Gonzaga sent packing

Nevada knocks off second-seeded Bulldogs, 91-72

? Now Gonzaga knows what it’s like to get knocked out by a plucky underdog.

“It feels as if someone took your life away almost. This is all we’ve got, this is all I’ve got — basketball. We can’t play anymore,” forward Adam Morrison said.

Once the darlings of the NCAA Tournament, the second-seeded Bulldogs were blown out by Nevada, 91-72, Saturday in the second round.

Kevinn Pinkney scored 20 points, Todd Okeson had 19, and Kirk Snyder had 18 for the Wolf Pack, who led by as many as 20 in the first half and never let the Bulldogs make a run.

“We’ve been doubted since the beginning of this tournament,” Snyder said. “After beating Michigan State, we felt good. We felt we could make plays.”

The loss snapped a school-record 21-game winning streak for Gonzaga (28-3), which had lost only to No. 1 seeds Stanford and Saint Joseph’s this season.

Players on Gonzaga’s bench stood in amazement in the final minute, and Kyle Bankhead sobbed at the buzzer, while Wolf Pack fans chanted “Sweet 16! Sweet 16!”

Nevada (25-8), in the tournament for the first time in 19 years, was one of just three double-digit seeds to reach the second round. The Western Athletic Conference tournament champions upended Michigan State on Thursday night.

The Wolf Pack advance to the St. Louis Regional to play the winner of today’s game between Boston College and Georgia Tech. It was almost enough to bring tears from Pinkney.

“I thought I was going to cry after the last game,” he said. “I really feel like I’m going to cry after this one.”

Snyder and Okeson were far less humble. They postured on court for the fans after the game, pulling at the “Nevada” logo on their jerseys. Okeson, a Weskan native, bounced the game ball high in the air.

It was the eighth straight season that at least one No. 10 seed had advanced to the round of 16.

Since 1999, 10th-seeded teams are 8-3 against No. 2 seeds — two of those surprises were by Gonzaga.