Gonzaga, Timme move to Sweet 16 with 84-81 win over TCU

DENVER (AP) — Drew Timme extended hisone-of-a-kind college career by at least one more game, finishingwith 28 points and eight rebounds Sunday to help third-seededGonzaga make its eighth straight Sweet 16 with a come-from-behind84-81 win over TCU.

Timme made his first 3-pointer since December — and only histhird of the season — as part of a 13-1 run that helped the Zags(30-5) take a seven-point lead with just under nine minutes leftafter trailing most of the night.

After TCU pulled within three late, Timme made a twisting shotin the lane with a defender draped all over him to trigger a 4-0mini-run that put the game out of reach.

Next stop for the 6-foot-10 senior and his social media-friendlymustache — Las Vegas for the West Region semifinals and a meetingwith UCLA on Thursday. It will be a rematch of their Final Fourgame two years ago, when Jalen Suggs banked one in from thehalf-court logo at the buzzer for the win.

Mike Miles Jr. finished with 24 points and four assists in hissecond straight electric game for the sixth-seeded Horned Frogs(22-13), who were trying to win two games in the same tournamentfor the first time in program history.

Damion Baugh finished with 15 points for TCU, none moreconsequential than a not-so-meaningless 3 he hit at the buzzer tohelp the Horned Frogs cover the 4.5-point spread listed on FanDuelSportsbook.

Small consolation for TCU, though for 30 minutes-plus, the Frogslooked like very much like one of the 16 best teams in the country.They came at the Bulldogs in waves, trying to stop Timme with everybig man on the roster.

But while the Gonzaga big man worked for every one of histwisting, turning, head-faking 12 baskets, TCU’s bigs were all infoul trouble as the game wound down and Timme took over.

SWEET 16 ANNIVERSARY

The meeting Thursday with UCLA in Vegas will fall on the 16thanniversary of their classic Sweet 16 game, won 73-71 by theBruins. Over the final, frenetic 40 seconds, UCLA made two steals,scored the last five points and left Zags star Adam Morrison nearlycrying on the court.

ONE FEWER BIG MAN

With TCU’s big men in foul trouble, one difference might havebeen the absence of Eddie Lampkin. Lampkin, a key cog in the TCUfrontcourt much of the year, entered the transfer portal justbefore the Big 12 tournament.