PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — In a season of highs and a few lows, Gonzaga is back in the NCAA Tournament and still looking for that elusive title game breakthrough.
The Bulldogs (30-3) are riding 27 straight tournament appearances. They've twice made it to the national championship game — in 2017 and 2021 — but lost both times.
This year, the Zags head to Portland, Oregon, as the No. 3 seed to face No. 14 Kennesaw State on Thursday night. Fifth-seeded Wisconsin
plays No. 12 High Point, No. 4 Arkansas plays No. 13 Hawaii and No. 6 BYU plays No. 11 Texas in the other first-round West Region games at the Moda Center.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few has a simple approach to March Madness.
“You’ve just got to be your best,” Few said. “At that moment, you got to put everything up, right? Wherever you’re at at that particular time and just individually, you got to be your best. And then, collectively, we’ve got to be our best."
The last time a mid-major won the tournament was in 1990, when UNLV downed Duke. Gonzaga is more of a high mid-major, traditionally playing tough early season games to boost its profile.
There were a few hiccups for the Bulldogs this time. Most notably, during their last trip to Portland. Then-No. 6 Gonzaga lost to the unranked Portland Pilots 87-80 in early February, snapping the Zags' 15-game winning streak. The Bulldogs had won 20 straight against Portland — 19 of those by double digits — before the loss.
It was one of just three losses for Gonzaga on the season. The Bulldogs fell in December to Michigan, 101-61, in Las Vegas. They lost 70-59 to Saint Mary's in the final regular-season game.
Gonzaga also lost forward Braden Huff to a knee injury in January. He missed the last 15 games and is not expected to be available for the first and second rounds of the tournament.
But the Zags reached the 30-win plateau for the ninth time in program history and won the WCC tournament for the sixth time in the last seven years. It was Gonzaga's final WCC season as the Bulldogs will be part of the Pac-12's relaunch next season as a non-football member.
Kennesaw State (21-13) won the Conference USA tournament for the automatic berth. The Owls, who are led by guard RJ Johnson with an average of 14.5 points per game, are in the NCAA Tournament for just the second time.
The winner advances to face the winner of the game between BYU and Texas in the second round on Saturday.
BYU (23-11) is one of eight Big 12 teams that got into the tournament, but the Cougars can brag they have the nation's top scorer.
Forward AJ Dybantsa is averaging 25.3 points this season, along with 6.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists. The 6-foot-9 freshman was named an AP First-Team All-American, joining Jimmer Fredette and Danny Ainge as the only Cougars to earn the honor. Dybantsa is expected to be a top pick in this year's NBA draft.
Opponent Texas (19-14) won its First Four match against N.C. State on Tuesday night. Tramon Mark hit a fadeaway jumper from just inside the 3-point line with 1.1 seconds left for a 68-66 victory.
High Point (30-4) earned a spot in the tournament by winning the Big South title for the second straight season. The Panthers are playing their first season under Flynn Clayman after Alan Huss left to become an assistant at Creighton with the stipulation he'll be Greg McDermott's successor.
“Probably the most important 24 hours in our life, knowing that this could be our last game, which we don’t want it to be. Knowing that if we lose, we go home,” High Point forward Cam'Ron Fletcher said. “We don’t want to do that. We want to be a Cinderella team, they say, in March.”
The Panthers will be challenged by Wisconsin's power duo of Nick Boyd, who has averaged 20.6 points, and guard John Blackwell, averaging 19 points. The Badgers (24-10) lost in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament to Michigan.
“They’re an experienced team, 30 wins, 4 losses. It’s not easy to do,” Boyd said about High Point. “They play fast. They’re going to be aggressive. We’re going to have to bring our hard hats and be ready to play.”
The winner will face the winner of Thursday's game between Arkansas and Hawaii in the second round.
Arkansas (26-8) heads into its 37th NCAA appearance on a hot streak, having won the SEC tournament. Guard Darius Acuff Jr., who won SEC player and freshman of the year honors, averaged 30.3 points — a tournament record — and 7.7 assists in the run to the title.
Overall, Acuff is averaging 22.9 points a game and, like BYU's Dybantsa, he was named an AP first-team All American and he's expected to go high in the NBA draft.
“Honestly, we’re not scared of anybody,” Hawaii guard Dre Bullock said. “Anybody we play, we're still going to play our same Hawaii basketball. We’re going to compete to the very end.”
Hawaii (24-8) is making its sixth tournament appearance and its first since 2016. The Rainbow Warriors won the Big West tournament with a 71-64 victory over UC Irvine.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
