SLC NCAA Tourney blog: Gonzaga, Arizona clinch spots in Sweet 16

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

SALT LAKE CITY — The NCAA Tournament continues on Saturday at the Delta Center with two second-round games.

Follow along as the KSL.com Sports team documents all that takes place at the tournament in Salt Lake City.

Saturday's schedule

No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 7 Dayton, 10:45 a.m.
No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 5 Gonzaga, 1:15 p.m.

Saturday, 06:40 pm

Kansas' loss historic under coach Bill Self

Kansas' loss to Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament's round of 32 marks the 11th setback of the season for the Jayhawks, the most in Bill Self's two decades in Lawrence.The loss nudged Self to 23-11, one more loss than his teams in 2018-19 (26-10) and 2013-14 (25-10) — both of which also lost in the round of 32, according to CBS Sports.The season's struggles — including injuries to stars Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr. down the stretch — have prompted Self to think about next season often, he admitted after the game."I think for the last month, I've been thinking about next season, to be honest," he said. "Not in the moments during the game, but obviously, we played — we had eight guys on scholarship, and we play — I mean, that were healthy there late. Injuries are part of the game. That's not an excuse."But we could have done a much better job as a staff of putting more guys out there that we could play. And so that's something that I've thought about for a long time. The thing about it is, in basketball, early on you can play through some things. But the course of a season, there's a grind that goes with it and bodies get run down, injuries occur. It's all part of it."When you don't have as much firepower or that maybe you've had in past years, it certainly showed this year."

"For the last month I've been thinking about next season to be honest."

—Head coach Bill Self pic.twitter.com/qqLdn1zjnb

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 23, 2024

Saturday, 05:03 pm

Bill Self: Kansas ran out of 'juice' in second half, doesn't blame timing

It looked as if No. 4 Kansas and No. 5 Gonzaga were headed to an instant classic after a thrilling first half exchanging blows as if the final game of the Salt Lake City's NCAA men's basketball pod was the title match.But after taking a slim 44-43 advantage into halftime, the Jayhawks appeared delated in the second half, shooting just 28% from the floor and 18% from beyond the arc in final 20 minutes on its way to an 89-68 loss in the Delta Center Saturday afternoon."We just didn't have any juice in the second half," said Kansas head coach Bill Self.

Kansas forward KJ Adams Jr lays his head on an assistant coach's chest after being subbed out the last time during a game between Gonzaga and Kansas in the second round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday.(Photo: Carter Williams, KSL.com)

The mood was certainly visible from the Kansas bench. Players, coaches and staffers bounced around with every bucket in the first half. However, that energy fizzled as Gonzaga used a 26-4 run early in the second half to deliver what ultimately proved to be its knockout punch."We just can't buy a shot," one dejected player muttered from the bench during the run.Afterward, Self and Kansas players refused to blame the loss on the schedule. Kansas defeated No. 13 Samford 93-89 in the opening round Thursday night, in a game that ended around 11 p.m. It was a tight turnaround from then into the second-round matchup that tipped off at 1:15 p.m. Saturday."You can't really make that excuse because Gonzaga had to deal with the same turnaround," said center Hunter Dickinson, who led the Jayhawks with 15 points. "If they were good enough to be able to go out there and play two halves, we should have been able to do the same."Instead, Self said his players may have ultimately been doomed after having to go up against Samford and its high-intensity "Bucky Ball" style of play. The Jayhawks barely held off of Samford, while Gonzaga sailed past McNeese State in the first round.It piled on the injuries that left the team short-handed at the end of the year."It's not the time's fault that we had to play 40 minutes on Thursday in a fast-paced game," he said. "That's just the team that we drew. We had to fight hard to get the win. … Gonzaga also had the time, but they played so well they didn't have to stress."Self added that he had already started to think about next season for the past month as the team ended the regular season with a handful of losses. He said that didn't impact his mindset during games, but it's something he'll dwell on more now that Kansas's season is over.— Carter Williams, KSL.com

Saturday, 04:39 pm

Nembhard sets Gonzaga assists record in march to 9th straight Sweet 16

Gonzaga forward Ben Gregg celebrates after making a basket and getting fouled during a game between Gonzaga and Kansas in the second round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday. (Photo: Carter Williams, KSL.com)

