2022 March Madness: Gonzaga avoids upset to beat Memphis: Best tweets, gifs, and memes
By Scott Rogust
The No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs trailed the No. 9 Memphis Tigers at halftime, but won 82-78 to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs were the presumptive favorites to be the last team standing in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. They had the No. 1 seed in the West Region and got past the 93-72 in the first round to reach the second round, where their opponent was the No. 9 Memphis Tigers.
Gonzaga were on upset alert early, as they entered halftime trailing 41-31. But, the Bulldogs bounced back in the second half to defeat the Tigers 82-78 to advance to the Sweet 16.
Twitter reacts to Gonzaga avoiding upset to advance to Sweet 16
The second half worked in the favor of Gonzaga, but they did have a tough challenge in Memphis, who would not go away. Yet, the Bulldogs did receive the top seed in March Madness for a reason, and it is because of the players on the roster.
Penny deserved the criticism when Memphis was a mess at 9-8. It’s HIS team.
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) March 20, 2022
Two months later, he deserves the praise for getting Memphis to realize its potential and become this team. Took all of what Gonzaga has got to beat them. And the Zags have got a lot.
What a game.
That was super impressive from Gonzaga. That was an awesome Memphis team that they just had to beat in the second round. They were down 10 at half. And they came back to win. That was a toughness win.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) March 20, 2022
Hell of a game. Memphis gave Gonzaga everyone it wanted, and the Zags were up to the challenge.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) March 20, 2022
Gonzaga-Memphis and Arkansas-New Mexico State are allegedly the same sport.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) March 20, 2022
U of Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway almost pulled a One Shining Moment memorable #MarchMadness upset over #1 Gonzaga. Respect coach. pic.twitter.com/ru46rHJh7V
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) March 20, 2022
Memphis was terrific tonight. Gonzaga was just exceptional.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) March 20, 2022
.@ZagMBB wins a battle vs @Memphis_MBB & after being down 10 at half as DREW TIMME carried the Zags in 2nd half as he had 25-14.Andrew Nembhard was a difference maker making big shots & had 23.Tigers of @Iam1Cent were so tough on the offensive glass & their speed was impressive.
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) March 20, 2022
Survive and advance.
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2022
Gonzaga comes back in the second half to earn a spot in the Sweet 16. pic.twitter.com/mvnWzKXpdw
drew timme carrying gonzaga right now pic.twitter.com/XnbWaIv9OE
— buckets (@buckets) March 20, 2022
In the first half, Gonzaga stars Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren combined for a total of six points, which was uncharacteristic. Yet, Timme really stepped up in the final 20 minutes of regulation, as he scored 25 points (10-for-16 from the field), grabbed 14 rebounds and recorded four assists through 26 minutes.
Another hero for the Bulldogs was senior guard Andrew Nembhard, who tallied 23 points half of his shots from the field (6-for-12) and from behind the three-point line (5-for-10).
DeAndre Williams led the way for Memphis, as he recorded 14 points (7-for-13 from field), seven rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Who does Gonzaga play in Sweet 16?
Following this win, Gonzaga will face the No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks, who avoided an upset of their own by defeating No. 12 New Mexico State 53-48 despite shooting 27.3-percent from the field.
The Bulldogs and Razorbacks will play on Thursday, March 24.
Next. 25 best buzzer-beaters in March Madness history. dark
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