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March Madness is a term used to describe the NCAA basketball tournament.
March Madness 2022: dates, number of teams, and schedule of games
While the Gonzaga Bulldogs are a perennial power in the NCAA, they never quite make it to the championship game. Five years ago, Gonzaga faced North Carolina in the national championship game, but the Bulldogs lost 71-65.
Coach Few has led Gonzaga to only one Final Four since taking over as head coach. The only missing piece in the program’s recent impressive resume is making it back to the national semifinals and finishing with a net-cutting victory.
ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴅᴀɴᴄᴇ pic.twitter.com/k4hZoYAqTc
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) March 14, 2022
Since 1999, the Bulldogs have qualified for the NCAA tournament every year. There was no realistic chance of making it to the final four for many of those years when they were just one of 64 (now 68) teams. But in the last five years, they’ve become one of the most dominant teams in the country, winning two national championships.
Their earliest exits from the Sweet 16 since 2015 have been at the end of 2016 and 2018. Next up is a trip to the Elite Eight twice. Covid-19 canceled the 2020 tournament, which would have raised these numbers even more.
There has never been an NCAA Championship for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
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Gonzaga’s Hope for This Year’s Tournament
Gonzaga’s Drew Timme Is One of the Most Productive Players in College Basketball
Throughout 31 appearances this season, the 6-foot-10, 235-pound junior is averaging 18.2 points per game. Additionally, he’s hauling in 6.8 boards and dishing out 2.73 assists per game with a mark of 51.2 percent from the field.
Timme is making 61.4% of his two-point attempts, which is down from his previous two seasons at the collegiate level.
His free-throw percentage is 68.1 percent and his field goal percentage is 62.2 percent over Richardson’s sophomore and junior seasons in 63 starts. Richardson, the Texas native, averages 18.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on 5.6 shots per night.
That’s what consistency is all about.
Two-time All-American Timme is also a member of the NCAA All-Tournament Team and a member of the All-West Coast Conference Team. He was named the WCC Player of the Year this year.
He will likely receive another of the latter honors following this year’s March run.
A near-automatic shooter from close range, this 21-year-old has been the most valuable member of one of the most dominant teams in recent college basketball history.
But where does he stand in the NBA draught?
How Will the Zags’ Big Man’s Game Translate to Today’s Nba?
https://youtu.be/ZfDlmRHS6-I
Anyone with Timme’s footwork and post moves can play in any league, at any level.
It’s safe to say that the days of simply passing the ball to a big man on the block and letting him do his thing are long gone in the NBA.
What remains to be seen is whether Timme’s abilities in that area are sufficient to mask his obvious flaws.
The Bulldogs’ head coach is a mediocre athlete who won’t be able to adapt to quicker wings or guards in the NBA. While he may be able to keep up with some of the bigger players on the floor, his defensive abilities are severely limited.
Some things about him aren’t so great, like his rebounding prowess: Bigger and longer NBA centers will most likely outmuscle him.
His outside shooting isn’t stellar, either. He’s making 29.6 percent of his three-point shots this season, which is a career-high. In terms of free-throw shooting, his career mark of 66.6 percent isn’t encouraging.
However, Timme’s jumper passes the eye test with flying colors. He could improve his shooting to a passable level with more practice, which he hasn’t received in college but will receive in the NBA. Improve that and he’ll be successful in the NBA.
But the Big Man’s Strengths Outshine His Weaknesses:
- He won’t be outworked or out-hustled by anyone
- He’s intelligent, knowing where to be and how to put himself in the right positions
- He’s an above-average cutter who’s able to find open spots on the floor where his guards can find him
- He’s the leader of one of the best basketball teams in the country
- He has good size and incredible skill down low
- Even with top-five picks like Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs around him, Timme has been the go-to scorer for the Bulldogs
He won’t be drafted in the first round, but he’s worth a second-round pick. Even if Timme doesn’t become a superstar, he has a long NBA career.
The Gonzaga legend will not be able to carry over his entire game to the NBA, but he should be able to carve out a rotation role.