On a team with five players scoring in double figures, Ryan Nembhard's 5 points may not jump out in the box score.But Gonzaga's 89-68 win over Kansas to advance to the Sweet 16 for the ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament had Nembhard's fingerprints all over it.The Creighton transfer totaled 12 assists with just five turnovers in the Zags' win Saturday afternoon in front of an announced crowd of 17,414 fans inside the downtown Delta Center — many of them adorned in Gonzaga's eponymous blue-and-red that transformed the Utah Jazz's home arena into Spokane South for a day.Nembhard passed Josh Perkins' single-season assist record of 235 dimes, a result that elicited visceral reactions and guttural screams from his teammates when told on the postgame podium."It's an honor, first of all, to get that record. There's so many great (point guards) and players who went through the program," Nembhard said. "It's an honor to have that record. The coaches prepared us really well. Gentry sent me a lot of clips last night of the low two-man, and we knew it would be here late. You have guys that are such good players like these guys up here, it's easy. All you got to do is get them the ball, and they'll put it in the hoop."

Assist Record Broken💥👑🏀 pic.twitter.com/0RNbdxnFke

— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) March 23, 2024The Zags were effervescent from the field in the second half, overturning a 47-43 deficit early in the second half and transforming it into a lead that swelled as high as 27 en route to the 23-point victory.Nembhard found his shooters — from Nolan Hickman (17) to Graham Ike (15) to Anton Watson, who led the Zags with 21 points and six rebounds.Ike and Nembhard announced last April — on the very same day — that they were transferring to Gonzaga. That date — April 21, to be exact — now looks like the beginning of history for a Gonzaga program that leads the nation in active consecutive Sweet 16 appearances and ranks second all-time to North Carolina's run of 13 straight from 1981-93."It was easy. No-brainer, coming here with these guys," said Ike, who transferred from Wyoming. "The way these guys enjoy themselves on and off the court. Just what we do, make great runs like this during this time. It was super easy listening to these guys, seeing how they do things the Zag way, it was pretty great."And now Nembhard owns a piece of the record book, too.

𝐙𝐀𝐆𝐒 on 🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/vogRd8vzIy

— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) March 23, 2024— Sean Walker, KSL.com

Saturday, 03:30 pm

Gonzaga advances to 9th straight Sweet 16, a singular feat in NCAA

Anton Watson erupted for 13 of his 21 points in the second half to go along with six rebounds, and Gonzaga exploded for a 26-4 second-half run and never looked back en route to an 89-68 win over Kansas to clinch a spot in the Sweet 16 for the ninth consecutive season, the most in the NCAA.Ben Gregg added 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists for the Zags; and former Wasatch Academy standout Nolan Hickman added 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting with three 3-pointers. Graham Ike supplied 14 points and nine rebounds.Hunter Dickinson led Kansas with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists; and KJ Adams Jr. had 10 points and six rebounds for the Jayhawks, who shot just 9-of-34 from the field and 2-of-10 from the perimeter in the second half.The Zags' streak of Sweet 16 appearances ranks second all-time, trailing only North Carolina's run of 13 in a row from 1981-83.

Gonzaga is headed to its NINTH straight Sweet 16 🙌 pic.twitter.com/VajzqM13U8

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 23, 2024— Sean Walker, KSL.com

Saturday, 03:08 pm

'That's basketball': Despite missed opportunities, Dayton relished their chance to Dance again

The margin for error in the NCAA Tournament is razor-thin. Against a Power Five opponent, it becomes infinitesimal.The Dayton Flyers found out how small it really is in their 78-68 second-round loss to Arizona, knocking the Flyers out of the Big Dance. Aside from the bench points (23-2) and assists (17-9) being heavily in favor of Arizona, the Flyers simply had no answers for a talented Wildcats team that had every answer to every Dayton surge."I think we figured out how we needed to play the game," Dayton coach Anthony Grant said. "Sometimes it doesn't go in your favor."Even though that was the case most of the day, the Flyers never folded. Down 17 in the first half, Dayton went on a first-half ending 10-0 run to cut the lead to 40-33 at halftime, and then shaved the deficit to 45-42 with 12 minutes left in the second half."That's just our culture; that's just what we do," forward DaRon Holmes II said. "That's what happens when you work hard."

