DENVER — This year's March Madness has indeed been madness with upsets left and right. Gonzaga managed to not be one of the teams to get upset advancing to the round of 32 for the 14th consecutive time.
"Gosh, I just tip my hat to all the groups that we've had every one of those years to be able to come into this tournament and get it done. Because I mean, I don't know, seems like everybody's just always surprised when all these upsets and everything start happening, but then they're kinda like ho-hum if teams advance, you know, in these first or second rounds, and it's hard," said Gonzaga head coach Mark Few.
Now, the Bulldogs are set to face sixth seeded TCU, which had a gritty last second win over Arizona State 72-70 in the opening round.
You can essentially throw out the term underdog at this point, because it's all relative.
"I knew when the matchup popped up on the board Sunday that like, it's going to be tough. I mean, I really feel like when they're at their highest end, it's as high as anybody in this tournament. When you look at some of the things they've done," said Few.
"They don't quit," said senior forward Drew Timme. "I think last night's game shows two teams just fighting to the death. And just, it's an ugly game, but they just just showed how much heart and passion they play with and you have to match that and surpass it if you want a chance to beat them."
Gonzaga will have its hands full with Horned Frogs guard Mike Miles Jr., he's averaged 17.6 points a game this season.
Thankfully, there's some familiarity there for Drew Timme, who knows Miles from growing up in Texas, and Rasir Bolton faced Miles during his time at Iowa State.
"He's a hell of a player and he knows it," said Timme. "I mean, he just has this confidence about him. He's always, he just knows he's going to get to his spots. He's gonna draw fouls. And he can score at all three levels. And he's strong too. I don't think he will tell you how strong he is. But, he's quick and strong. So that's a problem."
"I think a little bit, but I mean, you know, he's grown since then. I've grown since then. So I think, you know, really, maybe be able to watch some old tapes, you know, see some old tendencies you might have, but other than that it's just kind of going on with what coaches tell us now," said senior guard Rasir Bolton.
"I've been playing Drew for a long time. We workout together in the summer with the same trainer. So, you know, I've been in the gym with him a lot. I know how he plays, but he knows how I play. So it's going to be fun," said TCU junior guard Mike Miles Jr. "Just getting to play them both, you know, I'm gonna be ready. I'm sure they're gonna be ready too. So, we're looking forward to it."
Gonzaga and TCU will tip-off at 6:40 p.m. on Sunday night.