Andrew Murawa is an RTC correspondent. He filed this report from the Round of 32 game between #1 Gonzaga and #9 Wichita State at the Salt Lake City pod this evening.
Three Key Takeaways.
- Spectacular Ending. After trailing much of the first and start of second half, Gonzaga took a 43-41 lead with 13:39 remaining on a Mike Hart three. For the next seven minutes or so, it seemed like the Zags were on the verge of pulling away and a Kevin Pangos three with 6:30 remaining put the Bulldogs up seven. That was just the start of the madness. That Pangos three was just the start of five threes on six offensive possessions and a Carl Hall jumper gave Wichita State the lead back. Then, following a Ron Baker personal 5-0 run, Fred Vanvleet nailed the calmest, sweetest three anyone (anyone except a Zag fan, that is) ever did see with one second left on the shotclock to put the Shockers up seven and effectively seal the game. It was a wild stretch that left the West region without four of its top five seeds.
- Wichita Three-Point Shooting. For the year, Wichita State is a 33% three-point shooting team, good for 213th in the nation. And just one player on the roster had made more than 40 threes this season. Today? The team went 14-of-28, got four threes from 29.8% three-point shooter Cleanthony Early and four threes from Baker, a freshman who missed 21 games in the middle of the season. That type of performance was, well, shocking, but ultimately it is what puts Gregg Marshall and company through to their first Sweet 16 in the Marshall era.
- Gonzaga Rebounding. We knew coming into the game that Gonzaga would have a big size advantage inside, but with the way Wichita handled their business on the glass against Pittsburgh, the expectation was that the Shockers would be okay. Suffice it to say, they were not okay. While they did a fine job on their own offensive glass (35.7 OR%), they got smoked on the defensive glass, allowing the Zags to collect 21 offensive rebounds, grabbing better than half of their own misses. It was this, and a striking advantage from the free throw line (at least until the Zags had to foul in the end game scenario) that even allowed the Bulldogs to remain as close as they did.
Star of the Game. Ron Baker, Wichita State. First off, this is a kid that missed the last 21 game of the regular season, returning only in time for the start of the MVC Tournament, where he immediately jumped back into the fire by dropping 15 points. He joined the starting lineup against Pitt (but went 0-of-5 from the field), then tonight dropped a phenomenal game, doing a little bit of everything for the Shockers. He scored 16 points, knocked down four threes, grabbed six boards and has four assists, along with some excellent defense against the Zag guards. In a game with a six-point final margin, the Shockers were +19 with Baker on the floor.
In what is likely the last collegiate game for Kelly Olynyk, the Gonzaga star went out with a game-high 26 points and 9 rebounds. (AP)
Sights & Sounds. March Atmosphere. Despite a couple memorable games – namely the Southern/Gonzaga and Harvard/New Mexico games – Energy Solutions Arena never really got rocking this week. Until tonight, that is. There were plenty of Gonzaga fans in the building, and Wichita State certainly brought along a good crowd. But after a hard fought first half, the second half felt very much like a great March environment. Down the stretch, the handful of people who weren’t standing in the arena were on the edge of their seats. The bands were going off, the fans were screaming down the stretch and, well, it was just electric.
Quotable. Gregg Marshall: “This is the epitome of a team. They don’t care about individual stats, it’s all about us winning. They’ve done that for years now and the last couple of months, it’s been truly special. You don’t know about all the adversity this team has gone through. We’re going to celebrate tonight in Salt Lake and we cannot wait to get to L.A.”
Wildcard. Effort and Athleticism. Gonzaga may have been the #1 seed here, and they’re certainly one of the most skilled teams in the country, but Wichita State had better athleticism at nearly every spot on the floor. It was most clear in the backcourt, where Malcolm Armstead was the best guard on the floor, but even up front where guys like Early and Hall were giving away size to the Bulldog frontcourt, they did their best to make up for it with hustle and hops. And while the Zags certainly left everything they had out on the floor, the Shockers worked just a little bit harder.
What’s Next? The Shockers advance to the Sweet Sixteen in Los Angeles where they will play the winner of La Salle/Ole Miss tomorrow. In other words, they’ve got a very real chance to wind up in the Elite Eight. Meanwhile, once again the Bulldogs failed to reach the Sweet Sixteen, they’ll lose Elias Harris, Mike Hart and likely Kelly Olynyk, but they’ll rebuild and again likely be the favorite in the WCC next season.