On Thursday, the No. 4 seed Arkansas Razorbacks shocked the world and upset the top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs to advance to the Elite Eight with a 74-68 win.
Arkansas entered the contest winless in 10 tries versus No. 1 seeds, but it held the Bulldogs in check and limited most of their key players to win. JD Notae scored a team-high 21 points to lead the Razorbacks while Jaylin Williams and Trey Wade each had 15 points.
On the other side, All-American Drew Timme led Gonzaga with 25 points and seven rebounds. Meanwhile, All-American Chet Holmgren battled through foul trouble and eventually fouled out in 23 minutes of work, finishing with 11 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks.
Winners and losers from Thursday night's #MarchMadness action. https://t.co/T3XIyPDWB1
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) March 25, 2022
The early exit left Zags Nation feeling it afterward, including Jalen Suggs.
Fortunately, Suggs’ Orlando Magic teammate, Cole Anthony, was there to help him out during this difficult time. Anthony, being the good humanitarian that he is, delivered some words of encouragement for Suggs immediately following the loss.
I sent him a nice voice note as soon as the game ended: ‘Jalen, it’s going to be OK, bro. UNC is going to get this dub for you. We’ll win the whole thing for you.’ That’s what I told him. He sent me a little meme back … I could tell he was going through a lot so, me, I’m just going to give my brother some moral support. I gave him a little dap (this morning) just to try to keep the young fella happy.
“Jalen, it’s going to be okay, bro. UNC is going to get this dub for you.” @The_ColeAnthony on reaching out to @jalensuggs after Gonzaga’s loss pic.twitter.com/p0NniShZkR
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) March 25, 2022
Of course, Suggs was named a consensus second-team All-American last year with Gonzaga, averaging 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals. He helped lead the Zags to the national title game after draining the game-winning shot over UCLA in the Final Four.
Suggs kept up with the program throughout the season, and even stopped in to watch a couple of games when there was a break in the Magic’s schedule. Given his relationship with the team, Suggs is likely still reeling from the loss.
The strong season by the Zags certainly came to an end far earlier than they wanted it to but, with seven-straight appearances in the Sweet 16, it seems like a safe bet that they will be back again next year.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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