Looks for Sixth-Straight Sweet 16

Zags aim for 32nd consecutive victory

#1-seed Gonzaga (27-0, 15-0 WCC) vs. #8-seed Oklahoma (16-10, 9-8)
MONDAY, MARCH 22 | 11:20 A.M. PT | HINKLE FIELDHOUSE | INDIANAPOLIS
TELEVISION: CBS
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

THE TIP OFF
– Top-overall seed Gonzaga will meet eighth-seeded Oklahoma on Monday in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis, at 11:40 a.m. Pacific Time.
– The Zags have won two of the three all-time meetings, including the last two in 2009 and 2012.
– GU is making its 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearance and 23rd overall. The 22 straight berths to the field is the third-longest current streak in the nation (Kansas 31 and Michigan State 23).
– The Zags are 35-22 all-time in 21 previous NCAA Tournament appearances with 10 trips to the Sweet 16, four trips to the Elite Eight, one Final Four and an appearance in one national championship game. Gonzaga is the only program that has been in the last five Sweet 16s.
– The Bulldogs received a one-seed for the fourth time in program history. They are the top-overall seed for the first time ever. Gonzaga is one of only two teams to win its opening-round NCAA Tournament game each of the last 12 tournaments, Kansas is the other at 14.
– GU is 32-20 in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Mark Few with a berth in all 21 seasons in his career.
– Corey Kispert was named First Team All-America by the AP, NABC and USBWA. Jalen Suggs and Drew Timme were second team by each outlet.
– GU is the last unbeaten team in the nation, and one of 29 teams in Div. 1 history to end the regular season unbeaten. The Bulldogs are the 20th squad to enter the NCAA Tournament with unblemished records since the first NCAA Tournament in 1939. Gonzaga is the sixth since 1976.
– The Zags’ 31 straight wins (a new program record) dating back to 2019-20 is the longest active streak in nation, along with its 10 straight victories on a neutral court.
– Gonzaga has won an NCAA Div. 1 record 24 consecutive games by double-digits, along with 29 out of the last 31.
– GU is first in the nation in scoring offense (92.3), field goal percentage (55.1), two-point percentage (63.8), scoring margin (23.7) and points in the paint (50.1).

SERIES NOTES
– Gonzaga and Oklahoma meet for the fourth time all-time.
– The Zags have won the last two matchups, with the latest coming in the 2012 Old Spice Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. GU rolled to a 72-47 semifinal victory en route to the tournament title. The Bulldogs beat OU in the 2009 Ronald McDonald House Charities Classic, played inside the Spokane Arena, 83-69. Oklahoma won the first meeting in the 2007 All-College Challenge in Oklahoma City, 72-68.
– The Bulldogs are 21-9 against current Big 12 members, including 8-2 in the last 10.
– The last nine meetings against Big 12 opponents have come on a neutral floor.
– This will be the third meeting against a Big 12 opponent for GU this season, after defeating Kansas in the season-opener and No. 11/15 West Virginia in the Jimmy V Classic on
Dec. 2 in Indianapolis.
– Gonzaga is 4-2 all-time versus current Big 12 opponents in the NCAA Tournament.

SCOUTING THE SOONERS:
– Oklahoma advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after holding off ninth-seeded Missouri Saturday, 72-68. The Sooners’ Austin Reaves led all scorers 23 points. Brady Manek made five three-pointers and finished with 19 points. Elijah Harkless had a double-double of 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. OU limited Missouri to 37.9 percent shooting from the field, including 11-of-31 inside-the-arc. The Sooners committed only six turnovers in the victory.
– Reaves paces Oklahoma with 17.9 points per game, while De’Vion Harmon adds 12.9 points. Manek averages 11.2 points per outing.
– Reaves pulls down a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game, and has dished out a team-high 114 assists. His 4.8 assists per game ranks third in the Big 12 Conference.

A ZAG WIN WOULD …
– Extend the nation’s longest active win streak to 32, and would also extend the program record.
– Extend the nation’s longest active neutral-court win streak to 11.
– Improve Corey Kispert’ career record in games he appeared in to 122-10.

MILESTONE WATCH
– Corey Kispert passed Matt Santangelo for fourth in GU history for most career three-pointers. Kispert is currently at 257. Richie Frahm is third at 280.
– Kispert is one win shy of sole possession of fourth in GU history for most victories in a career (122-10 current career record). Currently tied with Kevin Pangos and Kyle Dranginis. Silas Melson is third at 126.
– Kispert is six points from passing Przemek Karnowski for 16th in GU scoring history. (Kispert at 1,490 career points)
– Kispert is averaging 19.2 points per game on 54.4 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from the three, and 89.8 percent from the foul line. No player has averaged 20 PPG on 55/45/90 shooting in D-I in at least 30 years.
– Aaron Cook is five assists from 300 in his career.

NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
– Gonzaga is making its 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearance and 23rd overall.
– The 22 straight berths to the field is the third-longest current streak in the nation (Kansas and Michigan State).
The Zags are 35-22 all-time in 21 previous NCAA Tournament appearances with 10 trips to the Sweet 16, four trips to the Elite Eight, one Final Four and an appearance in one national championship game.
– GU is 32-20 in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Mark Few with a berth in all 21 previous seasons of Few’s head coaching career.
– Gonzaga is one of only two teams to win its opening-round NCAA Tournament game each of the last 12 tournaments, Kansas is the other at 14.
– The Bulldogs are 26-16 all-time as a single-digit seed, with a 14-2 record in first round games as a single-digit seed. 
– The Bulldogs received a one-seed for the fourth time in program history, including the third time in the last four NCAA Tournaments. They are the top-overall seed for the first time ever.
– GU plays in Indianapolis in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
– In 2018-19, [1] GU defeated [16] Fairleigh Dickinson and [9] Baylor in Salt Lake City, Utah, advancing to the Sweet 16 in Anaheim, Calif., where it beat [4] Florida State, before falling to [3] Texas Tech in the Elite Eight.

HECK OF A START
– Gonzaga’s 98-55 opening round victory over Norfolk State filled the record books.
– The Zags’ 98 points were the program’s most ever in an NCAA tournament game.
– GU’s 43-point win is the largest in the NCAA Tournament since Villanova beat Oklahoma by 44 in the 2016 National Semifinals.
– Anton Watson scored 17 points in his NCAA Tournament debut, making all seven of his shots from the field. His seven makes without a miss were the most in program history in the tournament.
– Corey Kispert’s six three-pointers were one shy of matching the program record for most made threes in the tournament.
– Aaron Cook’s seven assists tied the eighth-most in GU history in the NCAA Tournament.
– Gonzaga had a program tournament record 27 assists on 34 made shots from the field.

COURTESY GONZAGA ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS