Jon Wilner
Grand Canyon silenced all skeptics and answered all questions with a scintillating performance Friday night in the final game of the NCAA Tournament’s opening round.
Well, there is one question left unanswered: Can the Lopes do it again?
After the school’s first-ever March Madness victory, could another follow in the second round? And yet another in the Sweet 16?
The 12th-seeded Lopes played the part of bracket buster in Spokane, overwhelming Saint Mary’s in the second half for a 75-66 victory that propelled them into a second-round West regional duel with No. 4 Alabama.
But it wasn’t so much what they did that left a deep impression.
It was how they looked.
“This does not look like a mid-major team,” tournament analyst Robbie Hummel, the former Purdue star, said on the truTV broadcast. “They have high-major athletes and high-major players.”
Playing in the NCAAs for just the third time since becoming a Division I program 11 years ago, the Lopes were too tough, too quick and too vertical for fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s.
The Gaels are a skilled, precision team that plays on the floor. Grand Canyon spent the night above the rim.
They recorded nine blocked shots and seven dunks. Soaring wing Tyon Grant-Foster led all scorers with 22 points but, crucially, had plenty of help as guard Ray Harrison and forward Gabe McGlothan combined for 29.
The Lopes intimidated Saint Mary’s big men and hounded the guards, Aiden Mahaney and Augustus Marciulionis, into 8-of-30 shooting and a bevy of turnovers.
Offensively, the Lopes attacked the lane and rim relentlessly — their aggressive approach led to 36 free throw attempts (and 28 makes) — while mixing in just enough 3-pointers (five) to force the Gaels to spread their defense.
More than anything, Grand Canyon played like the higher seed and more experienced tournament team and never let the Gaels settle into their rhythm.
The Lopes led by one point at halftime but pushed their advantage to double digits early in the second half. Each time Saint Mary’s mustered a rally, the Lopes responded — often with a blocked shot or steal.
They seemed to draw energy from what felt like a home crowd: Many of the fans in attendance in Spokane rooted against the Gaels, who are Gonzaga’s rival in the West Coast Conference.
The victory sets up a fascinating second-round matchup against Alabama on Sunday (4:10 p.m., TBS) that suits the Lopes on multiple levels.
The Crimson Tide scored 109 points while dispatching College of Charleston in the first round and possesses one of the nation’s most potent attacks: The Tide is No. 3 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to the closely-watched Pomeroy advanced metrics, which track points per 100 possessions.
But Alabama is wobbly on defense (No. 117 in adjusted efficiency), meaning Grand Canyon will have room to move and chances to score.
This much is sure: The Tide won’t overwhelm Grand Canyon athletically the way Grand Canyon overwhelmed Saint Mary’s.
Grant-Foster, Harrison, McGlothan and reserve big man Lok Wur, whose career began at Oregon, can match any combination Alabama uses.
If the Lopes make just enough shots and play tight enough defense Sunday afternoon, they could advance to face No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16.
After all, Grand Canyon is a 5.5-point underdog against the Tide — the same as it was against Saint Mary’s.
And we know how that turned out.
