Elite Eight: Gonzaga self-destructs vs. Texas Tech’s swarming defense

After stampeding through the season on the strength of a hyper-powered offense, Gonzaga crashed and burned in the Elite Eight against the swarming Texas Tech defense.

The second top seed has fallen as Gonzaga will not be getting back to the Final Four.

The Bulldogs, who rode their explosive offense through the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament, self-destructed when faced with the buzzsaw that is the Texas Tech defense. The Red Raiders, who broke Michigan to the tune of 44 points on Thursday, held Gonzaga under 70 points for only the fourth time all season.

Gonzaga could never get it going offensively, shooting just 43.1 percent from the floor and knocking down just 28 percent of their three-point attempts, far below their regular season averages in both categories. Texas Tech held the Bulldogs to just three field goals over a 13-minute stretch in the second half, and that lockdown defensive effort swung the game in the Red Raiders’ favor.

While Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke played well in spurts, the Bulldogs as a whole was very frustrated with the Texas Tech defense. That manifested on a critical mistake in the final minute, when Josh Perkins reached over the out-of-bounds line to foul inbounder Matt Mooney with just 12 seconds left.

That led to an automatic technical foul, which resulted in two Texas Tech free throws and the basketball staying with the Red Raiders. It was a crucial late-game mistake that ended any chance of a comeback. A two-point deficit swelled to six in a matter of seconds, meaning Perkins’ mistake was essentially a game ender for Gonzaga.

This may have been the last chance for this great Gonzaga core to make a title run, making the failure to overcome Texas Tech’s defense even more frustrating. Perkins is graduating, while both Hachimura and Clarke could jump to the NBA as potential lottery picks, meaning Mark Few may have to rebuild his roster next season.