5-seed Gonzaga (27-7) vs. 1-seed Purdue (31-4)
FRIDAY, MARCH 29 | 4:39 P.M. PT | LITTLE CAESARS ARENA | DETROIT
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THE TIP OFF
- Gonzaga meets top-seeded Purdue Friday in the Midwest Regional semifinals of the 2024 NCAA Tournament in Detroit, Mich. It's the fifth meeting between the programs, and the Boilermakers own the series at 4-0.
- GU is making its 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearance and 26th overall. The 25 straight berths to the field is the third-longest current streak in the nation (Kansas 34 and Michigan State 26).
- The Zags are 46-25 all-time in the 25 previous NCAA Tournament appearances with 14 trips to the Sweet 16, six trips to the Elite Eight, two Final Fours and two appearances in the national championship game.
- Gonzaga is the five seed, for the first time in program history, in the Midwest Region.
- The Zags are 43-23 in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Mark Few with a berth in all 25 seasons.
- Gonzaga is one of only two teams to win its opening-round NCAA Tournament game each of the last 15 tournaments, Kansas is the other at 17. The Zags are the only program to appear in the last nine Sweet 16s.
- The Bulldogs have the most wins in the NCAA Tournament since 2017, going 22-6, Kansas is next at 17-5. GU's 27 wins in the tournament since 2015 is also the most, with North Carolina second at 23.
- Gonzaga has earned more NCAA Tournament "units" than any program in the country in the last six seasons.
- The Zags are 21-0 this season when scoring 80 points and 21-0 when shooting 50 percent from the field. GU is 24-0 this season when shooting 30 percent from behind-the-perimeter and 20-1 when making six or more threes.
- The Bulldogs are 16-2 (88.9 percent) since Jan. 18, tied for the third-best win percentage in the nation.
 
ZAG SWEET 16 MEDIA AVAILABILITY
- Thursday, March 28
10 - 10:15 am                     Practice Open to Media
11:55 am - 12:25 pm       Open Locker Room
11:55 am - 12:05 pm       Coach Press Conference
12:10 - 12:25 pm              Players Press Conference
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
- Gonzaga is making its 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 26th overall.
- The 25 straight berths to the field are the third-longest current streak in the nation (Kansas and Michigan State), and the sixth-longest in NCAA Div. 1 history.
The Zags are 46-25 all-time in their 25 NCAA Tournament appearances with 14 trips to the Sweet 16, six trips to the Elite Eight, two Final Fours and two appearances in the national championship game.
- GU is 43-23 in the NCAA Tournament under Few with a berth in all 25 seasons of his head coaching career.
- The Bulldogs have the most wins in the NCAA Tournament since 2017, going 22-6, Kansas is next at 17-5. GU's 27 wins in the tournament since 2015 is also the most, with North Carolina second at 23.
- Gonzaga is one of only two teams to win its opening-round NCAA Tournament game each of the last 15 tournaments, Kansas is the other at 17.
- The Zags are 37-19 all-time as a single-digit seed, with a 17-2 record in first round games as a single-digit seed.
- Gonzaga is the five seed, for the first time in program history, in the Midwest Region.
- GU plays in Detroit in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
- In the 2023 NCAA Tournament, third-seeded Gonzaga defeated 14th-seeded Grand Canyon (82-70) and sixth-seeded TCU (84-81) in Denver. The Zags then advanced to the Sweet 16 in Las Vegas, where it beat second-seeded UCLA (79-76), before falling to eventual national champion and fourth-seeded UConn (82-54).
 
FACT CHECKING
- During Few's coaching career, his GU teams are 32-9 (.775) as the higher seed, including a 25-5 mark since 2009.
- Since 2009, the Zags have lost only five games against a lower-seeded team, a span of 14 NCAA Tournaments.
- Few's teams have also pulled eight upset wins in his 24 previous NCAA Tournaments.
 