Proud of our Squad ✈️🏀#GoFlyers // @DaytonFlyers pic.twitter.com/8kb2EpRi2O

— Dayton Basketball (@DaytonMBB) March 23, 2024Holmes certainly did his work, finishing what could have been his final collegiate game with a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double. Guard Kobe Elvis had 13 more, while Koby Brea kept the Flyers afloat with 14 points including four 3-pointers."This experience is at the top of my list," Brea said. "We know that the city of Dayton is always behind us."Holmes doesn't know what his next step is, despite the fact he has gained plenty of attention from NBA scouts. But he said "getting here to March is something we've dreamed of, especially for the city of Dayton.""This team, they figured some things out this year. They figured some things about themselves and about each other to get to this point," Grant said. "I'll remember all of it."— Alex Tumalip, KSL.com

Saturday, 03:00 pm

Zags scorch nets to open second half

Gonzaga exploded out the half on a 13-2 run to take a 56-49 lead, and Kansas coach Bill Self wants a timeout.The Zags connected on seven of their first seven shots of the second half, including a 3-pointer by Nolan Hickman to cap a 13-0 run to jump out to a 61-49 lead five minutes into the half.Hickman started the spurt with back-to-back buckets, and Graham Ike capped an 8-0 spurt for the 7-point advantage before the Zags pushed the run to 15-2 with a pair of free throws by Anton Watson.Kansas, meanwhile, is just 2-of-11 from the field since halftime.

The Zags have come out FIRING in the second half 🔥#MarchMadness @ZagMBB pic.twitter.com/tj47Tq73oy

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2024— Sean Walker, KSL.com

Saturday, 02:44 pm

'Keshad is a dog': Arizona's win set up by tone-setting super slam

The spotlight was on Arizona guard Jaden Bradley's masterful performance off the bench, but it was stolen by an athletic high-flying act.Lost in the shuffle of the Wildcats' 78-68 victory over Dayton Saturday was a breakaway windmill dunk by forward Keshad Johnson that drew some oohs and ahhs from the sold-out Delta Center, especially those dressed in Arizona red.With 3.5 minutes gone in the first half, Johnson deflected a pass from Dayton's Enoch Cheeks into the backcourt. Johnson took two dribbles, gathered, and unleashed his right arm into a full windmill to give the Wildcats an early 11-8 lead."I told Caleb Love I hadn't done anything crazy on a fastbreak in a while," Johnson said, laughing. "We had been pointing out their tendencies on film; I got an opportunity and decided to show off my talent for them."It wasn't the first dunk he defied gravity for — Johnson later came around on a reverse dunk and put Dayton's Petras Padegimas on a poster when the Flyers had cut the lead to 45-42 early in the second half."That's normal for him to do," guard Kylan Boswell said. "We see him do some crazy stuff in practice all the time."

KESHAD JOHNSON BREAKS OUT THE WINDMILL 😳#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/hX9DKLjCXY

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2024Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, however, called Johnson's dunk a "tone-setter". It certainly was, as the Wildcats turned up the intensity following the slam both offensively and defensively, exploding out to a 17-point lead late in the first half.Unfortunately, the dunk came with some baggage: Johnson had missed a one-handed attempt earlier, much to the chagrin of guard Pelle Larsson."I was like, 'Don't miss that (expletive), man'," Larsson said, laughing. "I was just thinking about getting the two points."— Alex Tumalip, KSL.com

Saturday, 02:22 pm

War of efficiency leads Kansas to halftime edge of Gonzaga, 44-43

There wasn't a lot of inefficiency in the battle of blue bloods in the Salt Lake regional's second Round of 32 matchup.Hunter Dickinson poured in 13 points, four rebounds and four assists and Dajuan Harris Jr. added 10 points and six assists to lift fourth-seeded Kansas to a 44-43 halftime edge of fifth-seeded Gonzaga.Johnny Furphy added 9 points and four rebounds for the Jayhawks, who shot 50% from the field and outrebounded the Zags 20-15.Former Wasatch Academy standout Nolan Hickman had 9 points, two rebounds and an assist for the Zags, who shot 55.9% from the field.Braden Huff had 11 points off the bench to lead Gonzaga at the break.

This pick-and-roll from @ZagMBB for the lead‼️ pic.twitter.com/BShXhbrp7G

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 23, 2024Both teams opened the half efficiently, but Kansas used a 12-2 run to power to a 15-10 advantage five minutes in.But the Jayhawks ran into a dry spell, hitting just 1-of-11 from the field over five minutes to allow Gonzaga back in the game, and Hickman drained a 3-pointer to tie with 8:28 left in the half.Ben Gregg hit a 3 just over a minute later to give the Zags a 27-26 edge, and the lower-seeded Gonzaga led by as much as six.But Harris, Furphy and Dickinson ended the half with back-to-back-to-back triples to give the Jayhawks the one-point lead at the break.

