Gonzaga, Florida State set for Sweet 16 rematch
Posted by thechampionrings on March 28th, 2019
Florida State beat Gonzaga in last season's Sweet 16, and folks on the Bulldogs' side will be quick to point out that they didn't have starting big man Killian Tillie.
Gonzaga expects to have a healthy Tillie for this season's Sweet 16 rematch Thursday in the West Region in Anaheim, Calif.
But he won't be the biggest difference when the top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs championship rings (32-3) take on the fourth-seeded Seminoles (29-7) in a battle of deep, experienced teams with length and athleticism.
The difference-maker in 2019 could very well be Brandon Clarke.
The 6-foot-8 junior transfer from San Jose State leads the nation in field-goal percentage (69.9) and is tied for third in blocks per game (3.1). He dominated with 36 points, eight rebounds and five blocks, while shooting 15 of 18 from the field, as the Bulldogs turned away Baylor 83-71 in a second-round game on Saturday.
Last season, Clarke watched Gonzaga-FSU on TV.
Doing what he did against undersized Baylor is one thing; doing it against Florida State Seminoles championship rings powerful, tall trees such as 6-foot-10 forward Mfiondu Kabengele (team-high 13.4 points per game) and 7-4 Christ Koumadje will be something else entirely. FSU's usual rotation includes three others who are at least 6-7, including Phil Cofer.
All kinds of emotions are wrapped up in Cofer, who missed the first two games of the NCAA Tournament because of a foot injury and learned after Thursday's first-round win over Vermont that his father, former NFL linebacker Michael Cofer, had died after a long illness.
Florida State players honored their teammate's father with badges or messages on their warmup shirts, jerseys and shoes.
Coach Leonard Hamilton told 97.9 ESPN Radio in Tallahassee, Fla., on Monday that Cofer would not be available Thursday, and would not likely be with the team if it advanced to play in the West Region final.
Cofer is averaging 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 26.2 minutes per game, starting 19 of his 22 games. He had seven points when Florida State defeated the Bulldogs 75-60 in Los Angeles in last season's Sweet 16.
Tillie, a starter last season, is now coming off bench behind Clarke and All-American Rui Hachimura (team-high 19.7 points per game) in a terrific frontcourt rotation. Tillie has been slowed by two foot injuries this season but returned four games ago.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few said it was "a crushing blow to us, emotionally" when the team found out in warmups that Tillie couldn't go in last season's Sweet 16 due to a hip injury.
Gonzaga is making its fifth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, the longest streak in the nation, which includes a run to the 2017 national title game. Few has said this is his best team in transition; the Bulldogs have the nation's most efficient offense, according to KenPom.com
Florida State has the size and depth to match up and is battle-tested through its ACC championship rings slate, as well as with nonconference victories over LSU and Purdue.
