Grand Canyon University Eager To Make NCAA Tournament Debut

PHOENIX, AZ — The Grand Canyon University Antelopes will face a quintessential "David vs. Goliath" matchup in the team's first-ever NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament appearance.

The 'Lopes, similarly to the biblical tale, will be tasked with beating a juggernaut with a dearth of tools at their disposal.

The difference is that David in this circumstance must face off against National Player of the Year frontrunner, Luka Garza, and an Iowa Hawkeyes team that went 21-8 overall and 14-6 during the team's Big Ten conference matchups.

Grand Canyon's first-year head coach, Bryce Drew, welcomes the chance to gun for one of the nation's top teams, however.

Drew, who was hired by GCU a year ago Wednesday, is steadfast in his faith that the 'Lopes can slow down Garza, who averaged 23.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game during his senior campaign in Iowa City.

"Our big focus this week is on us and our game plan," Drew said. "We want to be able to do the things that we’ve done all year. We want to be able to execute; we want to score and rebound the basketball."

Drew added that the 'Lopes feel they can hang with any team in the nation if they play to their potential.

"I feel that GCU is the best-kept secret in college basketball," Drew said. "We have unbelievable facilities and unbelievable support. And I think we have the best fan base in the country from our student section.

"And so, everything happens in steps. Things don’t happen overnight. And I’m just really proud of our team and what they’ve accomplished in one year. And, hopefully, we can use this as momentum to keep building in the future."

Grand Canyon's storybook tale took shape by going 17-6 this season, including a three-game stampede through the Western Athletic Conference tournament.

The 'Lopes secured their first NCAA tournament appearance by shellacking WAC heavyweight New Mexico State in the conference tournament's championship game Saturday night in Las Vegas.

GCU managed to beat the three teams it faced in the Sin City by a margin of 62 points, including the 'Lopes 18-point romp over the Aggies on Saturday.

The 15th-seeded Cinderellas may not have a Garza to lean on, but they do have a senior-heavy lineup that includes names including Asbjorn Midtgaard, Alessandro Lever and Jovan Blacksher Jr. — all of whom averaged at least 10 points per game this season.

Midtgaard was the man in the middle, leading GCU in scoring (14.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.9 rpg, while hitting 70.6 percent of his shots.

The native of Helsingor, Denmark, said the 'Lopes expect a battle from the Hawkeyes when the two sides square off at 3:25 p.m. MT Saturday.

He also expressed confidence that GCU would be able to hold its own against Garza and his teammates in the first-round showdown.

"I’m going to prepare the same way that I have the whole season," Midtgaard said. "Obviously, he’s a player of the year candidate for a reason. So we have to focus on that, and he’s an unbelievable player. I’m excited — it’s going to be a really fun matchup."

Blacksher, who averaged 11.9 points and 5.3 assists per game during his sophomore season, touched on a similar topic during his chat Wednesday with members of the media.

The second-year starter from Oakland said the 'Lopes are prepared for a 40-minute fight come Saturday afternoon.

"Coming from the WAC with our expectations to make it here, we weren’t expected to be top dogs coming into March Madness," Blacksher said. "So it’s nothing overwhelming. It’s basketball; Iowa’s a good team, but we just have to scout them and play basketball."

Saturday's game is exactly what Drew envisioned for the program when he signed on to lead GCU on March 17, 2020, days after the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of America.

The former Valparaiso and Vanderbilt head coach said his team is ready to make its March Madness debut regardless of who the opponent may be.

Drew knows that the 'Lopes face daunting odds at springing an upset Saturday.

He also knows that GCU, just like David, has the right combination of faith and confidence on its side.

"All of our players know basketball, they’re intelligent. We’re a 15 seed, they’re a two seed," Drew said. "In the history, 8-132 is the record. And so the percents are not with you winning that game.

"But it has been done, and it first has to start with a belief system, where you have to believe it. [Hopefully] we can be in a situation where these guys can hopefully go out and perform at a high level."