Harris for 👌@KUHoops back in front. pic.twitter.com/OW4KmOBP9P

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 23, 2024— Sean Walker, KSL.com

Saturday, 02:18 pm

Arizona's depth helps hold off Dayton

Arizona guard Pelle Larsson wasn't lying Friday when he said anyone could go off.On Saturday, a big game came from an unexpected source: guard Jaden Bradley, who scored 12 points and added four rebounds, three steals, and three blocks, as the No. 2-seed Arizona Wildcats (27-8) knocked out No. 7 Dayton 78-68 to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament."We have a pretty solid eight-man rotation," Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said. "I don't have to sit there and worry about one guy playing great for us to win."Bradley wasn't alone, as the Arizona bench outscored Dayton's 23-2. The Wildcats also got 19 points from Caleb Love and 13 more from Larsson."That's a credit to our coaches," Bradley said of his performance. "We came out and trusted the plan, and just stayed poised."It was certainly needed, given the Flyers cut a 17-point lead down to 3 points at 45-42 with 12 minutes remaining in the game. Dayton was fueled by DaRon Holmes II, who finished with a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double, along with 14 more points from Koby Brea, who went 4-for-8 from 3-point range, before Arizona finally pulled away with a 14-2 run midway through the half."We've been really talking about just being steady, staying locked in," Lloyd said. "We're excited and honored to be able to continue to play."— Alex Tumalip, KSL.com

Saturday, 01:42 pm

Arizona is first team to reach Sweet 16

2-seed @ArizonaMBB is the first team headed to the Sweet 16 🤩

The Pac-12 is 6-0 in the Men's NCAA Tournament. pic.twitter.com/VYEK2KYBjj

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 23, 2024

Saturday, 12:43 pm

Down to the wire we go — again

Just when you think they're out, they are still in it.That's what the Dayton Flyers are proving right now. After cutting the deficit to four at 46-42, the Wildcats answered to push the lead back to 12 at 63-51.DaRon Holmes continues his magic with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Arizona's Jaden Bradley has come off the bench for 12 points with two blocks and three steals.— Alex Tumalip, KSL.com

Saturday, 11:55 am

The Decibel Center lives again

Dayton was down, but they aren't out. A 10-0 run to end the first half has brought the Flyers within seven points at 40-33, and the Delta Center is now on their side. DaRon Holmes II — arguably the best player in Salt Lake City this weekend — had 14 points for the Flyers to help to lead the late first-half push. We could be in for a fight in the second half, as Dayton looks to continue their push to try and pull off the upset.— Alex Tumalip, KSL.com

Saturday, 11:16 am

It's all fun and games on a Saturday

Even with Arizona leading Dayton by double digits, there's still plenty of fun going on at the Delta Center.It's, admittedly, less fun to be a fan of another team in the arena.During the "college color cam" at the arena, a fan wearing BYU colors received the loudest round of boos and a Texas fan got the second-loudest.Utah fans weren't safe, either — a Utes shirt also received hearty jeers from the crowd.But the Dayton Flyers pep band took the cake.After donning basketball heads for the first part of the game, they broke out chicken head caps and now they've got pirate hats on. Flyers know how to create some energy.— Alex Tumalip, KSL.com

Saturday, 10:42 am

Guess who's back? (At Delta Center, that is)

The stars are out here at Delta Center as we tip off the first game of the day between Dayton and Arizona.Utah Jazz general manager Danny Ainge and principal owner Ryan Smith are here, as well as some of the members of the team, to watch the proceedings unfold.The fans are out in full force, too — the bands were loud, but the cheers are already louder from this sold-out crowd at the Delta Center.You can catch the Flyers and Wildcats now on CBS and Paramount+.

STEAL AND SLAM @ArizonaMBB pic.twitter.com/RoDFPIJqZ6

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 23, 2024— Alex Tumalip, KSL.com

Saturday, 10:07 am

Battle of the bands bringing energy to the Delta Center

It may be an early morning for some here at Delta Center, but that hasn't stopped the flow of good vibes.The Dayton Flyers and Arizona Wildcats are having a friendly battle of the pep bands as the fans file into their seats, with the noise ringing from inside the press room on the first floor.And just as the two bands made it hard to tell who was doing better or louder, the Flyer mascot stepped onto the floor. The Flyer Faithful knows how to travel, and they've gone all-out on this trip to the Big Dance.Tip-off for Dayton and Arizona is at 10:45 a.m.— Alex Tumalip, KSL.com

