​In the last installment, I predicted that the Gonzaga Men’s Basketball team would win the game against Virginia last Saturday by a score of 92-75.  I’ll try not to pat myself on the back too vigorously, but that wasn’t too shabby a prediction.  The Zags won a bit more resoundingly on Saturday than I’d thought, by a score of 98-75.  With their fourth victory over a team ranked in the AP top-20, Gonzaga remained undefeated (7-0) and let loose a dominant bark that sent shivers through the field of college basketball, proclaiming their status as the indubitable #1 team in the country.  I got Virginia’s score right in my prediction, but I had also said the game was going to be close for awhile.  It wasn’t.  The Zags led by as much as 20 in the first half and by as much as 33 in the 2nd (91-58), getting the 92 points I’d predicted just prior to pulling most of the starters and giving some of the bench a chance to get some reps in for 5 minutes.  One would not be mistaken to call it a shellacing.

I don’t want to offend any Iowa fans here, but I need to make a case for the fact that, besides Luka Garza, Corey Kispert deserves to be in the conversation for Player of the Year.  He is the current leader in minutes per game (30), points per game (22.4), field goal percentage (63.6%), free throw percentage (86.4%) and 3-point percentage for those with a significant number of attempts (he has attempted 50 and made 26 of them, which comes to an outstanding 52%) for the undefeated, #1 team in the nation.  He leads the whole team with a very capable, strong hand and with more time on the court than anyone else on the team, is responsible for less than 1 turnover per game.  His numbers against Virginia on Saturday were some of his best as both he and Drew Timme had a career-high scoring afternoon against the Cavaliers.

Kispert was unbelievable on Saturday.  In 30 minutes he went 11 for 15 from the field—almost all of those from behind the 3-point line where he shot an incredible 9 for 13!  With those 9 threes, he matched the record number of 3’s in a game by any Gonzaga player, a mark set previously by both Kevin Pangos and Dan Dickau.  He also added 3 assists to his 32 points.  Kispert and the Zags as a whole were beyond outstanding on the defensive end, flipping the expectation for the game that had most prognosticators expecting excellence from Virginia both defending the basket and taking care of the basketball.  Instead, the Zags looked great on the defensive end and forced numerous Cavaliers turnovers while Virginia was made to look a bit sloppy on both ends. 

Way back in the day, it bothered my high school basketball coach to no end that stats for a game never included a column for “charges taken.”  “Taking a charge,” he used to say, “is the best thing you can do in basketball.”  Requiring not only the toughness to take the brunt of an offensive player’s bulk and momentum, but also to “sell it” with believable theatricality so the referee definitely recognizes some wrong was just committed but doesn’t deem the move a flop.  And what a pivotal thing taking a charge can be in a game, not only negating the offensive possession of your opponent but putting the ball back in your own hands.  Stat takers and reporters really should have a column for charges taken to add another possible number besides simply blocks and steals to help summarize a player’s defensive effort.  And ESPN should put a charge or two in the Top-10 on occasion to bring the importance of defense into the heads of players and fans.  Kispert and Timme brought that fact to mind by each taking at least 1 charge in the game against Virginia.

While we’re thinking about Player of the Year, let’s throw Drew Timme’s name in the hat as well.  In his 28 minutes against the Cavaliers, Timme went 9 for 15 from the floor, 11 for 13 at the free throw line, had 3 offensive boards, 8 rebounds total, added 3 assists, a steal, a block and at least 1 charge taken while making only one turnover.  Against an excellent Virginia frontcourt, Timme had 29 points, getting 3-point opportunities with a basket and a foul and busting out his newly unleashed and highly celebrated mustache celebration with his favorite baskets.  He continues to keep besting his career high in scoring this season.  He set the former mark with a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds against Auburn in the second game of the season, a day after he scored 25 against Kansas.  For the season, in 29 minutes a game, he has outstanding averages of 21.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists, besides shooting 60.4% from the field and 72.3% from the foul line. 

Garza’s numbers of 28.6 points, 10 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.1 blocks, 62.7 % shooting field goals, 70 % shooting free throws, and 52.9% shooting 3’s are amazing—no doubt about that.  And if he wins Player of the Year, I’m sure he’ll deserve it.  I think, however, winning games should weigh heavily in the conversation for an outstanding player—and both Kispert and Timme should get a bump up in the conversation for showing such greatness on an unselfish team that shares the ball so well and still has two players averaging over 20 points a game, having won all of the games they’ve played so far on top of that.  With league play beginning, and Gonzaga playing in the WCC rather than the Big-10, Garza will likely get more attention than these two.  But when tournament time rolls around, if the Bulldogs go as deep and as undefeated as I think they might, I hope statistics alone don’t make the final determination for Player of the Year because I think some deserving candidates are wearing Gonzaga jerseys.  

