Gonzaga, the No. 1 overall seed in the men's tournament and the title favorite, will not return to the championship game. Arkansas is in the round of 8 for ...
- 1 Kansas664 Providence61 - 1 Kansas799 Creighton72 - 1 Gonzaga829 Memphis78 I get in the gym every day and work on my shots, so next time I shoot that shot I know it’s going in.” Julian Strawther, who entered the tournament shooting 39.6 percent on 3-pointers, made his only 3-pointer of the tournament on Thursday and finished it 1 for 14. The Zags led 16th-seeded Georgia State by only 4 points midway through the second half before winning in a rout. He returned about two minutes later, but did not last long before being whistled for his fifth foul with 3 minutes 29 seconds left on Notae’s drive to the basket. The Zags were also trying to salve the sting of last season, when they carried an unblemished record into the championship game before being thumped by Baylor. We didn’t have much of that tonight.” That left Kansas, which plays fourth-seeded Providence on Friday in a Midwest regional semifinal, as the only remaining No. 1 seed. J.D. Notae led Arkansas with 21 points on 9 of 29 shooting and Jaylin Williams, who helped get Holmgren in foul trouble, added 15 points and 12 rebounds, doing most of his work against Gonzaga’s two big men. But Arkansas made its free throws and Gonzaga never got the ball back with a chance to get even.
Did you hear that whistle? Nothing happened. But the refs just called yet another foul on Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren.
It was a very well-executed game plan from Musselman, which capitalized on the fact that refs aren’t always going to make the correct call. On the season, Gonzaga averaged 44.0 points per game in the paint while shooting 63.9% in that zone. That ranked as the highest mark among all teams in any of the Power Five conferences. He had the perfect strategy to knock off the Bulldogs. Possession after possession, and for three of the five fouls he was called for, it felt all this center did to earn each foul was exist while tall on a basketball court. But in his likely last moments of college basketball, he fouled out with plenty of time left on the clock.
2. Credit Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman for successfully slowing down Andrew Nembhard, who's been incredible, thus the Gonzaga offense. Musselman had 6'6” ...
If, as expected, this was Nembhard and Bolton’s last game in a Zag uniform, it’s unfortunate to see them go out this way but boy was it great to watch them play this season. Add the season-ending to Dom Harris and you really need to appreciate how spectacular Nembhard and Bolton have been this year. Even last night, when a loss seemed inevitable and having one of his worst games of the season, Nembhard hit two free throws and a miracle three-pointer in the game’s last 90 seconds to give the Zags a glimmer of hope. They shot 40% from the field and 28% from deep, both a couple of percentage points below their season averages. 9. Let’s take a moment to appreciate just how good Andrew Nembhard and Rasir Bolton were this past season. Against St Mary’s on 26 Feb, Gonzaga scored 57 points, shot 36% from the field and had 14 turnovers against 4 assists. Possibly worse, Nembhard being grabbed from behind by the neck and shoulders with 1:27 left to play. Gonzaga jumped out to a 5-0 lead and was about to make it 7-0 as Nembhard hit a streaking Bolton with a sweet pass across a crowded key for what looked like a sure lay-up. 6. Gonzaga’s bench, that had looked so promising at the start of WCC play, really struggled in March. Hunter Sallis was the lone bright spot last night in his eight minutes of play, drawing a charge as soon as he entered the game, making a steal, then an interior score in the second half. Gonzaga shot an anemic 37.5% from the field and 23.8% from three. That’s all it would take to right the ship and put the Zags ahead. In a post-game interview, Nembhard stated: “I think his length was a factor, he did a great job, just kept pressuring me the whole game.”
During Gonzaga's 74-68 loss to Arkansas in the Sweet 16 of March Madness 2022, Chet Holmgren was called for questionable fouls.
It certainly looked like Holmgren went straight up, but the officials decided differently. During Gonzaga’s 74-68 loss to Arkansas in the Sweet 16 of March Madness 2022, the seven-footer picked up two fouls in the first half, and his third early in the second. If anything, it looked like Arkansas’ Au’Diese Toney could have been called for an offensive foul for attacking Holmgren’s chest.
