SAN DIEGO — Arms waving and legs churning, the Arizona Wildcats are racing back into the Sweet 16.
Overwhelming Gonzaga with its contest-everything defense, Arizona looked very much like the top seed in the West, blowing out the Bulldogs 84-61 on Sunday to reach the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years.
Coming off a shaky NCAA Tournament opener, Arizona (32-4) ended a wild first weekend of upsets with a display of domination.
This was not the epic double-overtime game these teams played in the 2003 NCAA Tournament. This was an eye-popping display of what one of the nation’s best can do when it gets rolling.
The Wildcats overran Gonzaga (29-7) with their size, athleticism and quick hands to blow the eighth-seeded Bulldogs out of the bracket.
Arizona scored 31 points on Gonzaga’s 21 turnovers and never gave the Zags a chance after racing out to a 21-point first-half lead.