University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Gonzaga University
Huskies Meet Gonzaga For West Regional Title
3/24/2023 11:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Final Four Berth On The Line
UConn Athletic Communications / March 24, 2023
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – It was 24 years ago in the 1999 NCAA Championship, when a Gonzaga basketball program that had never won an NCAA tourney game rattled off three straight victories and faced an Elite Eight game with a chance to earn a place in the Final Four.
Standing in the Zags' way was a top-seeded UConn team that had experienced plenty of NCAA tourney success, but had also never been to the Final Four.
UConn won that Elite Eight game in Phoenix, 67-62, and, as every UConn fan knows, went on to defeat Ohio State and Duke in St. Petersburg, Fla., to capture its first NCAA national championship.
"The school had never even won a game in the NCAA Tournament, let along three of them, so it was a magical ride," said Gonzaga Coach Mark Few, an assistant with Gonzaga at the time. "We had never done press conferences. We never had police escorts. We never had anything. Very rarely had we even been on national television. It was the start of the entire run."
Saturday (8:49 p.m. EDT, TBS), fourth-seeded UConn (28-8) and third-seeded Gonzaga (31-5) will again square off in an NCAA Elite Eight game at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the West Regional Championship and a place in next week's Final Four at NRG Stadium in Houston.
There has been plenty of NCAA success on both sides since that game in 1999. Few has taken the Zags to 23 straight tourney appearances, including two NCAA championship games and UConn has put up three more National Championships.
"Obviously, Gonzaga hits the mark across the board – player development, the culture, the winning, Final Fours, putting guys in the NBA, they do it with a culture that's widely respected," UConn Coach Dan Hurley said. "Some coaches, you have greater respect for what they've been able to do in their careers and how they've done it. Mark's one of those guys you have a lot of respect for."
The Zags have some players that garner respect as well, namely senior center Drew Timme.
"Timme is one of the best bigs to ever play college basketball," Hurley said. "It's a tremendous challenge for Adama and Donovabn and for our entire team. You can't just leave him one-on-one, you've got to have help, he's got to see bodies. He's got to see some crowds, even though that's not really what we do."
Timme leads Gonzaga in scoring (21.5), rebounding (7.5) and assists (3.2). He also has a solid supporting cast in Julian Strawther (15.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Anton Watson (11.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg), Rasir Bolton (10.2 ppg) and Nolan Hickman (7.9 ppg). The Zags are shooting shooting a sizzling .526 as a team and .386 from three-point range. They have the No. 1 offense in the country, averaging 87.0 points per game.
Gonzaga has watched UConn play as well and has been more than impressed with the Huskies and Adama Sanogo in particular. The UConn big man is averaging 23.3 ppg and 9.7 rpg in the tournament.
"Obviously, he's a load down there and a physical presence," Few said. "They do a great job of getting him the ball from different areas and different spots. And a lot of the feeds come from the middle of the floor.
"And then on top of that, he's just a big-time offensive rebounder. He's one of the big issues that we have to get solved."
Another is smooth-shooting sophomore Jordan Hawkins (16.1 ppg) and do-everything junior Andre Jackson (6.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 4.5 apg). Freshman Alex Karaban (9.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and senior Tristen Newton (9.9 ppg, 4.7 apg) complete the starting lineup.
"The game is even more exciting because of the quality of the opponent," Hurley said. "I just think a UConn-Gonzaga game, West Regional final – it's just an exciting game to be a part of."
Like a replay – 24 years in the making.
