Three Key Takeaways.
- NRG Stadium Problems. Two normally explosive offensive teams struggled to put the ball in the basket for much of this game, particularly in the first 20 minutes of action. Neither team managed even 40 percent field goal shooting for the opening half, and they combined to miss 12 of 14 three-point attempts in advance of intermission. For the game, the two teams combined to shoot under 40 percent from the field and a meager 19 percent from long-range, making just six total three-point field goals all night. Among onlookers, cavernous NRG Stadium seemed to receive much of the blame for the shooting woes. We’re not ready to chalk the struggles up solely to the lack of a backdrop for shooters in the dome (and lets revisit this after Duke and Utah torch the nets later tonight), but the setup did feel clumsy and uncomfortable. Given that Gonzaga had made 41 percent of three-point attempts on the year and UCLA 37 percent, it does seem likely that the NRG Stadium layout had something to do with the errant efforts tonight.
- Alford and Alford. Father-son duos were all the rage this March, but unfortunately for those who enjoy a good family narrative, those storylines are now closed for the season. Both father and son failed to do their part tonight for the Bruins: Bryce didn’t make a three-point field goal in the first 37 minutes of the game, finishing with just eight points on 3-of-11 field goal shooting; Steve’s failure was less salient, but the Bruins never showed the preparedness and energy necessary to stop the prolific Gonzaga offense. If last weekend was the Alfords at their best; tonight caught father and son at their near-worst.
- Few, Zags Break Through. It’s hard to believe, but this will be Mark Few’s first trip to the Elite Eight. America first became acquainted with Gonzaga when the Zags made the national quarterfinals in 1999 under Dan Monson, but Few had been 0-4 in Sweet Sixteen games before this evening. Most notable among those losses was the 2006 defeat at the hands of these very Bruins, which famously ended in a jersey-full of Adam Morrison tears. There is another significant milestone available for Few’s team on Sunday afternoon, but the closing-seconds elation on the Gonzaga bench hinted at a team – and a coach – who had finally chucked a monkey off the back.
Star of the Game. Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga. The biggest man on the floor was the best player in this game. Karnowski physically dominated Tony Parker, Kevon Looney and a fairly well-regarded UCLA frontcourt, scoring 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds on the evening. But Karnowski’s contributions went beyond his work near his offensive rim, as he blocked two shots and dished out a pair of no-look passes to Domantas Sabonis, both of which ended in dunks. On a night where Gonzaga’s perimeter shots were not falling (3-of-19 from three-point range), a big effort from their big man was much needed in getting them past UCLA and into the Elite Eight.
Quotable.
- “I’m really proud of our team – we have come a long ways. Obviously this [Gonzaga] is a really good basketball team. We wish Mark [Few] and his team the best.'” – Steve Alford, UCLA head coach.
- “When you are in the middle of play, you aren’t thinking about being in the middle of a dome or your depth perception. I don’t think it really affected us.” –Norman Powell, UCLA wing, on whether dome environment impacted shooting
- “We didn’t play perfect tonight, and probably didn’t even play what we would consider ‘really good’… but what we were was tough, and gritty, and physical.” –Mark Few, Gonzaga head coach.
Sights & Sounds. This game felt like an undercard from the moment you arrived at NRG Stadium. Even 90 minutes before tip, Duke tailgates dominated the parking lots while UCLA and Gonzaga supporters were harder to find. Each team did have a small base of fans on hand by the time things got under way, but rarely did this game not feel like it was being played in a near-empty football stadium (probably because it was). In the final seconds, the relative quiet in the arena allowed the cheers of the Gonzaga faithful to come through loud and clear, as the folks from Spokane celebrated their team’s advancement to the regional final.
What’s Next? Gonzaga will advance to play the winner of #1 Duke and #5 Utah on Sunday afternoon, where they will seek to make more program history in advancing to the Final Four. UCLA ends its season at 22-14 after making a Sweet Sixteen in an NCAA Tournament that many pundits didn’t believe they deserved to be in.