1999. That 1999 group presented a country to Gonzaga basketball, making a Cinderella run to the Elite Eight as a No. 10 seed during its very first competition appearance. The Bulldogs have actually been to every tournament given that, reaching 12 Sweet 16s and twice reaching the national championship game. It’s a testimony to what the Bulldogs have done that this year’s No. 3 seed has had a less pressure theme around it.Especially for a group that was a No. 1 seed in each of its previous three competition trips, including a title game loss to Baylor in the 2021 tournament.” I would just state from the pressure level aspect, I would state it takes something off of us not truly

being a No. 1 seed,” guard Rasir Bolton stated today. “And after that anything else is actually the exact same. It’s all the same game of basketball … anyone can lose any day. So I don’t think anything changes. I think we have the exact same frame of mind.”Editor’s Picks 1 Related Under coach Mark Couple of’s watch, Gonzaga has actually been a No. 1 seed more frequently– five times– than they have actually been anything else. But not holding leading line status has not changed anything for the Zags.” I believe the seeding is more for everyone dinking around with the brackets and all that,” stated Few, who has actually been the head coach at the school for each competition except its very first one.”The players and the staffs, it simply ends up being more of here’s our job, these guys do this and this and this truly great. And if we do not throw down the gauntlet, then they can beat us.” I would just say as long as I have actually remained in this thing now, every year, whatever appears to be shrinking more to the mean as opposed to– we’ve remained in enough of those 1-16 games and you resemble, holy smokes.

Last year I left for the tip and Georgia State, I believe they were larger than us at dang near every position. And I’m like, this is a 16 seed? “Gonzaga”fell “to a No. 3 in this competition courtesy of an early-season onslaught that consisted of losses to Texas (a No. 2 seed), Purdue( a No. 1 seed )and Baylor( a No. 3 seed). Toss in the Dec. 14 loss to Loyola Marymount, a defeat that ended its 75-game house winning streak, and Gonzaga is ever-so-slightly under the radar this time around.The Bulldogs trace the guts of their now 10-game winning streak to that loss to LMU and a callous or 2 they integrated in those early losses to the other heavyweights.”They were feeling the frustration, I believe, early and beating themselves up respectable mentally, therefore that was a big challenge for our staff,”Few stated.” Then I constantly state you’ve got to hit the Zags ‘requirement, and they were not striking the Zags’requirement in a lot of areas

. So I constantly feel that’s my task to sort of be the heavy because regard. Sometimes it’s not all fun and games being the papa bear of the group.” Drew Timme scored 21 points for third-seeded Gonzaga on Friday. Michael Ciaglo-USA TODAY Sports Couple of said the players also did not listen to”Jimmy and Johnny behind the keyboard in their mommy’s basement”along the way.Friday night, they looked comfy in their current status as All-American Drew Timme, now the school

‘s all-time leading scorer, efficiently scored 21 points. Timme had actually been held to 6 points in the first half when Grand Canyon had actually constructed a seven-point lead with simply under six minutes before halftime. However from that moment on, Gonzaga found its convenience level, consisting of a 20-6 run to open the second half.”It’s a big, high pressure occasion, and I felt like on the whole we were a little worried, which is human nature,”Timme stated.”And after that the second half we cooled down, recollected ourselves. We’re Gonzaga.” Timme, an uncommon high-end senior in the basketball landscape, provides Gonzaga a convenience level if things get hard. Bolton said this team found out to” blindly just play “along the method as well.” Not really concentrating on rankings or anything anymore, not being No.

1, or not stressing over anymore records,”Bolton stated.”Simply really come together and having to win games, and I believe that helped us a lot. “