After the game, head coach Mark Few addressed the foul trouble that Chet Holmgren found himself in. Not having his star freshman threw off the game plan, as Few ...
He eventually fouled out of the game and had to sit on the bench for long stretches because of the fouls. Not having his star freshman threw off the game plan, as Few was looking to balance the offensive workload between Holmgren and Drew Timme. It also took their most impactful defender off the floor. The Gonzaga Bulldogs losing in the Sweet 16 to the Arkansas Razorbacks brought a devastating end to their season.
Not playing consistently in a meat-grinder of a conference consistently hurts Gonzaga basketball this time of year.
We beat Auburn at home. We beat Tennessee at home. MORE IMPORTANT: We beat Kentucky at home. We beat LSU at home and away. A lot of people are out there trying to be a little too cute and make the case that because only 1 of the SEC’s 6 NCAA Tournament teams is still alive, the SEC is not that strong of a basketball conference.Here’s what I think about that. I mean, there’s no way we actually “deserve” to be in the Elite 8 is there? One of those 2 blocks was on Inspector Clousseau at the end of the game, thus dashing the hopes of the Zags whose trophy case, maintains an empty spot where their National Championship trophy will be placed…….some other time than this year Anyone who can play 36 minutes against the #1 team in the country and come away with 6 assists in the same game in which he scored 21 (and played the biggest role in fouling Holmgren out) is remarkable. This is the way he needs to play from here on out. What more can you ask of a player than those numbers and no big mistakes? Once we got control, we got control. They out-rebounded us 45-42, but we shot 40% from the field to their 37.5% and, from beyond the arc, we shot 28% to their 24%.
Etan Thomas catches up with Arkansas legends Lee Mayberry and Scotty Thurman about the Hogs' upset win over Gonzaga.
It really was like one of those "One Shining Moment" NCAA commercials that will always be a part of the advertising, you know? And I saw a lot of chatter on social media about the refs, did you see all that? And I saw the same commentary on Twitter you saw, but it’s all to be expected. "Corey Beck had the basketball at the top of the key. I was worried about us being able to get back on transition, but thought we did a great job of getting back early and not letting Gonzaga really get into an offensive rhythm. Mayberry: "Stay with the game plan, being that tough team with a chip on your shoulder. It was a great game, but they definitely had a lot of calls go their way." In fact, I feel Gonzaga got a lot of calls themselves." Mayberry: "Of course I’m biased, but I felt like Gonzaga definitely got their share of calls. And I’m looking at the game and I’m thinking... Mayberry: "I definitely see similarities. If you are from Arkansas or Tulsa or surrounding areas, you understand how those kids feel that they are always doubted and counted out, so they have to believe in themselves.
Good morning, I'm Dan Gartland. That was a fantastic night of sports. If you're reading this on SI.com, you can sign up to get this free newsletter in your ...
Brian Straus was in Mexico City, where the USMNT battled to a draw with Mexico in World Cup qualifying. “I’d put my hand on the steering wheel, and then he'd slap on a quick-drying cast made of something like Fiberglas. I paid for it, though. Overtime periods were only 10 minutes long at that time and wouldn’t be extended to 20 minutes until the 1948 playoffs. “My regular doctor had put a plaster of Paris cast on my arm. Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine was born on this day in 1966. … The Buccaneers now have two players named after the same two NBA legends. (The Jayhawks play Providence tonight for a spot in the Elite Eight.) It was the first time since 1995 that two No. 1 seeds went down on the same day in Sweet 16 play. Ken Pomeroy’s statistical formula ranks the Cougars as the No. 2 team in the country (behind Gonzaga) and they lived up to their reputation last night. The Cougars’ impressive showing last night has them favored over the higher-seeded Villanova in that matchup. They led wire-to-wire on the way to winning 72–60, thanks to some smothering defense. The Zags’ defeat was the more surprising of the two. But with Holmgren on the bench, the Bulldogs couldn’t mount a comeback.