Timme and Kispert’s 61 points combined definitely dominated scoring for the Zags.  Some great performances came from Jalen Suggs and Andrew Nembhard for Gonzaga, despite neither breaking double digits scoring.  In the last installment I mentioned that Suggs’ turnovers were the only statistic betraying his youth of late.  He has the unfortunate distinction of having more turnovers on average per game (2.7) than any other player—a statistic that might be expected of a point guard, but one that I think is bothering him.  His 7 turnovers were the only plays that sullied his 27 points (7 for 10 from deep), 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals powerhouse performance against Iowa.  Suggs fixed that turnover problem up nicely against Virginia, by turning the ball over only once in his 29 minutes against a team known for tight defense.  Hitting the boards hard and setting his teammates up with excellent dimes, Suggs came away with 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 8 points, adding 4 steals on the defensive end. 

Nembhard, the only Gonzaga player with more than 1 turnover against Virginia, had just 2 in his 30 minutes of play.  The Zags team had a season-low of 7 turnovers as a unit (they had 18 against Iowa) while forcing Virginia to cough it up 15 times, capitalizing furiously on many of those in transition.  Nembhard came away with 7 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds in the game on a 3 for 3 shooting effort from the field. 

Anton Watson, who I’d mentioned last week as having gotten a confidence boost on the offensive end against Northwestern state where he had high scoring nights for the season of 15 and 10 points on Monday and Tuesday nights respectively, had a very effective, though lower total against the Cavaliers.  Each of his 6 points against Virginia were important, as he had both of the baskets to open the halves—a reverse lay-up for the first score of the game and a very nice pick-and-roll basket executed perfectly by Watson and Kispert, starting the engine back up for the Zags at the beginning of the second half as well.  His other basket was an And-1 opportunity off a well-executed out-of-bounds play, receiving the assist from Timme (the kid passes really well for a forward—so does Watson) after his hard cut to the basket from a picking position for Kispert at the top of the key.  Though he missed the free throw, Watson was able to corral his own rebound, scoop the ball out to Kispert beyond the arc and get an assist for the subsequently drained 3.  He had 2 rebounds, 3 assists and a block in an excellent game and I would look for all those numbers to improve against the next two Zag opponents on Monday and Tuesday. 

Joel Ayayi and Aaron Cook added efficiently for the Zags as well, with 8 and 6 points respectively on some great looking perimeter shots and drives to the hoop.  One thing you’ve got to give all these players not named Timme and Kispert credit for (especially Suggs while playing the majority of minutes at the point) is recognizing the hot hands of their bread and butter players—and while remaining a threat offensively, realizing that getting it to one of those two was working really, really, really well.  While keeping the defense honest and unable to sag in on Timme or out to “guard the fence” on Kispert, everyone kept feeding the red-hot Kispert from well beyond the arc and Timme down low.  Smart, unselfishness is what wins these guys so many games throughout the years and the offensive execution was phenomenal.  Both Suggs and Nembhard have proven adept at recognizing exactly when they need to create and when they need to defer to the likes of Timme, Kispert, Ayayi, Watson, etc.—a quality many point guards have difficulty with.  Suggs’ and Nembhard’s combined 14 assists and 15 points could be considered equally as important as the 61 points Timme and Kispert gathered—or, rather, they simply go well together.

What to say to criticize this game?  You could say something ridiculous like Gonzaga didn’t get enough dunks.  Maybe you could get knit-picky about a few missed assignments, not closing out, reserves not up to speed, etc.  In the 20 years or more I’ve been watching Gonzaga basketball, I’m not sure I’ve seen a more perfect performance than the one on Saturday.  I’m not sure if Mark Few would agree—perhaps he wouldn’t, but I suspect he would.  It was a very, very good showing, that’s for sure.

Who’s got next?  Northern Arizona does on Monday.  Prognosticators don’t have much confidence in the Lumberjacks getting the win against the Bulldogs who seem to be 40-point favorites.  After that, it’s the Dixie State Trailblazers.  Despite a 4-1 record so far this season, the ESPN power index has Gonzaga as the 99% favorite to win that one as well.  Not knowing much I’m gonna throw out some big numbers at random.  I say the Bulldogs work to tighten up the defense even more and dominate:  111-55 on Monday.  108-61 on Tuesday.  WCC league play starts on the 2nd against a San Francisco Dons team that also beat Virginia, 61-60 earlier this season, and that Gonzaga has had trouble with, getting very narrow wins in a few of last season’s meetings.  Will have to meditate on that score and see what my crystal ball has to say later in the week.  Happy Holidays, Happy New Year!  GO ZAGS!!!            

