This late-night first-round NCAA Tournament matchup at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, had its scary and uninspiring beginnings. Slow starts have been an issue throughout the 2025-26 campaign for the powerhouse from Spokane, Washington.
At least the opposing side of the West Region ended in an upset loss for a former West Coast Conference foe. That second-round matchup will be discussed later on.
For the No. 3-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs (31-3, 16-2 WCC), it was a short trip within the Pacific Northwest. Quite the opposite for the No. 14-seeded Kennessaw State Owls (21-14, 10-10 C-USA), hailing from Cobb County, Georgia, which is 2,150 miles away. The fans from the South were definitely unaware of what Voodoo Doughnuts is and their idea of putting bacon on a maple log.
It was an ugly offensive first-half showing from both programs, to say the least. Gonzaga did end the first half on a 10-0 run, behind the now more-acquainted small-ball lineup that coach Mark Few has had to run without redshirt junior forward Braden Huff.
Graduate forward Graham Ike, the 2026 West Coast Conference Player of the Year, has led the Zags to this point without his frontcourt partner in the second half of the season and will continue to be relied upon throughout March. He ended up with a game-high 19 points on 6-for-13 field goals/7-for-8 free throws and eight rebounds, but did turn over the ball four times.
Under Kennesaw State coach Antoine Pettway’s strong rebounding team, the Owls averaged 40.1 per game (No. 18 in the country) entering Thursday’s game. Yet, no rotation players over 6-9. 6-7 junior forward Frankquon Sherman was crashing the boards throughout, completing with a double-double of 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting and 10 rebounds in 32 minutes played for Pettway.
Regardless, Gonzaga won the battle on the glass, 45-34. That seemed to be the deciding factor in this matchup, behind the ‘do whatever is needed’ senior wing Jalen Warley.
Warley, who still hasn’t been at 100 percent for the last month and some change while dealing with a quad injury, finished with a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with his five assists/one turnover plus three steals, making his mark in all ways possible. Ike knows how important his impact has been since the start of February.
I’m glad to see him as close to 100 percent as possible. He just makes a huge difference for our team when he’s out there on the floor, whether it’s through leadership, offensive end, defensive end. Man, he does it all for us.” – Graham Ike on Jalen Warley
For the majority of the second half, the duo of freshman guard Mario Saint-Supery and true freshman wing Davis Fogle continued to build off what they accomplished in Las Vegas, Nevada, last week.
Few’s lineup has been the most connected and offensively optimistic when that young and skilled pair has been on the floor together. Eierly similar to when the two shared the floor in the West Coast Conference Tournament title win over the Santa Clara Broncos.
Fogle has truly stepped up and turned into a more lead guard since Huff’s injury, adding 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting and five rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench for the Zags.
It was really special. He’s been sticking with it all year and he’s come up really big. He attacked the moment. The kid definitely doesn’t lack confidence. He stayed with it even when he missed. I’m proud of him.” – Jalen Warley on Davis Fogle
The foul situation for Gonzaga became an issue in the latter part of this matchup with the Owls. Understandably, Fans have a right to get angry at certain wrong calls down the stretch. Especially the terrible call on Saint-Supery under two minutes that led to him fouling out of the game. There was no sort of contact whatsoever.
But aren’t you sick of making that a lame excuse for why these games end up being so close? It was a damn near even called game, 19-18 Zags.
This program has been through this a thousand times over and over again in March Madness. How about they shouldn’t even be in these types of positions instead of blaming it on the refs? It’s an annoying storyline.
Saint-Supery is still getting used to the difference between taking a charge and faking a charge. Outside of him still maturing on the defensive side of the ball, he understands and kills his role as a facilitator. The control of the floor with his eight assists was influential in the victory over Kennesaw State.
As for graduate wing Tyon Grant-Foster (nine points, five rebounds, two blocks, one steal in 21 minutes for the second unit), his ability to snare rebounds and be a defensive presence at the rim will be much more crucial than his role as a scoring threat during this first weekend. He doesn’t need to force anything offensively, especially from outside the perimeter.
Gonzaga hit their free throws, going 20-for-23 (87 percent). Fantastic to see, as leaving those points off the board will knock you out of the tournament. The three-point shooting ups-and-downs are still a concern, only making 3-for-18 (17 percent) in the Round of 64.
The No. 11-seeded Texas Longhorns (20-14, 9-9 SEC) beat star freshman forward AJ Dybantsa and No. 6-seeded BYU Cougars in the earlier first-round test in Portland, 79-71. Dybansta, a future NBA top-5 pick this May, was unstoppable with his 35 points on 11-for-25 field goals/12-for-12 free-throw shooting and 10 rebounds. But it was evident that the full potential of coach Kevin Young’s group is limited without senior guard Richie Saunders, who tore his ACL in his right knee back on Feb. 14.
The true lovers of the West Coast Conference in Gonzaga’s final go-around wanted BYU badly, with the two having a deep history in the league together from 2011 to 2023. It’s now a change in the scouting report, more focused on Texas’s 7-0 sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis. He has averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds per game in his first two March Madness games this year. 6-9 Ike and seven-foot sophomore center Ismaila Diagne will have their hands full with him down low.
Under coach Sean Miller, the Longhorns have now won two games in the last three days after starting out in the First Four in Dayton. His team snuck into the NCAA Tournament behind a highly efficient offense that averages 83.2 points per game (tied for No. 29 in the nation). Now, they’re red hot and playing their best basketball of the season.
On Friday, March 20, Miller spoke with the media before the matchup with the Zags, a school that he has the utmost respect for.
“I think one day down the road, people will reflect on what he’s done at Gonzaga. It’s almost like a movie that’s too good to be true. How you can have that much success in Spokane, Washington, at Gonzaga for that long?” – Sean Miller on Gonzaga
The player to pay attention to at all times is junior wing Dailyn Swain. He leads his unit in four major categories: scoring (17.6 per game), rebounds (7.5 per game), assists (3.5 per game), and steals (1.7 per game).
Gonzaga will face Texas at 4:10 p.m. PT on Saturday, March 21, on TBS/TruTV for a spot in the Sweet 16. The Zags are now seeking their 10th Sweet 16 appearance in 11 years, only missing last postseason in 2024-25. The last time Gonzaga didn’t win their first-round contest in the Big Dance was back in 2008 against Steph Curry and the No. 10-seeded Davidson Wildcats. Think about that.
Compared to this program’s years past in these early round situations, this group finds a way to push everyone’s blood pressure even further beyond its limit. That’s why Gonzaga and college basketball are worth living for. Survive and advance is the name of the game.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
