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Gonzaga Basketball

Gonzaga was successful in first – and only – NCAA Tournament rematch

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Corey Kispert (24) lays in the ball against Ohio State the first round of the PK-80 basketball tournament on Thursday, November 23, 2017, at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

BOISE – Gonzaga’s history in the NCAA Tournament dates back to 1995. There’s been 20 appearances, 48 games and 29 victories. But Saturday’s game against Ohio State will mark just the second time the Bulldogs have gone head-to-head with a team they saw earlier in the same season.

GU played OSU on November 23 in the opener of the PK80 Invitational in Portland, cruising past the Buckeyes 86-59 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Saturday, the programs meet at 4:45 p.m. at Taco Bell Arena to determine whether it’ll be the fourth-seeded Zags or fifth-seeded Buckeyes advancing in the West Region.

During the 2014-15 season, Gonzaga traveled to Pauley Pavilion for a nonleague game against UCLA. The Bulldogs comfortably beat the Bruins 87-74 on Dec. 13, 2014, behind 24 points from Kyle Wiltjer. GU then drew UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Przemek Karnowski led a trio of double-digit scorers with 18 points and the Zags won the rematch 74-62.