No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Grand Canyon preview for March Madness First Round matchup

No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 14 Grand Canyon face off in the First Round of the 2023 NCAA tournament. We’ve got an initial preview of the game and how to watch.

By Collin Sherwin@CollinSherwin Mar 12, 2023, 3:45pm PDT

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Julian Strawther (0) and forward Ben Gregg (33) celebrate against the Saint Mary’s Gaels after the game in the finals of the WCC Basketball Championships at Orleans Arena

The NCAA Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 14th with the First Four, and then moves on to the First Round on Thursday, March 16 and Friday, March 17. The No. 3 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs will face the No. 14 seed Grand Canyon Antelopes on Friday, March 17.

Here’s an early look at what we can expect from the matchup.

Once odds from DraftKings Sportsbook are made available for this game, we’ll add that information below. We’ll also add the game time and TV channel once it’s settled.

Game date: Friday, March 17
Game time: 7:25 p.m. ET
TV channel: TruTV
Location: Denver, Colorado

Odds: Gonzaga -14.5

No. 3 Gonzaga

It’s hard to say No. 9 Gonzaga is having a “down year” after finishing the regular season 26-5, but they haven’t looked nearly as dominant as we’ve grown accustomed to in years past. Nonetheless, four of the team’s five losses came against ranked teams, meaning that they took care of business against inferior competition. They also closed out the season on a seven-game winning streak.

Not many teams have a player as talented or experienced as Drew Timme, either. He averaged 21.1 points per game this season to go along with 7.4 rebounds per contest. Timme has played in the biggest moments college basketball has to offer and will be unphased by the pressure. His supporting cast isn’t nearly what it has been in the past few years, but Timme is fully capable of putting the team on his back for multiple games in the tournament.

Record: 27-5, 14-2 WCC

Coach: Mark Few

Qualifier: Automatic

KenPom overall: 8

KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 1

KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 76

Pace: 44

PPP overall: 1.180

Leading scorer: Drew Timme

NET: 6

Quad 1 record: 6-4

Against The Spread: 13-18-1

Over Total: 19-13-0

No. 14 Grand Canyon

The Antelopes are back in the field of 68 after earning an automatic bid from the WAC. Grand Canyon has become a bit of a powerhouse in the conference, winning the WAC tournament two of the last three years. Rayshon Harrison is the scoring leader for the Antelopes at 17.7 points per game, but the key is Grand Canyon’s perimeter shooting. The Antelopes have three rotation players who shoot 40% or better from behind the arc. We’ll see if this rising mid-major can make a surprise run in the tournament with its stellar offense.

Record: 24-11, 11-7 WAC

Coach: Bryce Drew

Qualifier: Automatic

KenPom overall: 109

KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 55

KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 198

Pace: 293

PPP overall: 1.056

Leading scorer: Rayshon Harrison

NET: 104

Quad 1 record: 1-2

Against The Spread: 15-18-0