Zags beat Buckeyes to make Sweet 16
BOISE, IDAHO» Zach Norvell Jr. pulled up for 3-pointers, drove fearlessly to the rim and bulled his way into the trees to snare rebounds.
A spectator during Gonzaga’s Final Four run a year ago, the confident, extroverted freshman could be the ticket for a return trip.
Norvell had 28 points, hit six 3pointers and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading Gonzaga back into the Sweet 16 with a 90-84 victory over Ohio State in the West Region on Saturday night.
“I call him our spiritual leader; he gets us going every practice, even the ones they don’t want to be at,” said Gonzaga coach Mark Few, who brought back his celebratory headstand in the locker room. “He’s just a fiery guy with some swag from Chicago, and we need that.”
A redshirt last season, Norvell averaged 12.3 points to help Gonzaga sweep the WCC regular-season and tournament titles.
The 6-foot-5 shooting guard has elevated his game on the sport’s biggest stage, hitting a late tiebreaking 3-pointer against Uncgreensboro in the opening round to help the Zags advance.
The player known as “Snacks” — all he wanted was candy and chocolate as a kid — made 6-of-11 from the arc against Ohio State to lead Gonzaga (32-4) into the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight season.
“I always have confidence on the offensive end, but helping the guys on the boards was big,” said Norvell, who shot 8-of-18 overall.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a big early lead, withstood a second-half Ohio State charge and made the big plays down the stretch.
Rui Hachimura added 25 for Gonzaga.
The resilient-all-season Buckeyes (25-9) rallied from an abysmal start and an 11-point halftime deficit to take a brief second-half lead before Gonzaga went on an 11-0 run to snatch it back.
Keita Bates-diop had 28 points and Kam Williams 19 for Ohio State.
“They are really good and could make another Final Four run,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said.
The Zags looked a little rusty in their opening 68-64 win over Unc-greensboro. They looked more like the team that blew out BYU in the WCC title game early against the Buckeyes.
Gonzaga scored the game’s first 15 points while hitting 6-of-9 shots and blocking two of Ohio State’s.
(3) Michigan 64, (6) Houston 63. BOISE, IDAHO» Jordan Poole hit a 3pointer at the buzzer to lift the Wolverines (29-8) to the victory.
Houston (28-7) led 63-61 late, but Devin Davis, who had 17 points, missed two free throws with 3.6 seconds left to give Michigan hope.