The No. 16 seed Georgia State Panthers were looking to zig while everyone who filled out an NCAA Tournament bracket zagged.
The top-seeded Zags of Gonzaga entered their first-round matchup on Thursday not only as overwhelming favorites over the Panthers, but as the leading contender to win the tournament. Yet, they found themselves locked in what had mostly been a one-possession game until midway through the second half.
That was when Gonzaga pulled away in dominant fashion en route to a 93-72 win, allowing many to avoid having their bracket busted very early.
After Georgia State cut the lead to four with 10:38 remaining, Gonzaga responded with a 21-0 run, capped when Chet Holmgren intercepted a pass and raced down court for the dunk plus the foul to give the Zags an 83-58 lead.
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Holmgren finished with 19 points, 17 rebounds, seven blocks, five assists and two steals. Drew Timme led the way with 32 points on 13-for-21 shooting and 13 rebounds. The Bulldogs shot 50.7 percent from the field, helping to overcome a 16-for-30 performance from the free throw line.
The Bulldogs advance to face No. 9 Memphis in the second round on Saturday.
The Panthers, who lost senior forward Eliel Nsoseme early in the game after he suffered an injury, never trailed by more than five in the first half and went into the break down just 35-33. Corey Allen had a team-high 16 points. Jalen Thomas and Kane Williams added 12 points each.
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The Panthers made Gonzaga work for it over the game's first 30 minutes, but they were unable to become just the second No. 16 seed to secure a win in the NCAA Tournament.
With Gonzaga's victory, No. 1 seeds improved to 145-1 against No. 16 seeds, with the lone upset coming in 2018 when UMBC stunned Virginia.
