SALT LAKE CITY - It was every front-runner’s nightmare.
Top-seeded Gonzaga ran into a No. 16 seed that wasn’t playing like one, a crowd itching for an upset and the very real prospect of making NCAA Tournament history in a most embarrassing way.
Somehow, the Bulldogs maneuvered their way out of that mess Thursday with a 64-58 victory over Southern University of Baton Rouge, but not before they provided plenty of fodder for all those who wondered if that small school from the small conference really belonged at the top of the West Region bracket.
“The more I watched film on them, the more I thought, ‘This could be a real grinder,’ ” Gonzaga Coach Mark Few said of the Jaguars, champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. “They don’t give you many easy opportunities. They’re very patient on offense.”
Gonzaga’s victory wasn’t safely in hand until the final buzzer sounded. No. 1 seeds improved to 113-0 since the NCAA Tournament field was expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Led by Derick Beltran’s 21 points, Southern (23-10) made life hard on the West Coast Conference champions from beginning to end, blocking eight shots, making 10 three-pointers, harassing its star player, Kelly Olynyk, and never letting the Bulldogs out of striking range.
Olynyk scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half to help the Bulldogs (32-2) advance to Saturday’s game against Wichita State.
But there was no celebration. Just a sigh of relief.
“That crowd gets going, everyone wants to see that first 1-16 loss,” Few said. “My guys deserve credit. They showed a lot of poise down the stretch when things weren’t going their way.”
The Jaguars never stopped scrapping.
“We were basically an unknown ball club that showed they can play the game of basketball,” Southern Coach Roman Banks said. “But we came here to win a ballgame, not play a ballgame.”
Though Olynyk was the force that kept Gonzaga ahead through the second half, it was two three-pointers - one by Gary Bell Jr., the next by Kevin Pangos - that gave the Bulldogs their small cushion after Southern tied things at 56 with 3:45 left.
Bell’s three made it 59-56 after Beltran hit a 14-footer on the baseline to close out a 15-4 Southern run and tie the game.
Beltran answered with two free throws to cut the deficit to one, but Gonzaga responded by working the ball to Pangos, whose three made it a four-point game.
Yondarius Johnson and Malcom Miller both had open looks on the next possession for Southern but neither could convert.
The Jaguars did almost everything right in this game, but missed five open shots down the stretch that could have put them over the top.
“From a coaching perspective, you learn that two or three bad possessions can cost you a ballgame,” Banks said.
WICHITA STATE 73, PITTSBURGH 55
SALT LAKE CITY - Malcolm Armstead scored 22 points, Cleanthony Early added 21 and ninth-seeded Wichita State defeated eighth-seeded Pittsburgh.
Freshman Steven Adams led Pitt (24-9) with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Call Hall added 11 points for the Shockers (27-8), who face the winner of the No. 1-ranked Gonzaga-Southern game.
The Shockers forced Pitt into 15 turnovers and held the Panthers to 35 percent shooting, including 1 of 17 from three-point range.
Pitt’s leading scorer, Tray Woodall, missed his first four shots and finished with two points. He shot 1 of 12, including 0 of 5 from beyond the arc, with five turnovers.
The Shockers scored 21 points off turnovers and took advantage at the free throw line, making 33 of 41 attempts.
ARIZONA 81, BELMONT 64
SALT LAKE CITY - Mark Lyons scored 23 points and the sixth-seeded Arizona Wildcats rolled past No. 11 seed Belmont.
The Wildcats (26-7) used their huge size advantage to shut down the Bruins (26-7), who are 0-6 in NCAA Tournament games.
Arizona held a 44-18 rebounding edge, outscored Belmont 36-18 in the lane and blocked 5 shots.
Kerron Johnson led Belmont with 22 points and Clark finished with 21.
Kevin Parrom, Kaleb Tarczewski and Nick Johnson added 12 points each for Arizona.
Sports, Pages 24 on 03/22/2013