This late-night first-round NCAA Tournament matchup at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, had its scary and uninspiring beginnings. At least the opposing second-round side of the West Region from a former West Coast Conference foe ended in an upset loss. That will be discussed later on.
It was a short trip for the No. 3-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs (31-3, 16-2 WCC) in 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,
and 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 ended the first half on a 10-0 run, behind the now more-acquainted small-ball lineup coach Mark Few has had to run without redshirt junior forward Braden Huff, and focused on 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.
Under Kennesaw State coach Antoine Pettway’s strong rebounding team, the Owls averaged 40.1 per game (29th in the country) entering Thursday’s game. Yet, no major rotation players over 6-9.
Regardless, the Zags won the battle on the glass, 45-34. It didn’t seem that much different in that facet of the game based on the final outcome, 73-64. But it mattered, behind the ‘do whatever is needed’ senior wing Jalen Warley.
Warley, who still hasn’t been at 100 percent for the last month 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 in the past couple of months.
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 built at the end of the first half. Few’s lineup has been the most connected and offensively optimistic when those young pair have been on the floor together. Eierly similar to when the pair shared the floor in the West Coast Conference Tournament title win over the Santa Clara Broncos in Las Vegas, Nevada, just a bit a week ago.
Fogle has truly stepped up and turned into a more lead guard since Huff’s injury, evident tonight in the Pacific Northwest.
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 the Zags became an issue in the latter part of this matchup with the Owls. Understandably, Gonzaga fans have a right to get angry at those wrong calls down the stretch. But aren’t you sick of making that a lame excuse for why these games ended up being so close?
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 his defensive impact, he understands his role as a facilitator. The control of the floor with his eight assists was influential in the win.
As for Tyon Grant-Foster, his ability to snare rebounds and be a presence at the rim will be much more crucial than his role as a scoring threat down this stretch this weekend. He doesn’t need to force anything offensively; better yet, be a defensive impact off the bench for the Zags.
The No. 11 Texas Longhorns beat NBA lottery pick AJ Dybantsa and No. 6 BYU Cougars in the earlier first-round test in Portland, 79-71. 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.
The true lovers of the West Coast Conference in Gonzaga’s final go-around wanted BYU badly. It’s now a change in the scouting report, more focused on the 7-0 sophomore Matas Vokietaitis, averaging 18.5 points and 12 rebounds per game in his last two March Madness games.
Gonzaga will face the No. 11-seeded Texas Longhorns at 4:10 on Saturday on TBS/TruTV for a spot in the Sweet 16. The Zags are now seeking their 10th Sweet 16 appearance in 11 years.
Compared to this program’s years past in these situations, this group finds a way to push everyone’s high-blood pressure far beyond its limit. That’s why Gonzaga and college basketball are worth living for.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