Saturday, 09:22 am

The nets have been switched at Delta Center

The NCAA heard Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd's plea.On Friday, Lloyd had a simple fix for the tight nets that plagued the first-round games at the Delta Center."I don't think it's hard to find nets where the ball goes through," Lloyd said ahead of the Wildcats' second-round game against the Dayton Flyers. "So, go up to the University of Utah, take the nets off the basket, because they're probably not stopping there, and bring them here. It's not complicated."While the NCAA didn't go up to the university for nets, it has switched them out ahead of Saturday's second-round games. An NCAA spokesperson told KSL.com that the nets have been swapped out and tested, which, hopefully, removes the issues that were ever-present during the first round.The nets were too tight and often caused the ball to either get stuck entirely or be delayed going through them. On at least three different occasions on Thursday— following Arizona's victory over Long Beach State in the first game, at halftime of the McNeese-Gonzaga contest and before the final game of the day — Delta Center crew workers attempted to stretch out the nets."Just stays in there. Talk about stopping a fast break. Jeesh. Hopefully they have that fixed by (Saturday)," Lloyd said.— Ryan Miller, KSL.com

SLC NCAA Tourney blog: Gonzaga, Arizona clinch spots in Sweet 16

By KSL.com Sports | Updated - March 23, 2024 at 5:20 p.m. | Posted - March 23, 2024 at 9:40 a.m.

Kansas' loss historic under coach Bill Self

Bill Self: Kansas ran out of 'juice' in second half, doesn't blame timing

Nembhard sets Gonzaga assists record in march to 9th straight Sweet 16

Gonzaga advances to 9th straight Sweet 16, a singular feat in NCAA

'That's basketball': Despite missed opportunities, Dayton relished their chance to Dance again

Zags scorch nets to open second half

'Keshad is a dog': Arizona's win set up by tone-setting super slam

War of efficiency leads Kansas to halftime edge of Gonzaga, 44-43

Arizona's depth helps hold off Dayton

Arizona is first team to reach Sweet 16

Down to the wire we go — again

The Decibel Center lives again

It's all fun and games on a Saturday

Guess who's back? (At Delta Center, that is)

Battle of the bands bringing energy to the Delta Center

The nets have been switched at Delta Center

Photos

Most recent College stories

Related topics

More stories you may be interested in

Oregon's Sports Bra, a pub for women's sports fans, plans national expansion as interest booms

Former Utes safety Cole Bishop selected No. 60 overall by Buffalo Bills in NFL draft

After flirting with Kentucky, Richie Saunders announces return to BYU

Most Viewed

ARE YOU GAME?

KSL Weather Forecast

SLC NCAA Tourney blog: Gonzaga, Arizona clinch spots in Sweet 16

By KSL.com Sports | Updated - March 23, 2024 at 5:20 p.m. | Posted - March 23, 2024 at 9:40 a.m.

Kansas' loss historic under coach Bill Self

Bill Self: Kansas ran out of 'juice' in second half, doesn't blame timing

Nembhard sets Gonzaga assists record in march to 9th straight Sweet 16

Gonzaga advances to 9th straight Sweet 16, a singular feat in NCAA

'That's basketball': Despite missed opportunities, Dayton relished their chance to Dance again

Zags scorch nets to open second half

'Keshad is a dog': Arizona's win set up by tone-setting super slam

War of efficiency leads Kansas to halftime edge of Gonzaga, 44-43

Arizona's depth helps hold off Dayton

Arizona is first team to reach Sweet 16

Down to the wire we go — again

The Decibel Center lives again

It's all fun and games on a Saturday

Guess who's back? (At Delta Center, that is)

Battle of the bands bringing energy to the Delta Center

The nets have been switched at Delta Center

Photos

Most recent College stories

Oregon's Sports Bra, a pub for women's sports fans, plans national expansion as interest booms

Utah's Jonah Elliss becomes latest in family to join NFL, selected No. 76 overall to Broncos

BYU's Kingsley Suamataia selected in 2nd round of 2024 NFL draft by Kansas City Chiefs

Related topics

More stories you may be interested in

Oregon's Sports Bra, a pub for women's sports fans, plans national expansion as interest booms

Former Utes safety Cole Bishop selected No. 60 overall by Buffalo Bills in NFL draft

After flirting with Kentucky, Richie Saunders announces return to BYU

Most Viewed

ARE YOU GAME?

KSL Weather Forecast