Gonzaga Defeats TCU 84-81 to Go to the Sweet 16 With Timme
Drew Timme helped third-seeded Gonzaga advance to its eighth consecutive Sweet 16 with a come-from-behind victory over TCU on Sunday, finishing with 28 points and eight rebounds to extend his exceptional college career by at least one more game.
Timme scored three points for the first time since December and just the third time all season as part of a 13-1 run that gave the Gonzaga Zags (30-5) a seven-point lead with just under nine minutes left after trailing for the majority of the night.
Timme made a swerving shot in the lane while a defender was encircling him to start a 4-0 mini-run that put the game beyond TCU’s reach late in the game after they had closed the gap to three.
Next stop for the 6-foot-10 senior and his social media-friendly mustache — Las Vegas for the West Region semifinals and a meeting with UCLA on Thursday. It will be a rematch of their Final Four contest from two years ago, which Jalen Suggs won by banking a shot in at the buzzer from the half-court logo.
The sixth-seeded Horned Frogs (22-13), who were attempting to win two games in the same tournament for the first time in program history, were led by Mike Miles Jr., who finished with 24 points and four assists in his second consecutive electric game.
Damion Baugh scored a total of 15 points for TCU, the most important of which was a crucial 3-pointer he made at the buzzer to help the Horned Frogs beat the 4.5-point spread predicted by FanDuel Sportsbook.
Although it was only a minor consolation, TCU’s Frogs did appear to be among the top 16 teams in the nation for more than 30 minutes. Wave after wave of big men tried to stop Timme as they pounded the Bulldogs.
The TCU big men were all in foul trouble as the game drew to a close and Timme took over, but the Gonzaga big man worked for each of his 12 baskets, twisting, turning, and head-faking for each of them.
SWEET 16 ANNIVERSARY
On the sixteenth anniversary of their historic Sweet 16 match, which the Bruins won 73-71, UCLA will play UCLA in Vegas on Thursday. UCLA scored the final five points, made two steals, and nearly brought Zags star Adam Morrison to tears during the frantic final 40 seconds.
ONE FEWER BIG MAN
With TCU’s big men in foul trouble, one difference might have been the absence of Eddie Lampkin. Lampkin, who spent the majority of the year as a vital component of the TCU frontcourt, entered the transfer portal just before the Big 12 tournament.
