SALT LAKE CITY — On the heels of setting a program record with 16 three pointers on Thursday night, Baylor will look to stay hot as they attempt the tall task of knocking off top seeded Gonzaga.
The Bears were back on the practice floor Friday afternoon for a 90 minute workout inside Vivint Smart Home Arena. After a tough win against Syracuse, Baylor has to find a way to slow down the number one scoring offense in the nation.
"In this situation, I'm glad it was a quick turnaround because the more film you watch of Gonzaga, the more worried you get," Baylor head coach Scott Drew said. "Watching them last night, you go from being in a great mood to 'Oh, crud.'"
Gonzaga advanced to the second round for the 11th straight season after defeating Fairleigh Dickinson 87-49. The Bulldogs' 38-point win was the largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game in school history.
Rui Hachimura led Gonzaga with 21 points, his 33rd double figure scoring outing of the season. Killian Tillie came off the bench to score a season-high 17 points.
"They are impressive in person and impressive on film," Makai Mason said. "They have a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things, which makes them very dangerous."
Baylor is a dangerous team as well. Despite being picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 preseason poll, and multiple injuries to key players, the Bears continue to defy the odds and play at a high level.
"I think Scott Drew has been throughout this whole run at Baylor, vastly underrated as a basketball coach," Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said. "I'd say he's done an amazing job this year with all of the adversity that they have faced. I think this is arguably one of the best years he's had coaching."
This will be the first meeting between Baylor and Gonzaga since Dec. 28, 2012, when the Bulldogs defeated Baylor 94-87. Tipoff is set for 6:10 p.m. Saturday on TBS.