Gonzaga shocked, Gonzaga will have to wait at least one more year to reach the Final Four.
On the surface, this was the best chance for Gonzaga to finally break through, with the first No. 1 seed in school history and one of the best players in the country in big man Kelly Olynyk. And with just under 12 minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs had every ounce of momentum in EnergySolutions Arena to go along with their eight-point lead.
They still led by seven points with 5:31 left but couldn’t hold on.
The Zags have made the NCAA Tournament for 15 consecutive years and have had their share of great moments and bitter disappointments, but this one might be the most disappointing of all.
These teams traded 3-pointers down the stretch like they were impossible-to-get lift tickets in nearby Park City.
In one frantic span of 2:06 (from 6:29 to 4:23 in the game), Gonzaga’s Kevin Pangos hit two 3-pointers and Wichita State hit three—one each by Tekele Cotton, Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker. Baker’s 3-pointer pulled the Shockers within one point, and on Wichita State’s next possession, Carl Hall drained a long jumper to give his team the lead for the first time since Gonzaga’s 12-0 run midway through the second half.
That wasn’t the end of the hot shooting for Wichita State, though. Baker hit another 3-pointer, and then Fred VanVleet made a step-back rainbow 3 with 1:28 left to put the Shockers up 70-65. That was the seventh consecutive 3-point attempt the Shockers knocked down, an incredible stretch of hot shooting that proved to be enough to upend the top-seeded Bulldogs.
Wichita State finished the game shooting 50 percent (14-for-28) from beyond the arc and made more 3s than 2-pointers (11).
This was not Olynyk’s most efficient offensive game of the season, according to his shooting numbers. The 7-footer, who entered the game shooting 67.6 percent on 2-point attempts, was 8-for-22 from the field, including 0-for-3 from 3-point range.
It was one of his more effective games, though. Not only did he finish with 26 points, but he caused all sorts of issues for Wichita State. The Shockers have a relatively deep stable of big men, and Olynyk went right through them all.
Early, Hall and Ehimen Orukpe all dealt with foul issues, and the limited minutes that resulted from those whistles, and reserve Jake White even had four fouls in just nine minutes.
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