The Julian Strawther Special: Against UCLA, one shot turns Gonzaga’s luck around.

LAS VEGAS: T-Mobile Arena was empty of patrons. In the West Regional semifinal, with 24 seconds remaining, two words echoed throughout Las Vegas: Never again.

Drew Timme is one of Gonzaga’s all-time greats, along with Adam Morrison. Having two missed free throws in a critical circumstance? When contemplating the night, exactly 17 years earlier, when UCLA stunned the Zags in the same Sweet 16 game by coming back from a late 13-point hole, one can’t help but think of the Morrison tears.

Freshman Amari Bailey of UCLA hit a triple off a Timme miss, igniting a frenzy among the blue and gold. Bruins 76-75. Was this another instance of Gonzaga’s greatest nightmare? It seemed as though the stories and critiques about the Zags’ inability to win the big game were slowly seeping onto the court.

Mark Few remained firm. Timme has guided this program to a 121-12 record for a reason. They have won numerous important games. Lots. He renamed the play Jay Wright after another guy who drew one up to completely alter the course of his program in 2016. Wright would suggest naming it in Kris Jenkins’ honor.