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What To Watch: Remaining Final Four spots up for grabs
โฆ Gonzaga is seeking to become the first team to make it to the Final Four unbeaten since Kentucky in 2015. 11 seed UCLA (21-9), East Region final, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis. โฆ UCLA is back in a regional final for the first time since earning three straight Final Four berths from 2006-08. 6 seed Texas (21-9), Hemisfair Region final, Alamodome, San Antonio. โฆ Texas is in a regional final for the first time since 2016 and seeking its first Final Four appearance since 2003.
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Unbeaten Zags keep rolling with 83-65 rout of Creighton
Nembhard had 17 points and eight assists, both season highs, to keep the NCAA Tournament's top overall seed rolling Sunday with a 83-65 rout of fifth-seeded Creighton in the West Region semifinals. Defensively, the Zags held Creighton to 40 points over the final 30 minutes as they methodically turned a 27-25 game into a blowout. โThey just play so fast, so efficient with everything they do," said Marcus Zegarowski, who led Creighton with 19 points. That just about finished off Creighton as the Zags moved within three wins of becoming the first undefeated national champion since Indiana in 1976. Gonzaga: The Zags have won their first three tournament games by a combined 77 points.
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Oklahoma can't hang with Timme, Gonzaga; top seed advances
Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (2) celebrates with teammate Corey Kispert (24) after defeating Oklahoma in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Monday, March 22, 2021. Drew Timme scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and the top-seeded Bulldogs beat No. โThought we got a little better feel for the pace of things in the second half,โ Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. SECOND WEEKENDThe last time Gonzaga was eliminated before the tournament's second weekend was in 2015, when the Bulldogs were a No. Oklahoma failed to reach the second week for the third straight tournament appearance since reaching the Final Four in 2016.
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Gonzaga, Baylor dominate AP All-America teams
(AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)Gonzaga and Baylor spent almost the entire season holding down the top two spots in the Top 25. Makes sense they'd hold down a bunch of spots on The Associated Press All-America teams. The Bulldogs' Corey Kispert and the Bears' Jared Butler led the way with first-team nods Tuesday from the national panel of 63 media members that vote each week in the AP Top 25 poll. Just like the first- and second-team All-Americans, their teams also will be playing in the NCAA Tournament this week. ___AP Basketball Writer John Marshall and AP Sports Writers Michael Marot and Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.
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No. 1 Gonzaga rallies to beat BYU 88-78 in WCC title game
The NCAA Tournament is next. Kispert hit three early 3-pointers and scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half. AdโGonzaga responded in the second half,โ said BYU guard Alex Borcello, who had 15 points. KNELL'S NIGHTKnell entered the title game averaging 5.8 points per game, but got some open looks against Gonzaga's pressure. Itโs a heck of an accomplishment.โUP NEXTBYU should be a lock to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
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Perfect Zags: No. 1 Gonzaga stays unbeaten, tops LMU 86-69
1 Gonzaga remained the only unbeaten in the country with a 86-69 win over Loyola Marymount on Saturday night. The Bulldogs (24-0, 15-0 WCC) won their 51st straight home game to set a school record and finished off a perfect regular season. Gonzaga has won 28 straight games dating to last season and is the first team to finish the regular season unbeaten since Kentucky in 2014-15. Eli Scott had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead Loyola Marymount (12-8, 7-5), and Mattias Markusson added 19 points and 10 rebounds. AdGonzaga: The Bulldogs won their 21st straight game by double-digits as the No.
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The Latest: COVID forces postponement of San Jose-Vegas game
Minnesota Wild center Nick Bonino (13) skates down the ice against San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___San Joseโs game against Vegas scheduled for Thursday night has been postponed after a Sharks player entered the NHLโs COVID protocol. Itโs the 36th NHL game this season to be postponed for virus-related issues and 40th counting the Texas snowstorm that affected Dallas. ___The NHL is down to a season-low eight players on the COVID-19 list after play on Tuesday night, five of them on the Philadelphia Flyers. Thatโs a marked improvement in the 11 days since the league had a season-high 59 players on the list.
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Duke falls out of AP Top 25; Gonzaga, Baylor remain 1-2
(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)Gonzaga and Baylor maintained their grip on the top two spots in The Associated Press men's basketball poll Monday. โEveryone has dealt with this,โ said Wright, whose team finally gets back on the court Tuesday night against Seton Hall. The Golden Gophers were followed by Auburn, one of this week's poll newcomers, Missouri and Clemson. โWeโre still finding out about our team,โ said coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose team nearly rallied from an 18-point deficit against Virginia Tech. IN AND OUTThe Bruins were the other newcomer to this week's poll after improving to 11-2 and 7-0 in the Pac-12 with consecutive wins over Washington State and Washington.
