Texas Christian Horned Frogs vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs Pick & Prediction MARCH 19th 2023
Neal Harrys
Powerhouse Gonzaga is one victory away from reaching the Sweet 16 for the eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament.
The impressive streak is one of the program's many accomplishments that Bulldogs coach Mark Few relishes.
But Sunday night, sixth-seeded TCU will be out to halt that run of success when it battles third-seeded Gonzaga in West Region play at Denver.
The Bulldogs (29-5) reached the second round with an 82-70 victory over 14th-seeded Grand Canyon on Friday. Julian Strawther led the way with 28 points and 10 rebounds.
"These games are hard to win," Few said. "I think it's the hardest thing to do in our sport is win an NCAA Tournament game. It's the players, man. They deserve all the credit. They're prepared. They're ready. They're not succumbing to maybe the pressures that come when you're not the pesky little underdog that everybody is rooting for."
The Horned Frogs (22-12) earned their second-round opportunity when JaKobe Coles drove in and sank a short floater with 1.5 seconds left for a 72-70 victory over Arizona State on Friday. TCU overcame an 11-point, second-half deficit.
Horned Frogs star Mike Miles Jr. fed Coles for the decisive shot.
"It was a big moment for sure," Coles said. "It was a good pass by Mike. I figured they were probably going to try to double him. And I just take the shots I always take. I'm confident in them."
TCU has never won two games in the same NCAA Tournament but put up a supreme battle in last year's second round before succumbing to No. 1 seed Arizona 85-80 in overtime.
Now the Horned Frogs tackle another one of the sport's behemoths.
"Every game from now on is a big game because we can go home after we lose," said Miles, who scored 26 points against Arizona State.
"We're going to stay ready, prepare for Gonzaga. We know they're a great team, got one of the best players in the Drew Timme. Prepare for them the right way, come out with the same intensity and try to get the win."
Timme scored 21 points against Grand Canyon and recently became Gonzaga's all-time leading scorer. He has 2,231 points entering Sunday's matchup.
The fourth-year senior has indicated that this is his final campaign with the Bulldogs and he has no intention of dropping the intensity level before the March Madness run concludes.
"Everything is so high paced," Timme said. "The moment you get content and relax is the moment you get upset."
Another victory would also allow the Zags to reach the 30-win mark for the eighth time in the past 11 seasons.
"It just comes down to having great players, and they buy into what we're doing," Few said. "They do a great job preparing, and they usually -- for the most part, I think we've played our best basketball this time of year and during this tournament, because if you don't, you're going to get beat."
Horned Frogs coach Jamie Dixon has recorded five seasons of 20 or more wins in seven campaigns since taking over at his alma mater. This is TCU's third NCAA appearance during his tenure.
Dixon said the game-winning play had two options with Miles making the right decision by passing to Coles.
"These guys stayed together and battled, and they willed themselves to win," Dixon said. "That means a lot to me. ...
"We didn't play great, but we played tough and we competed and we figured it out and we kept battling with a big deficit, and that shows a lot of character and a lot of belief in each other."
The teams have split two previous meetings. TCU won the most recent one, 90-87 on Dec. 30, 1998 in Fort Worth, Texas.
--Field Level Media
Texas Christian Horned Frogs vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs Recap MAR 19TH 2023
Drew Timme recorded 28 points and eight rebounds and No. 3 Gonzaga reached the Sweet 16 for the eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament by posting an 84-81 victory over No. 6 TCU on Sunday night in West Region play at Denver.
Rasir Bolton added 17 points for the Bulldogs (30-5), who will face second-seeded UCLA (31-5) on Thursday in Las Vegas. Malachi Smith scored 11 points and Julian Strawther had 10 points and nine rebounds for Gonzaga.
Mike Miles Jr. scored 24 points for the Horned Frogs (22-13). Damion Baugh registered 15 points and eight rebounds and Emanuel Miller scored 14 points.
Gonzaga made 44.8 percent of its field-goal attempts and was 8 of 25 from 3-point range. Anton Watson had 12 rebounds and three steals.
The Horned Frogs shot 44.8 percent from the field, including 9 of 25 from behind the arc.
Baugh's layup capped a 6-0 run and pulled the Horned Frogs within 73-70 with 2:11 remaining. Timme's layup gave Gonzaga a five-point edge with 1:43 remaining while Strawther and Watson each split two free throws to make it 77-70 with 1:01 left.
JaKobe Coles drained a 3-pointer with 45.6 seconds left to cut the TCU deficit to four. Bolton made two free throws with 42.5 seconds left and Timme split two free throws with 32.4 seconds remaining to give the Zags a seven-point lead as they closed it out to post their eighth 30-win campaign in the past 11 seasons.
"We cannot be the team that (messes) this one up," Timme said of the Sweet 16 winning streak. "It's just a testament to Coach (Mark Few) and the program he had. We got some dogs over here and we fight no matter what happens."
Gonzaga trailed most of the first half but showed life early in the second when Bolton made two 3-pointers and Strawther hit one during a 9-2 push that gave the Bulldogs a 46-45 lead with 15:52 remaining.
TCU answered with a 10-4 push -- Miles scored eight of the points -- to take a 55-50 advantage with 12:14 left.
Gonzaga then exploded with 13 consecutive points. Bolton converted a three-point play and Smith and Timme knocked down 3-pointers as the Bulldogs took a 63-55 lead with 8:38 remaining.
The Horned Frogs rattled off the next six points, with Miller's basket pulling them within two with 7:20 left.
Smith nailed a straightaway 3-pointer with 6:43 left and Timme scored on a putback with 4:52 left to give Gonzaga a 68-61 lead.
Watson's dunk gave the Zags a 73-64 lead with 3:27 left.
Miles had 10 first-half points as TCU led 38-33 at the break. Timme scored 11 in the half for Gonzaga.
TCU led 25-15 on two free throws by Miles with 7:30 left. The Bulldogs later were within 33-31 after a three-point play by Watson with 2:13 left.
--Field Level Media
- NCAAB
