8-seed Gonzaga (25-8) vs. 9-seed Georgia (20-12)
THURSDAY, MARCH 20 | 1:35 P.M. PT | WICHITA, KS | INTRUST BANK ARENA
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THE OPENING TIP
- Gonzaga will meet Georgia in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament in Wichita, Kansas. It's the Zags' sixth meeting with Georgia as GU leads the series 3-2.
- GU is making its 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearance and 27th overall. The 26 straight berths to the field ranks as the third-longest current streak in the nation (Kansas 35 and Michigan State 27).
- The Zags are 46-26 all-time in the 26 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 eight seed, for the third time in program history, in the Midwest Region. GU plays in Wichita in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
- The Zags are 43-24 in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Mark Few with a berth in all 26 seasons.
- Mark Few's 43 NCAA Tournament wins ranks fourth among active coaches Calipari (56), Self (56), and Izzo (54).
- 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 22-7, Kansas is next at 17-6. GU's 27 wins in the tournament since 2015 is also the most, with Duke and North Carolina second at 23.
- Gonzaga has earned more NCAA Tournament "units" than any program in the country in the last seven seasons.
- The Bulldogs are 37-20 all-time as a single-digit seed, with a 17-2 record in first round games.
- In 2023-24, fifth-seeded GU defeated 12th-seeded McNeese State (86-65) and fourth-seeded Kansas (89-68) in Salt Lake City, Utah, advancing to the Sweet 16 in Detroit, where it fell to eventual national runner-up Purdue.
- Nolan Hickman, Graham Ike, and Ryan Nembhard were named First Team All-West Coast Conference. Ike and Nembhard earned the honor for the second straight season, while Hickman was second team in 2023-24.
- Ryan Nembhard broke the West Coast Conference for most assists in a single season (currently at 325, previous record was 284) and most assists in conference play, finishing at 181.
- Nembhard became the 51st player in NCAA Div. 1 history to reach 800 career assists, and is now at 863. His 325 assists are first in the nation, to only 76 turnovers. He broke his own single season assist program record. Nembhard's 9.8 assists per game also tops the country. His 4.28 assist-to-turnover ratio is second. As a team, the Zags are first in the nation in assists per game at 19.7 and assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.09. Gonzaga's 366 assists were the most in conference play broke the league's record of 341 set by Loyola Marymount in 1989-90.
- GU is second in the country at 86.6 points per game, second in field goal percentage (50.0), and third in free-throw percentage (80.1).
- Since Jan. 24, Bart Torvik computer ratings ranks GU eighth in the nation, with the 13th best offense and 14th best defense.
- Khalif Battle is third in the nation from the free-throw line at 92.9 percent (1st in WCC). Graham Ike (59.6%) is second in the WCC, and 18th in the country, in field goal percentage.
- Gonzaga extended its NCAA Div. 1 record to 18 consecutive seasons with 25 victories.
 
ZAG FIRST ROUND MEDIA AVAILABILITY
- Wednesday, March 19
12:35 - 12:50 pm              Student-Athletes Press Conference
12:50 - 1:05 pm Coach Press Conference
1:15 - 1:55 pm   Open Practice
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
- Gonzaga is making its 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 27th overall.
- The 26 straight berths to the field are the third-longest current streak in the nation (Kansas and Michigan State), and the fourth-longest in NCAA Div. 1 history.
- The Zags are 46-26 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 43-24 in the NCAA Tournament under Few with a berth in all 26 seasons of his head coaching career. Few's 43 NCAA Tournament wins ranks fourth among active coaches Calipari (56), Self (56), and Izzo (54).
- The Bulldogs have the most wins in the NCAA Tournament since 2017, going 22-7, Kansas is next at 17-6. GU's 27 wins in the tournament since 2015 is also the most, with Duke and North Carolina second at 23.
- Gonzaga has earned more NCAA Tournament "units" than any program in the country in the last seven 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 37-20 all-time as a single-digit seed, with a 17-2 record in first round games.
- Gonzaga is the eight seed, for the third time in program history, in the Midwest Region. GU plays in Wichita in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
- In 2023-24, fifth-seeded GU defeated 12th-seeded McNeese State (86-65) and fourth-seeded Kansas (89-68) in Salt Lake City, Utah, advancing to the Sweet 16 in Detroit, where it fell to eventual national runner-up Purdue.
 
FACT CHECKING
- During Few's coaching career, his GU teams are 32-9 (.780) 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 25 previous NCAA Tournaments.
 
