3-seed Gonzaga (31-5) vs. 4-seed UConn (28-8)
SATURDAY, MARCH 25 | 5:49 P.M. | T-MOBILE ARENA | LAS VEGAS
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THE TIP OFF
- Third-seeded Gonzaga squares off with fourth-seeded UConn Saturday at 5:49 p.m., in the finals of the NCAA West Regional in the 2023 NCAA Tournament in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
- GU is making its 24th consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearance and 25th overall. The 24 straight berths to the field is the third-longest current streak in the nation (Kansas 33 and Michigan State 25).
- The Zags are 44-24 all-time in the 25 NCAA Tournament appearances with 13 trips to the Sweet 16, six trips to the Elite Eight, two Final Fours and two appearances in the national championship game.
- The Zags are 41-22 in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Mark Few with a berth in all 24 seasons.
- Gonzaga is one of only two teams to win its opening-round NCAA Tournament game each of the last 14 tournaments, Kansas is the other at 16. The Zags are the only program to appear in the last eight Sweet 16s.
- The Bulldogs have the most wins in the NCAA Tournament since 2017, going 20-5, Kansas is next at 16-4. GU's 25 wins in the tournament since 2015 are also the most, with Villanova and North Carolina second at 21.
- Gonzaga has earned more NCAA Tournament "units" than any program in the country in the last five seasons.
- The Bulldogs are 35-18 all-time as a single-digit seed, with a 16-2 record in first round games.
- GU played in Denver in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history. In 2011 in the Pepsi Center, the Zags upset 6-seeded St. John's in the first round, 86-71, before falling to 3-seeded BYU in the second round. In 2016, Gonzaga upset 6-seeded Seton Hall 68-52 and 3-seeded Utah 82-59 in the first and second rounds.
- In 2021-22, top-seeded GU defeated 16th-seeded Georgia State (93-72) and ninth-seeded Memphis (82-78) in Portland, Ore., advancing to the Sweet 16 in San Francisco, where it fell to fourth-seeded Arkansas (68-74).
- GU clinched the program's eighth 30-win season, with the previous seven being in the last 10 years.
- Gonzaga clinched its 16th straight 25-win season, which is now the NCAA Div. 1 record.
- The Zags lead the country averaging 87.0 points per game and shooting 52.6 percent from the field. The Zags are also first in effective field goal percentage (.588) and top KenPom's ratings in offensive efficiency.
- Drew Timme tops the nation with 308 made field goals and is third with 774 points. His 21.5 points per game rank 13th in the nation. Timme and Anton Watson are first and third in the WCC in field goal percentage at 62.3 and 60.6 percent. Watson is second in two-point field goal percentage at 66.0 percent. Nolan Hickman is second with a 2.41 assist-to-turnover ratio. Anton Watson is third averaging 1.83 steals.
 
MADE FOR MARCH
- Drew Timme has 289 total points in the NCAA tournament, making him the all-time GU leading scorer in the tourney. That also ranks 11th all-time in NCAA history.
- He has 116 made field goals in the tournament, which also leads GU in tourney all-time, and ranks in the Top-20 in the history of the tournament.
- Timme's 54 made free-throws during the tournament tops the program, while his 79 attempted free throws are also first.
- Timme's 100 rebounds are also most in the tournament in program history, while Anton Watson is sixth with 67 boards.
- Watson is second in program history with 17 steals in the NCAA Tournament in his career.
 
MARCH HISTORY
- Drew Timme recorded his 10th 20-point performance in the NCAA Tournament in the win over UCLA.
- That mark matches the most 20-point games in a career in the NCAA Tournament's history. Richard Hamilton (UCONN), Corliss Williamson (Arkansas), Glen Rice (Michigan), Danny Manning (Kansas), Elvin Hayes (Houston) and Bill Bradley (Princeton) all have nine 20-point games in the NCAA Tournament.
 
ELITE FEAT
- GU clinched its sixth appearance in the Elite Eight.
- The Zags have appeared in the Elite Eight five times in the last seven tournaments. (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023)
 
SWEET 16 ALL OVER AGAIN
- Gonzaga is the only program in the country to appear in each of the last eight Sweet 16s, including this year.
- Per ESPN stats, the Zags are the fourth program ever to reach eight straight Sweet 16s. They join UCLA, Duke, and North Carolina.
- Since the field expanded in 1985, North Carolina and Duke had streaks of nine straight Sweet 16s, which rank as the longest.
- The Bulldogs appear in the Sweet 16 for the 13th time in program history, which ranks 21st in NCAA history.
- All 13 appearances have been since 1995-96, which ranks seventh in the nation.
 
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
- UConn advanced to the Elite Eight with a dominating 88-65 victory over eighth-seeded Arkansas Thursday. The Huskies never trailed and led by as many as 29 points. UConn, which has won nine of its past 10 games, shot 57.4% compared to 31.7% for Arkansas. The Huskies dominated inside, outrebounding the Razorbacks 43-31 and outscoring them 42-24 in the lane. Adama Sanogo scored 18 points, Alex Karaban had 11 and Nahiem Alleyene 10 for UConn. Sanogo, who also had eight rebounds, has scored 71 points in 75 minutes in this tournament.
- Sanogo averages team-highs of 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds. Jordan Hawkins adds 16.1 points per game. Tristen Newton dishes out a team-best 4.7 assists with 9.9 points per outing. Andre Jackson chips in 4.5 assists and 6.3 rebounds.
- The Huskies are second in the nation with a 9.4 rebound margin and third outscoring opponents by 14 points per game. UConn is also fifth averaging 17.5 assists per contest.
- Hawkins and Sanogo were both named First Team All-Big East Conference, while Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan were selected to the All-Freshman Team.
 
SERIES NOTES
- This will be the sixth all-time meeting between Gonzaga and UCONN. The Huskies have won three of the five previous matchups.
- All five of the previous meetings have been decided by five points or less and a combined 18 points. Three of the matchups have been decided by one possession.
- The five previous meetings were on a neutral court.
- UCONN won the first all-time meeting, 67-62, in the 1999 NCAA Tournament West Region Final in Phoenix on March 20, 1999.
- In the latest meeting, Gonzaga held off a UCONN rally in the third-place game of the 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
- Since 2014-15, the Zags are 8-1 against current Big East foes. GU has won its last three games against a Big East Conference member, with the latest coming this season on Nov. 27 against Xavier, 88-84, in the PK Legacy tournament in Portland, Ore.
 
INSIDE T-MOBILE
- In three games against Central Michigan, UCLA and Duke last season inside T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas native Julian Strawther totaled 47 points and 22 rebounds. He was 17-of-34 from the field in those games, going 8-for-18 from three-point range.
- Timme totaled 46 points on 18-of-31 shooting from the field. He grabbed 20 rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
- With a victory, Gonzaga would advance to the program's third Final Four. It would be the third Final Four in the last six tournaments.
- The Zags would play the winner of the Midwest Region which is down to top-seeded Houston, fifth-seeded Miami, third-seeded Xavier and second-seeded Texas.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Drew Timme ranks first in program history with 2,295 points and is fourth with 886 rebounds. He is 25 rebounds from passing Gary Lechman for third all-time at GU in rebounds.
- Anton Watson is seventh all-time in GU history with 162 steals in his career. He needs six more for sixth. Watson's 66 steals are also three from second for most in a single season.
 
TIMME TIME
- Drew Timme finished with 36 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in the win over UCLA in the Sweet 16.
- The last player with more points and rebounds than Timme in the NCAA Tournament was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1969 National Final (37 and 20).