ABOUT THE BOILERMAKERS
- Purdue rolled through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament beating Grambling 78-50 and Utah State 106-67.
- In the win over Utah State, the Boilermakers had 29 assists on 38 made shots from the field. Zach Edey had 23 points and 14 rebounds. Fletcher Loyer added 15 points and six assists.
- In the two tournament wins, Edey has 53 points on 19-of-28 shooting from the field. He's grabbed 35 rebounds with 21 coming against Grambling.
- Edey, the defending national player of the year, is a consensus First Team All-American selection.
- Edey tops the nation in points per game (24.5), total points (859), field goals (289), free throws (280), free throw attempts (392), and offensive rebounds per game (4.71). He is second in rebounds per game (12.1) and total rebounds (422). His 26 double-doubles are third.
- Braden Smith leads the country in assists (256). He adds 12.3 points per game and a team-high 1.57 steals.
- Purdue tops the nation in three-point percentage (40.9) and second in rebound margin (11.5) and assists per game (18.8). The Boilermakers are eighth in scoring margin (14.5) and ninth in rebounds per game (40.8).
- Purdue won the Big Ten regular season title for the second straight season.
 
SERIES INFO
- This is the fifth all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Purdue, with the Boilermakers winning all four previous matchups.
- Purdue won the meeting earlier this season, rallying to beat the Zags 73-63 in the quarterfinals of the Maui Invitational on Nov. 20. Edey had 25 points and 14 rebounds. Graham Ike led GU with 14 points and seven rebounds. Ryan Nembhard had 11 points and six assists.
- The programs met in the PK Legacy semifinals last season in Portland. The Boilermakers won 84-66. Edey scored 15 of his 23 points in the final 15 minutes, Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer each added 14. Nolan Hickman had 15 points and five assists.
- Purdue won the first all-time meeting, 83-68, in West Lafayette on Nov. 18, 1998. The Boilermakers were ranked No. 15 at the time.
- In the second meeting, No. 25 Purdue held off Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament West Regional semifinal in Albuquerque, N.M., 75-66, March 23, 2000.
- Gonzaga has won six of its last nine games against current Big Ten foes.
 
UP NEXT
- With a victory, Gonzaga would advance to the program's seventh Elite Eight.
- The Midwest Regional Final is Sunday.
- The Zags would play the winner of the second Midwest Regional semifinal second-seeded Tennessee and third-seeded Creighton.
 
AMONG THE ELITE
- Gonzaga's Mark Few has won 43 NCAA Tournament games, which ranks among the all-time greats.
- It ranks fourth among active head coaches John Calipari (56), Bill Self (56), and Tom Izzo (54).
 
SWEET 16 ALL OVER AGAIN
- Gonzaga is the only program in the country to appear in each of the last nine Sweet 16s.
- Per ESPN stats, the Zags are the fourth program ever to reach nine 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' 14 Sweet 16 appearances in program history, ranks 18th in NCAA history.
- All 14 appearances have been since 1999, which ranks second in the nation over that span.
- Houston owns the next closest active streak of Sweet 16s at five.
 
ELITE FEAT
- The Zags have six appearances in the Elite Eight.
- GU has made the Elite Eight five times in the last seven tournaments. (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023)
 
GROUNDING THE JAYHAWKS
- The Bulldogs cruised to an 89-68 win over Kansas in the round of 32, behind a dominant second half.
- After trailing by one at halftime, GU outscored the Jayhawks 46-24 in the second half.
- The Zags opened the second half on a 32-4 run, making 23 of 30 from the field during a stretch, while holding Kansas to 4 of 27 from the field.
- Gonzaga used a 15-0 run to pull away. The Bulldogs made 11 of their first 12 shots from the field in the second half.
- The Zags outscored Kansas 37-6 until the six-minute mark in a flurry that included a 14-0 run and a 13-0 run.
- In the second half, GU shot 67 percent, hit five of six from behind-the-arc and scored 1.438 PPP. At one point, the Bulldogs hit eight straight.
- Gonzaga went 26:16 of game clock without missing consecutive shots from the field.
 
THE TURNAROUND
- Gonzaga is 16-2 (88.9 percent) since Jan. 18, tied for the third-best win percentage in the country. The two losses were to Saint Mary's.
- Since Jan. 18, the Zags are fourth in the nation in offensive efficiency, first in effective field goal percentage (60.3), third in two-point percentage (60.0), and sixth in three-point percentage (40.5).