SCOUTING GEORGIA
- Georgia advances to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in program history, and the first since 2015.
- Georgia recorded its 20th win this season against Vanderbilt on March 8, just the sixth time in 119 seasons that the Bulldogs have reached the 20-win plateau during the regular season. The Bulldogs did so despite playing one of the nation's most challenging schedules.
- Georgia played eight games against top-10 competition, the most of any school in the nation. Of the Bulldogs' 32 games, 18 were against teams that received NCAA bids.
- Georgia owns ranked wins over St. John's, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Florida.
- The Bulldogs feature a balanced offensive attack, with seven different players leading Georgia in scoring at least once this season.
- Asa Newell, an SEC All-Freshman selection by league coaches, sports team-high averages of 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
- Sophomore Silas Demary Jr. is averaging 13.4 points per game and team-best averages of 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals.
- Sophomore Blue Cain and graduate Dakota Leffew are contributing 9.6 ppg and 9.5 ppg, respectively.
- Demary Jr. led Georgia with 24 points and five threes in the Bulldogs loss to Oklahoma in the first round of the SEC Tournament on March 12. Newell added 21 points and 17 rebounds. Cain scored 17 points.
 
SERIES INFO
- This is the sixth all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Georgia. The Zags have won three of the five matchups.
- All five of the previous games have been on neutral floors.
- Georgia won the first all-time meeting, 95-83, in the Peach Bowl Classic in Atlanta on Dec. 15, 2002.
- The Zags beat Georgia twice in the Spokane Arena, 82-76 in overtime in 2003, and 75-67 in 2008. Georgia beat Gonzaga in the 2006 Peach Bowl Classic, 96-83.
- Gonzaga won the last meeting, 88-76, in the NIT Season Tipoff in Madison Square Garden on Nov. 26, 2014.
- Georgia and Gonzaga share one common opponent, Kentucky, while the Zags fell to Kentucky in overtime in Seattle, Georgia beat the Wildcats, 82-69, in Athens on Jan. 7.
 
UP NEXT
- With a victory, Gonzaga would advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
- The Zags would play the winner between top-seeded Houston and 16th-seeded SIU-Edwardsville.
 
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 (55), and Tom Izzo (53).
 
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
- GU has six appearances in the Elite Eight.
- The Zags have appeared in the Elite Eight five times in the last seven tournaments. (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023)
 
VIVA LAS ZAGAS
- Gonzaga is 68-17 all-time in the West Coast Conference Tournament with 22 titles and 31 finals appearances, including each of the last 28 seasons.
- The Zags are 54-6 under Mark Few in the WCC Tournament with title-game appearances in all 26 seasons.
- The Zags are 35-4 in the WCC Tournament since 2009, when the event moved to Las Vegas.
- GU's four losses in the event in Las Vegas have all been to Saint Mary's, the 2010, 2012, 2019 and 2021 championship games.
- The Bulldogs were 34-13 in the conference tournament prior to it coming to Vegas.
- The Zags have never lost an opening game of the tournament in Las Vegas, winning all 17.
- Gonzaga has won the opening game of tournament the past 28 years, dating back to a loss in 64-59 in the 1997 quarterfinals to fourth-seeded San Diego as a fifth-seed.
- The Bulldogs are 33-6 in opening games at the event, including 14-6 in the quarterfinals (nine straight wins).
- Gonzaga has won in the WCC tournament semifinals in each of the past 28 years. The Zags last loss in the WCC semifinals was 1994, 83-75, to San Diego in Santa Clara.
- The Bulldogs are 31-2 in semifinal games at the tournament, winning all 17 in Las Vegas.
- Gonzaga is 13-4 in the WCC Tournament finals played in Las Vegas.
- The Bulldogs are 22-9 in championship games at the tournament.
 
ZAG TRIO NAMED ALL-WCC FIRST TEAM
- Nolan Hickman, Graham Ike, and Ryan Nembhard were named First Team All-West Coast Conference.
- Ike and Nembhard earned the honor for the second straight season, while Hickman was second team in 2023-24.
- All five major individual awards – along with the All-West Coast Conference Teams and the All-Freshman Team – were voted on solely by the league's nine head coaches.
 
HUFF NAMED TO WCC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
- Braden Huff was named to the 2025 West Coast Conference Academic Team.
- Huff boasts a 3.48 grade point average as a Business Administration major, with a concentration in marketing.
- On the court, Huff is scoring 10.7 points per game at 57.8 percent shooting from the field.
 
ZAGS HIT 25 WINS ... AGAIN
- Gonzaga has won at least 25 games in each of the last 18 consecutive seasons, which is a NCAA Div. 1 record.
- The Zags have reached the 25-win plateau in 21 of the last 22 seasons, and 25 of the last 27.
 
