Fairleigh Dickinson Knights at Gonzaga Bulldogs

No drama: No. 1 Zags roll past Fairleigh Dickinson in NCAAs

Just not on Thursday night. And not against Gonzaga.

One year after dreamers and underdog lovers rejoiced at top-seeded Virginia's first-of-its-kind, first-round loss, the Gonzaga Bulldogs crushed any thought of a repeat with a wire-to-wire 87-49 thumping of Fairleigh Dickinson in the West Region.

"I don't know who in America could've played Gonzaga and beat them tonight," Fairleigh Dickinson coach Greg Herenda said.

Rui Hachimura led the Zags (31-3) with 21 points and eight rebounds, and this game looked every bit as lopsided as most of the 1-vs.-16 contests since 1985, when the bracket was expanded to 64 teams.

Gonzaga led by 10 after the first 4:12, by 20 after 10:25 and by the score of 53-17 at halftime.

The game's key questions were answered early:

"I loved our intensity from the jump," he said.

"It's a different level and the Zags tonight showed that level," Herenda said. "It was plain and clear for anyone who was at the game."

Things should get more difficult come Saturday, when Gonzaga faces Baylor.

Before that, there's potential for more 1-16 drama. Top seeds Duke, North Carolina and, yes, Virginia, all play their first-round games Friday.

NOT SO BAD

While this loss was ugly, this season was one worth remembering for Fairleigh Dickinson. The Knights earned a piece of the Northeast Conference regular-season title for the first time since 2006, and returned to the tournament after a two-year absence during which they suffered through losing seasons.

They got the program's first NCAA Tournament victory, and all less than 12 months after Herenda wound up in intensive care while attending the Final Four in San Antonio last year with life-threatening blood clots and a high fever.

"Now the goal is to get back and win a first-round game, not a First Four game," Herenda said. "And that's hard."

A BASKET TO REMEMBER

For Fairleigh Dickinson's Nadi Beciri, it was not garbage time.

Sidelined for the last 33 games with a back injury, the fifth-year senior got into the game with the clock running down. He got the ball, made a basket and got fouled with 28 seconds left, then walked straight into a long embrace with his coach.

"It was truly a dream come true," Beciri said. "Being a fifth-year senior, and my career is over now. I've played basketball my whole life. It's an amazing honor to go out like that."

ZAGS AND ENDS

As a top seed for the third time, Gonzaga has now won its three games vs. 16 seeds by six, 20 and 38. All three of those victories have come in Salt Lake City. Gonzaga topped 80 points for the 27th time in 34 games.

NEXT UP

Gonzaga plays its second-round game against Baylor, which defeated Syracuse 78-69 in Thursday's late game.

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