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No. 1 Gonzaga overcomes slow start, beats Saint Mary's 73-59
1 Gonzaga overcame a slow start with a surge to end the first half, pulling away late to beat rival Saint Mary's 73-59 on Saturday night for its 18th straight victory spanning the past two seasons. Joel Ayayi scored 16 points for the Bulldogs (14-0, 5-0 West Coast Conference). Saint Mary's pulled to 56-48 on Dan Fotu's layup with 9:01 to play before another decisive Gonzaga burst, this time 8-0. Saint Mary's: F Kyle Bowen fouled out with 4:01 left. Saint Maryโs: At Loyola Marymount on Thursday.
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Gonzaga, Big Ten continue to dominate Top 25; Wisconsin 6th
(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)It's hard to decide who has been more dominant in men's college basketball this season: Gonzaga or the Big Ten Conference. The sixth-ranked Badgers began a run of Top 25 teams from the league, jumping three spots after wins over Nebraska and then-No. 12 Michigan State. The Hawkeyes dropped from fourth to 10th while surprising Rutgers began a run of four more Big Ten teams at No. Minnesota, whose lone loss came to Illinois and which was last ranked on Dec. 4, 2017, plays its next six against Top 25 teams: Michigan State, at Wisconsin, Ohio State, at Michigan, at Iowa and the Wolverines at home.
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Gonzaga strengthens grip on No. 1 spot in AP poll
1 spot in The Associated Press college basketball poll released on Monday, earning 61 of 64 first-place votes from a media panel after knocking off then-No. Gonzaga had to shut down after that and missed four home games before returning to the court last week. It was Northwesternโs first win over a top-five team in the AP poll since an 83-65 victory over Magic Johnson and then-No. Virginia Tech dropped out of the poll last week following a loss to Penn State. MOVING OUTSan Diego State dropped out from No.
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Suggs leads top-ranked Gonzaga over No. 3 Iowa 99-88
Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs (1) shoot a 3-pointer during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020 in SIoux Falls, S.D. Suggs entered the game against Iowa averaging 13.3 points per game. We got into the double bonus relatively early in the second half, but then we miss 12 free throws, which is also very uncharacteristic of our team.โIowa seemed to have one last gasp midway through the second half. Entering the game, Gonzaga was just 16 for 55 from beyond the arc in its first three games. Iowa: The 99 points scored by Gonzaga is the most Iowa has given up this season.
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No. 1 Gonzaga rallies to beat No. 11 West Virginia 87-82
11 West Virginia 87-82. Gonzaga (3-0) has won seven straight, dating to the end of last season, and already has two wins over top 15 opponents โ Kansas and West Virginia (3-1). When Suggs returned in the second half, Gonzaga charged back. The Bulldogs have opened this season with wins over two top 15 foes โ Kansas and West Virginia โ as well as Auburn, all on neutral courts. West Virginia guard Sean McNeil also left during the first half after taking an elbow to the forehead.
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Top freshmen forge their own paths in picking schools
(AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)Many of the nationโs brightest prospects in the most recent recruiting class didnโt necessarily select the most obvious schools. In the meantime, four of the top seven players chose Oklahoma State, Southern California, Stanford and Florida State. Jerry Meyer, the director of basketball scouting at 247Sports, says he noticed this trend starting in 2015. Barnes is ranked seventh in the 247Sports Composite and played high school basketball at Montverde (Florida) Academy. He was named the California male athlete of the year and the California basketball player of the year by USA Today.
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No. 1 Zags: Gonzaga begins season atop Top 25 for first time
FILE - Gonzaga players celebrate after defeating Saint Mary's in an NCAA college basketball game in the final of the West Coast Conference men's tournament in Las Vegas, in this Tuesday, March 10, 2020, file photo. Gonzaga will begin the college basketball season No. 1 for the first time after coach Mark Few's bunch earned 28 first-place votes in the preseason AP Top 25 poll released Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
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No. 1 Zags: Gonzaga begins season atop Top 25 for first time
Iowa was picked fifth behind national player of the year front-runner Luka Garza, its highest preseason ranking in school history. The Bears, who also have their highest preseason ranking, spent five weeks at No. THE REST OF THE POLLCreighton lost Ty-Shon Alexander to the NBA and Davion Mintz to Kentucky but still landed the highest preseason ranking in school history at No. 17, its highest preseason ranking since the final Phi Slama Jama team of Hakeem Olajuwon began the 1983-84 season at No. 6 in the final poll last season but losing Mountain West player of the year Malachi Flynn and two other elite producers.