Gonzaga's Drew Timme after NCAA Tournament loss: 'I've loved every second of this journey'

Timme's college basketball career is likely over after Gonzaga's 82-54 Elite 8 loss to UConn

LAS VEGAS — Following Gonzaga's 82-54 Elite 8 loss to UConn, an emotional Drew Timme addressed reporters.

"I've loved every second of this journey," Gonzaga's all-time leading scorer said. 

Timme finished a frustrating night with 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting. He grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 4 assists in what will likely be his final college game. 

Timme's expected finale came with some controversy though. 

With 17:38 left in the game and Gonzaga trailing 44-34, Timme picked up his fourth foul during a defensive rebound by Julian Strawther off a missed UConn shot. The official ruled that Timme elbowed UConn's Andre Jackson away from the ball, and Gonzaga coach Mark Few had no choice other than to sit Timme at a key point in the game. Timme had picked up his third foul on a charge just 26 seconds into the second half. 

"Do I think it was a foul? No," Timme said of his fourth foul call. "Was it called? Yes. Does it impact the game? Obviously it does."

Here is the play:

Ref show or good foul call on Drew Timme?

Timme heads to the bench with 4 fouls and 17 minutes to play pic.twitter.com/ffMoKh0E8H

— Barstool Gambling (@stoolgambling) March 26, 2023

"But at the end of the day the refs did not decide the outcome of that game," Timme added. "Tip your hat to UConn, they played a hell of a game. They won more 50-50 balls, they hit more shots than we did."

"Say what you want about the refs, but UConn beat us tonight. They were the better team tonight."

Watch Timme's full postgame interview above.

- Charles Barkley on Drew Timme's 4th foul: 'That was a bad call ... I hate that call'

- NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga's season ends in 82-54 Elite 8 loss to UConn