The No. 12 seed Grand Canyon Antelopes (29-4, 17-3) are set to face No. 5 Saint Mary’s during Round One of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!After winning its second-straight WAC Championship, GCU secured a bid to play in March Madness for the third time in the last four seasons.
Before heading out to Washington for their Round of 64 matchup with the Gaels, GCU spoke to the media following Tuesday’s practice.
Senior forward Gabe McGlothan expressed how he’s helping teammates ahead of Friday using the experience that he has with big games.
McGlothan spoke a little about Saint Mary’s hustle and how much of a focus that is for #GCU heading into Friday’s matchup. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/5kkhF2xqnH
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) March 19, 2024
Led by senior center Mitchell Saxen, Saint Mary’s has the largest rebound margin in the tournament at +12. This helped lead them to a 26-7 record and WCC Championship title.
GCU head coach Bryce Drew and the team are well aware of how crucial the rebounding battle will be.
“We’re gonna have to be really physical,” Drew said. “Not just on one hit but on multiple hits and do the best that we can on the glass.”
Grand Canyon HC Bryce Drew strongly believes in team vs. Saint Mary’s
Lopes fans and the rest of the valley continue to cheer on Grand Canyon as they attempt to win their first-ever NCAA Tournament game.
McGlothan is in his final season with the team and knows how much a win would mean to the program and the school as a whole.
“What we want to do here is not just for GCU, we want it to be for everybody,” McGlothan said.
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Saleh Awwad is a writer/reporter covering the Arizona State Sun Devils, Phoenix High School Sports, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @SalehAwwad_
