Jim Meehan

A look at Gonzaga pre- and post-Huff injury, the momentum-shifting sequence in the round-of-32 loss to Texas and offered perspectives on the Zags' 31-4 season.

Sean Miller kept pushing the right coaching buttons, starting with a momentum-changing sequence late in the first half.

The end of the line in the NCAA Tournament comes swiftly and often cruelly, especially when a winnable game isn’t decided until the closing seconds. And so it was for Gonzaga, which saw its hopes of advancing to the Sweet 16 fade away when Camden Heide hit his only shot of the game with just under 15 seconds left to seal the Texas Longhorns’ 74-68 upset victory.

Texas only made five 3-pointers, but they came at opportune times. Jordan Pope, an Oregon State transfer, hit late triples with 5:30 and 2:36 remaining, the latter extending the Longhorns lead to 69-64.

If the third-seeded Zags (31-3) are to return to the Sweet 16 after a one-year absence, Ike’s matchup with talented Texas center Matas Vokietaitis probably needs to go Gonzaga’s way.

Three takeaways at the buzzer from Gonzaga’s 73-64 win over 14th-seeded Kennesaw State on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Moda Center in Portland.

Texas didn’t have BYU outnumbered on the court.

An axiom of successful NCAA Tournament teams centers on quality guard play and older rosters. Saint-Supery and Fogle are light on experience but have demonstrated an ability to shine on a big stage and play beyond their years.