10 notes from Gonzaga's win over TCU

10 Notes From Gonzaga’s Victory Over TCU – The Slipper Still Fits

Another Sweet 16 race with the Zags

by

Ben Shettler
on March 20, 2023 8:00 AM

Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Drew Tim is a legend. There can be no doubt about that now after another phenomenal performance on the biggest stage. The Zags’ 28 points, 8 rebounds, and three assists led against a tough TCU team, and he was always there for the big moments. Some post-game interviews add to the legend.
Timme first made his presence felt by scoring the first six points of the game for Gonzaga, but the rest of the offense took a while to catch up. They were settling in a lot of threes early on and couldn’t make them drop, which isn’t a great recipe for a Zags team that doesn’t usually rely on the deep ball.
TCU, props to them, came up with more energy and intensity to get the game started. They were active in forcing the Zags to take the long jump and did a much better job of breaking through the paint and finding their way to the paint on the other end of the ground.
The Zags were a bit lucky to come into the first half with only five left. Fortunately for them, the Horned Frogs slowed down on offense to close out the first, and some players not named Timme managed to put the ball into the hoop.
Malachi Smith was one of those men. He finished with a relatively quiet 11 points, but every basket seemed to come just in time for the Zags. It was a performance for the sixth man of the year in the WCC.
Rasir Bolton was hot to open the second half, and his hat-tricks helped give the Zags momentum. It was great to see him appear as the secondary scoring option in this game, making those shots and getting to the free throw line a combo as well.
This game had some similarities to last year’s second round win against Memphis. Fortunately, the Zags were able to repeat their second run in the second half, but that didn’t stop him from staying interesting in the end.
The defensive combination of Bolton, Smith, Hunter Sales and Anton Watson were huge in helping Gonzaga push through this second half. The Zags were much better at forcing turnovers and making TCU uncomfortable with that group on the floor, and it was reassuring to see Mark Few stick with that group for so long.
A big part of that defensive stint was taking control of TCU’s Mike Miles. He went scoreless for about nine minutes into the second half, which coincided with the Zags’ biggest run.
Gonzaga will play in the second weekend of the eighth consecutive tournament. No other team now can say that. Not bad for a team that can’t win in March.