March Madness Round of 32 analysis: Zags pull away from Kansas, advance to Sweet 16

chonprasit

College Basketball

Updated Mar. 23, 2024 6:03 p.m. ET

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John Fanta

College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter

Michael Cohen

College Football and College Basketball Writer

Day 3 of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is officially underway, with Caleb Love and the No. 2-seeded Arizona Wildcats kicking off the action with a 78-68 win over 10th-seeded Dayton.

College basketball fans will be treated to eight games today, including the No. 1 seed in the West Region, North Carolina, taking on 9th-seeded Michigan State.

FOX Sports’ college basketball experts, John Fanta and Michael Cohen, are here to provide instant analysis of Saturday’s games.

Catch up on all the action from Day 3 of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament here:

(5) Gonzaga 89, (4) Kansas 68

Gonzaga played a near-perfect second half, busting open a back-and-forth game with a 15-0 run Saturday to pull away from Kansas for an 89-68 win and extend its nation-best streak of trips to the Sweet 16 to nine.

Anton Watson shot 8-for-11 for 21 points on an afternoon when basically everyone in a navy jersey was a star, especially after halftime.

The fifth-seeded Zags (27-7) made their first five 3-pointers of the second half, not missing from long range until 1:30 remained and the game had long entered extended garbage time.

Mark Few’s team will make its regular trip to the second weekend to play the winner of Sunday’s game between Purdue and Utah State.

Nolan Hickman finished with 17 points for the Zags, and big man Graham Ike had 15 points and nine rebounds, going toe to toe with KU’s Hunter Dickinson, who finished with a quiet 15 points. Making all the Bulldogs look good was Ryan Nembhard, who blew off a rough shooting night (1 for 6) and finished with 12 assists.

While Gonzaga was cruising, parts of this looked painfully familiar to fans of the fourth-seeded Jayhawks (23-11), who have struggled with depth, shooting, consistency and injuries — leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. (knee) was out for the tournament. During Gonzaga’s 15-0 run, the Jayhawks missed 10 straight shots and never got within single digits again.

– The Associated Press

(2) Arizona 78, (7) Dayton 68

With 11:42 left on the clock in Salt Lake City, Dayton had cut Arizona’s lead to 52-49. In a second half where Caleb Love and Kylan Boswell only combined for one field goal, would the Wildcats be able to find that gear to win this game?

They did just that, proceeding to go on a 14-2 run to put away the seventh-seeded Flyers, 78-68, and advance to their second Sweet 16 appearance in three years.

Love knocked down his only basket of the second half on the surge, with San Diego State transfer Keshad Johnson continuing to show the invaluable presence and experience he brings. Senior Pelle Larsson buried a triple during the run as well, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the victory. But it was a reserve who rose to the occasion for Arizona, helping with Wildcats make just their second trip to the second weekend of March Madness since 2017.

After going 0-for-3 in the opening 20 minutes, Alabama transfer Jaden Bradley drilled a triple to extend the lead to 15 and virtually put the game out of Dayton’s reach. Bradley’s floor game made up for Boswell being quiet, as the sophomore delivered 12 points, four rebounds, three steals, three blocks and two assists in the win.

This was the type of game that the Wildcats might have lost previously in the Tommy Lloyd era, but the way they loaded up their roster with guard depth was the difference, as KJ Lewis added seven points as well. In total, the Cats outscored UD 23-2 in bench points.

Lloyd’s team is heading to Los Angeles for the Sweet 16, where they will meet either Baylor or Clemson for a trip to the Elite Eight. I like ‘Zona to make the Elite Eight. The $1 million dollar question: Will North Carolina beat Michigan State and set up a matchup of Caleb Love vs. his old team? We’ll find out later today when the Tar Heels meet the upset-minded Spartans.

– John Fanta

(1) North Carolina vs. (9) Michigan State – live now!

(2) Iowa State vs. (7) Washington State – 6:10 p.m. (TNT)

(11) NC State vs. (14) Oakland – 7:10 p.m. (TBS)

(2) Tennessee vs. (7) Texas – 8 p.m. (CBS)

(3) Illinois vs. (11) Duquesne – 8:40 p.m. (TNT)

(3) Creighton vs. (11) Oregon – 9:40 p.m. (TBS)

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John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter @Michael_Cohen13.

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