THE POINT GOD
- Nembhard's 9.8 assists per game tops the nation. Purdue's Braden Smith is second at 8.7.
- Nembhard broke his own school record from most in a single season in program history in the win at Pacific.
- Nembhard became the first player in the country to eclipse the 100, 200, and 300-assist marks this season.
- Nembhard's 4.28 assist-to-turnover ratio is second in the country. (CJ Fulton, Charleston 4.86)
- He is currently second in the West Coast Conference at 35:03 minutes per game.
- Nembhard led the WCC averaging 10.1 assists per league game. The previous conference record is 9.2 set by Orlando Smart of San Francisco in 1991.
- Nembhard tops the country among active leaders in career assists with 863. Dajuan Harris Jr. of Kansas is second at 858. Nembhard's 6.54 assist career average is fourth among active leaders, and his 2.71 assist to turnover is seventh.
- The Gonzaga program career assist record is 712 set by Josh Perkins (2015-19), Nembhard's two-year Gonzaga total of 568 assists is fifth in GU's all-time Top 10. Jeremy Pargo is fourth at 589 from 2006-09.
- Nembhard has 18 double-digit assist outings, the most in the country, out of the 32 games this season, with 12 double-doubles (29th in NCAA D1, 2nd in WCC).
- Nembhard tied the program record with a career-high 16 assists in the victory over San Francisco in the Chase Center. It matched the WCC record in league play.
- Entering the win at Santa Clara, Nembhard needed five assists to break Emmett Naar of Saint Mary's WCC season assist record of 284 set in 2017-18. Nembhard finished with 15 assists in the win to set a new record.
- He set a new Canadian record for career assists by a NCAA Div. 1 player.
- No Canadian player in Div. 1 has averaged more than seven assists per game.
- Only five players have finished a season averaging double-digit assists per game over the last 30 years.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Ryan Nembhard moved to 10th in NCAA D1 history for most assists in a single season at 325, eight away from Top 5.
- Nembhard's 864 career assists ranks 24th all-time in NCAA D1 history. He is 20 assists away from the Top 20.
- As a team, Gonzaga is 32 assists from the most assists in a single season. The Zags are currently at 637 assists, the 2018-19 team holds the record at 668 in 37 games.
- Ben Gregg's 139 appearances ranks seventh all-time in program history, three behind Kevin Pangos for sixth.
- Nolan Hickman's 137 career appearances are 10th.
- Nolan Hickman is 10 made threes away from eighth all-time in GU career history (John Rillie, 230).
- Gregg is four wins (117) from eighth in program history in career victories, and Hickman (111) is five away from tenth.
 
A CLOSER LOOK
- Gonzaga's eight losses were by a combined 41 points and all by single digits, with the largest margin being eight points in overtime away from home losses.
- All but four of the Bulldogs' wins have been by double-digits, the second game of the season against Arizona State (88-80), at Pepperdine on Dec. 30 (89-82), versus San Francisco in the WCC Tournament semifinals (85-76), and against Saint Mary's in the conference tournament finals (58-51). GU has 14 20-or-more point wins this season.
- Three of Gonzaga's losses have been in overtime and two have been by one possession.
- GU led for double-digit minutes in five of those eight games, and the majority of the time in three.
- Gonzaga led in the second half at some point in each loss but the UConn game and Saint Mary's home game. The Bulldogs and UConn were tied in the second half.
- GU trailed at half in five of those games, three by one possession, by three to UConn, by two to UCLA, and by one at Oregon State.
 
SPEAKING OFFENSIVELY
- GU is first in the nation in assists per game at 19.7 and in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.09.
- The program record for assist average is 18.8 per game in 2020-21. The last WCC team to average 20 assists per game at the end of the season was Loyola Marymount in 1989-90 at 23.8, the league record.
- The Bulldogs averaged 20.33 assists in conference play, with Santa Clara second at 17.56.
- GU's 366 assists were the most in WCC play, breaking the league's record of 341 set by Loyola Marymount in 1989-90.
- The Zags are second in the country averaging 86.6 points and third in field goal percentage (50.0).
- The program record for most points averaged per game is 90.9 in 2020-21, with 87.6 in 2018-19 second.
- GU is fourth in the country in points per possession at 1.181, and first making 31.8 field goals per game.
- The Zags are first in the country getting 48.9 points per game from two-pointers, after being top five in the nation in the category the last three seasons.
- Gonzaga is second in the nation averaging 41.8 points per first half and sixth in second half scoring 44.2.