Gonzaga fans will be thrilled that the Bulldogs are heading to their eighth straight Sweet 16 after an 84-81 win over TCU. Gonzaga bettors who took the Bulldogs as 4.5-point favorites will be less enthused after an all-time bad beat.
Trailing 84-78 with under one second left, TCU rolled the ball up the court with the game all but officially over. You know what happens next...
The Zags advance to the Sweet 16! @ZagMBB pic.twitter.com/TzwkHtR94O
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2023
Even Damion Baugh, who nailed the deep 3-pointer, threw his hands in the air in frustration as his season came to a close. There were players shaking hands and hugging on the court as the final tenths of a second ticked away, adding to the hilarity (or joy, or anger, depending on who you bet on) of the moment.
This was just the cherry on top of what looked like a straightforward Gonzaga cover that quickly turned into a wild TCU cover. With about 15 seconds left and Gonzaga up 80-73, Horned Frogs star Mike Miles Jr. stole the inbounds pass, was fouled and made two free throws to make it 80-75. Gonzaga's Hunter Sallis dunked with under 10 seconds left to restore the lead to seven, 82-75, but TCU rushed down the court, and Baugh found Rondel Walker for a 3-pointer. The Horned Frogs then fouled Sallis on the ensuing inbounds. Sallis hit two free throws, but clearly TCU and Baugh were willing to give it one more shot, even though they couldn't change the outcome of the game.
Gonzaga will face UCLA in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.
