‘Can’t put it into words.’ Gonzaga’s NCAA Tournament first-timers embrace opening-round victory

WICHITA, Kan. – It was roughly 1:50 a.m. in Italy when Gonzaga’s Final Four game against UCLA tipped off in 2021. Two hours later, Emmanuel Innocenti was still glued to his television set in Rome when Jalen Suggs’ epic buzzer beater dropped through the net at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Innocenti had March Madness fever long before he arrived in the U.S. to play college basketball, starting his career at Tarleton State before transferring to Gonzaga last offseason.

“I remember when Suggs hit the buzzer beater,” Innocenti said after making his NCAA Tournament debut on Thursday against Georgia. “I watched that game.”

The sophomore forward said college basketball games were hard to find while growing up overseas – splitting time between the Ivory Coast and Italy – but they became more readily available to television consumers when he got older.

“It was a little bit harder when I was a kid,” Innocenti said. “But now it’s getting better.”

Innocenti didn’t follow any team specifically, but he did his best to keep up with Italian-born players representing the country at the Big Dance. The reserve forward dropped a name that may still provoke negative memories for Gonzaga fans who followed the team in 2018-19.

“Davide Moretti when he played for Texas Tech,” Innocenti said.

Moretti was a lead guard for the Red Raiders during the 2019 NCAA Tournament, scoring 12 points to help steer Texas Tech past Gonzaga for a 75-69 win in the Elite Eight.

Most of Gonzaga’s 2024-25 roster had experienced college basketball’s biggest stage prior to the Georgia win, but Innocenti was one of four players who made his tournament debut on Thursday.

The transfer who worked his way into GU’s rotation midway through the regular season admitted to being nervous when he checked in with 13 minutes, 54 seconds remaining in the first half. The jitters disappeared quickly when Innocenti buried a 3-pointer just 29 seconds into his first shift, extending the lead to 21-3.

“I feel like my teammates helped me a lot before the game, after the game, during the game, too,” Innocenti said. “Of course, making the shot that I made gave me a little bit more confidence.”

Freshman center Ismaila Diagne didn’t have the same access to NCAA Tournament streams when he lived in Senegal, but caught Final Four games once he moved to Spain, playing for Real Madrid before signing with Gonzaga.

Diagne entered Thursday’s game late in the first half, checking in after starting bigs Graham Ike and Braden Huff had picked up their second fouls. Diagne played six minutes and got on the score sheet with a layup in the second half.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “I’m so grateful to play in the tournament. Not all the teams in college play in that tournament, so I was grateful. I’m going to go play my best.”

Diagne and Innocenti were able to get a taste of the Big Dance in their first and second seasons, respectively. Khalif Battle had a significantly longer wait, missing the NCAA Tournament in during his first five seasons at Butler, Temple and Arkansas.

The senior guard was up to the task, scoring a game-high 24 points while pulling down a season-high eight rebounds.

“It felt good. Really can’t put it into words,” Battle said. “Kind of been watching this as a kid, and you don’t really get the opportunity past places. That was part of the pitch when coach recruited me that I would have a chance to be here.

“Over time, my love for not only just my brothers on the team and my coaching staff, but just to be a Zag and understanding what that means and the pride that comes with it. So to be dancing and to be with these guys is special, and I would run through a wall for them any day, even after I have the jersey on.”

Michael Ajayi had a big impact on the glass for Gonzaga in his first NCAA Tournament appearance, securing six rebounds to go with four points in 15 minutes off the bench.

“Even when I was playing (junior college), I was dreaming of playing in this type of environment,” Ajayi said. “Dreams come true. Right here, right now, just living in the moment right now …”