SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Arena is nearly 1,400 miles away from the Global Credit Union Arena on Grand Canyon University’s campus in Phoenix, but it felt like the Lopes had a home-court advantage in the first round of the men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. With the exception of Saint Mary’s fans in the section behind the Gaels’ bench, the entire lower bowl of Spokane Arena was rooting for the Lopes as they pulled off an upset to advance to the second round for the first time in program history.
Now, GCU will face the Alabama Crimson Tide with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.
This is Grand Canyon’s third trip to The Big Dance since Bryce Drew was hired as head coach in 2020. Grand Canyon University President Brian Mueller and Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry Colangelo shared their vision for the program four years ago and while progress has been achieved, there are still goals left to be achieved.
“It's been amazing to look back, you know, four years now, at that first talk, and so much of what we talked about is happening right now. That's really cool, just to be part of this,” Drew said. “The president has been so valuable in this, Jerry has been a great mentor to me and my dad's here, who's been a mentor for life for me… This is our third time coming [to the NCAA Tournament] so this is kind of the next step in the maturation of a winning program, being able to win a game in the tournament.”
Grand Canyon and its star guard, Tyon Grant-Foster, were trending on social media Friday night. Grant-Foster, who transferred to GCU ahead of the 2023-24 season, was named the WAC Player of the Year earlier this month, two years after undergoing a second heart surgery.
“What brought me to GCU was the winning culture that they were building here,” Grant-Foster said. “I knew, like, winning meant a whole lot to them, so that was one of the main things that brought me here.”
The Lopes are now enjoying their most successful men’s basketball season since the team's transition into Division I which included their first win over a ranked opponent in San Diego State, a 14-game winning streak, back-to-back conference tournament championships, and now an appearance in the Round of 32. Drew and his team will face their toughest challenge yet when they face a high-scoring Alabama squad, but the Lopes are coming in with confidence to continue their historic campaign.
No. 12 Grand Canyon and No. 4 Alabama tip off at 4:10 p.m.
Follow the conversation with Lina Washington on X/Twitter: @LWashingtonTV. If you have a sports story idea, email Lina at LWashington@12News.com.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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