N.C.A.A. Men’s Tournament: Gonzaga Falls Short Again as the Favorite

Timme led Gonzaga with 25 factors and seven rebounds, and Holmgren added 11 factors, 14 rebounds and a pair of blocks, however they acquired inadequate assist from their teammates.

“We would have liked Chet to have the ability to keep in there a bit of longer,” Few stated of Holmgren, who was not among the many three Gonzaga gamers dropped at the postgame information convention.

The edges on the Chase Heart have been hardly as form to Arkansas and Gonzaga as they’re to the common denizens of the world — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and the remainder of the Golden State Warriors. For a lot of the evening, 3-pointers clanked off the edges and runners rimmed off them. Neither groups shot free throws with something resembling proficiency.

When Gonzaga discovered itself behind at halftime, 32-29, it was not an unfamiliar place on this match. The Zags led Sixteenth-seeded Georgia State by solely 4 factors halfway by means of the second half earlier than successful in a rout. And so they trailed Memphis by 12 factors early within the second half earlier than rallying for a slender victory.

The Zags have uncharacteristically had bother scoring in stretches.

The nation’s best offense went practically 4 minutes with out scoring within the first half, which allowed Arkansas to get well from a 27-19 deficit, a stretch from which Gonzaga by no means recovered its kind. A offender has been spotty 3-point capturing. Chet Holmgren, a 43.8 p.c 3-point shooter within the common season, made simply 2 of 16 3-pointers in Gonzaga’s 5 postseason video games. Julian Strawther, who entered the match capturing 39.6 p.c on 3-pointers, made his solely 3-pointer of the match on Thursday and completed it 1 for 14.

“On the finish of the day, it doesn’t matter how nice of a shooter you might be, you will miss photographs,” Holmgren stated on Wednesday. “You may’t lose confidence. I get within the fitness center every single day and work on my photographs, so subsequent time I shoot that shot I do know it’s stepping into.”

Holmgren, who is anticipated to be among the many high picks within the N.B.A. draft, had a extra quick downside towards Arkansas — staying on the courtroom.