Gonzaga beats Grand Canyon, looks ahead to TCU in 2023 NCAA Tournament

The Bulldogs advance to the Round of 32 where they will face eighth-seeded TCU

Julian Strawther collected 28 points and 10 rebounds to help Gonzaga overcome a slow start and defeat Grand Canyon 82-70 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at Ball Arena in Denver.

The third-seeded Bulldogs advance to the Round of 32 where they will face No. 6 TCU on Sunday.

Here are three observations about the Zags’ performance and their upcoming matchups:

SECOND-HALF SURGE PROPELS GONZAGA TO VICTORY

Photo by Michael Ciaglo, USA TODAY Sports

As Gonzaga head coach Mark Few described it, Friday's game was a tale of two halves.

After racing out to a 10-2 lead, the Zags’ early advantage was quickly erased by GCU, which responded with 10 unanswered points to pull ahead.

Gonzaga did regroup, but the Lopes remained competitive in the first half behind the scoring efforts of Chance McMillian, who scored 11 of his 16 points before halftime.

Trailing by seven points, the Zags outscored their opponents 17-8 in the final six minutes of the half, which gave them a four-point lead going into the break. Strawther, Drew Timme and Anton Watson combined for 15 points during that span.

The trio continued to pace Gonzaga once play resumed, as they each contributed to a 16-0 run early in the second half that put the Zags up by 22 points. The team’s scoring push put the game out of reach for the Lopes, who battled back but never came within single digits before the final buzzer sounded.

“For the first 15 minutes of the second half, we got back to playing the way we’ve been playing here in the last probably month or so and that was a difference in the game,” Few said.

Strawther, who was Gonzaga’s leading scorer, shot 9-for-15 from the field and 3-for-6 on his 3-point attempts. His scoring output was supported by a 21-point showing from Timme and 14 points from Watson.

TOP SEEDS ADVANCE IN WEST REGION 

Photo by Kelley L Cox, USA TODAY Sports

As expected, the first round of the NCAA Tournament featured a number of seemingly improbable upsets.

The West Region, which Gonzaga is a part of, was the only section of the bracket where all of the higher-seeded teams advanced to the Round of 32.

What does this mean for the Zags? Their path to a title hasn’t gotten any easier as it has for other contenders. There’s a chance Gonzaga will have to go through No. 1 seed Kansas and No. 2 seed UCLA before reaching the Final Four.

However, regardless of his team’s future opponents, Few is taking it one game at a time.

“These games are hard to win,” Few said. “I think the hardest thing to do in our sport is to win an NCAA Tournament game.”

THE ZAGS WON’T BE SATISFIED UNTIL THEY’VE WON IT ALL

Photo by Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY Sports

For most teams in March Madness, winning a single game is a remarkable achievement. But for the tournament’s winningest program since 2016, the primary focus is capturing the title.

That’s why the Zags remained calm after its first-round win over GCU, according to Timme.

“We’ll celebrate, laugh, but it’s straight to business after that because it doesn’t get any easier from here,” Timme said.

The Zags expect another challenging contest when they face TCU in the second round on Sunday.

“I’ve watched TCU a lot this year, I think they’re as good a team as there is in this tournament, especially when they’re at their high end,” Few said.

The game will take place at 6:40 p.m. PT on Sunday at Ball Arena in Denver.