Maryland’s Ja’Kobi Gillespie, right, drives to the basket during the second half of the game against Grand Canyon in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Friday in Seattle. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
SEATTLE – A storied chapter in the history of the Grand Canyon men’s basketball program has drawn to a close.
GCU was eliminated from the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Friday, losing to Maryland 81-49 in the first round and ending its season at 26-8.
“The start of the game, I thought was a key point,” GCU coach Bryce Drew said. “We had many good looks, couldn’t make them. We had a little lead early, we should have been up a lot more early. And then once they got the lead, slowly the momentum just kept shifting and staying in their way.”
This year’s exit from the dance also means the final game for a significant GCU senior class, one that made up four of the five starters against Maryland and was a driving force in the program’s three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
“This senior group’s been fantastic,” Drew said. “They won 30 games last year, 26 this year, remarkable two years for them. So proud of what they accomplished.”
GCU senior guard Tyon Grant-Foster led all scorers with 23 points, but the defensive presence of Maryland, especially from the frontcourt of Julian Reese and Derik Queen, stifled the rest of the starters in only combining for 15.
“They are good players, they got some size,” GCU senior forward JaKobe Coles said. “I think just going into the game, we just didn’t put as much pressure on them (with) just hitting shots today. I think if we would have made a couple fall, it would have put pressure on not just them but the whole team.”
Sluggish starts have defined much of the March Madness experience for GCU, which has posted fewer than 30 first-half points in its last two round-one matchups.
Despite this, GCU Senior guard Ray Harrison believes the setting can’t be blamed.
“No, I wouldn’t say there was anything about the environment necessarily,” Harrison said about his shooting struggles. “Getting in a rhythm during the game kind of just comes and goes, so unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stay in a rhythm.”
Three straight trips to the tourney also come with three first-round exits in the last five seasons for GCU, with this year’s tournament showing no love for the underdog so far. No. 4 seed Maryland and the other 1-4 seeds went a combined 16-0 in round one, the first time since 2017.
“Margin of error we knew was going to be small coming in with just how good they are,” Drew said. “We need to be at full strength every possession and have momentum. I think you got to start at a high level, you got to be at a high level. You can’t lose any confidence. And you got to make shots, especially with the size difference we had to make shots tonight.”
Now, Drew and the Lopes will look toward next season, rebuilding a roster with many new faces. Next season’s tipoff remains far in the distance, but preparation begins right away with the transfer portal opening in just two days.
“These guys helped lay a foundation, now we need to get to the next level,” Drew said. “We got to hit the portal hard, we got to replace a lot of good players and hopefully take our program up a whole another level for next year.”