Watch: Gonzaga's Battle catches fire in March Madness debut

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Khalif Battle (99) reacts after a basket in the first half of a first round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Intrust Bank Arena. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Watch: Gonzaga's Khalif Battle catches fire in March Madness debut vs. Georgia

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Mar 20, 2025 6:38 PM ET

Gonzaga guard Khalif Battle didn't look like a player who was making his NCAA Tournament debut on Thursday.

In the first half of No. 8-seed Gonzaga's 89-68 Midwest Region first-round win over No. 9-seed Georgia, Battle dominated. He scored 14 points, shot 2-of-5 from three-point range and grabbed seven rebounds. He also hopped over one table. Battle's fast start helped Gonzaga race to a 48-27 lead at halftime.

Battle finished with 24 points, shooting 9-for-13 from the field (4-for-7 from deep), and collected eight rebounds.

Khalif Battle showing off some MAJOR hops @ZagMBB pic.twitter.com/srfZVL6IfH
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2025

Khalif Battle has been hoopin' and hoppin' for @ZagMBB today pic.twitter.com/YjXcFsmFz1
— CBS Sports College Basketball (@CBSSportsCBB) March 20, 2025

Battle — who played for three schools (Butler, Temple, Arkansas) before transferring to Gonzaga — scored 1,343 points in his first four seasons.

The Bulldogs, of course, have made 26 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, so some of his teammates have much more experience in March Madness. Still, the 6-foot-5, 185-pounder didn't seem nervous heading into the tournament.

"These guys are just so used to it already. This is just another day for them," Battle told Andrew Quinn of KREM-TV in Spokane, Washington, on Wednesday. "But I'm excited to go out there and put on a show for the crowd and win some games."

In the first half, he certainly did put on a show.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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