After some stiff competition in their first 4 games of the year against #3 Kansas, Auburn, #7 West Virginia and #4 Iowa (current AP poll rankings), the Gonzaga Men’s Basketball team (6-0) had back-to-back games against the Northwestern State Demons (1-10) hailing from Natchitoches, Louisiana.  A particularly deep team, the Demons proved to be a feisty, competitive, and fun-loving bunch who didn’t seem particularly intimidated by the fact they were playing the #1 team in the country two nights in a row.  And hey, as long as they’re in Eastern Washington, why not play the undefeated Washington State Cougars the night after that?  Ambitious, yes—perhaps a bit masochistic.   

The Zags certainly looked like #1 to begin both games, rushing out to a 14-2 lead Monday and a 24-2 lead Tuesday night.  But Gonzaga hardly looked superior during long stretches in both games when the Demons came roaring back—largely owing to sloppy play, lazy defense and some slap-yourself-in-the-head turnovers from the Bulldogs that shouldn’t be characteristic of a #1 team in any game.  Though the Zags managed to score 95 points both nights, they not only left a lot of points off the scoreboard by missing at the free throw line (65% on Tuesday) and from deep (just 4-18 on Tuesday) but left many passes, hooks, floaters and the like short on the offensive end.  On the defensive end, while the 95-57 score on Monday might seem acceptable, the 95-78 score the following night will no doubt find some ridicule from the Zag coaching staff.  Particularly troublesome about that 18-point win is the fact that the Zags were up 43-17 at the end of the first half—a half that Mark Few called perhaps the best half of defense the Bulldogs played all year.  Followed by a 2nd half in which Gonzaga allowed a Demons team to score an utterly embarrassing 61 points (including 30 on a hellishly-hot 10 for 13 rampage from long beyond the arc).           

Embarrassment aside, the games against Northwestern State were an excellent way for the Bulldogs to get some wins in the books, to get a look at different line-up combinations, to work on the morale, intensity, and conditioning of the players, to get more of the bench players some significant minutes, and hopefully to work on and recognize some of the deficiencies in play that have hounded the Bulldogs in their worst stretches this season.  Even if the Zags didn’t impress as well as they could have, I think the games worked well to do all those things. 

These two nights of games should have an especially good effect on the play of Anton Watson, whose role as a probable starter in most games for Gonzaga, and the 2nd true forward behind Drew Timme, can’t be understated.  Watson recovered from shoulder surgery through most of last season after playing limited minutes in just a few opening games—and is, in a sense, still acclimating to playing basketball games at Gonzaga’s level.  Watson is an invaluable talent and elite athlete who has played his role well so far this season, but hasn’t truly asserted himself in a way the coaching staff, the team and the fans know he can.  A defensive specialist averaging only 4 points per game in the Zags first 4 games, Watson had yet to step significantly beyond that defensive role this season to find an aggressive offensive role on the team as well.  Against Northwestern State, Watson had a chance to confidently assert himself in a game situation with less pressure than a game against Iowa or Kansas might bring, and he took full advantage.  Against the Demons he was able to be both the defensive devil he is and find his offensive strength and stature as well. 

Besides some great blocks and steals that saw him either tossing the ball downcourt for a fast break assist or taking the ball himself after a steal to hammer home a dunk, Watson took some classic entry passes in the post and made his post moves count with buckets and/or fouls.  On occasion over the two games, Mark Few was able to give Watson the role down low without another true forward or center in the game—giving him the responsibility to produce in the paint.  In the first game, Watson scored 15 points, saw a 3-pt attempt fall through the net, went a perfect 6 for 6 from the free-throw line, added 4 assists, 3 offensive rebounds and 7 rebounds total—and on the defensive end where we already know he’s very effective, added 4 steals and 3 blocks.   Coming off the bench on Tuesday night, Watson went 4 for 5 from the field, had 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block.  The Zags need Watson to be the elite force he is on the defensive as well as the offensive end of the court so opposing defenses can’t discount him as a minor threat and sag toward other players.  And these two games will have been excellent, I think, for building his confidence on both ends going forward.  I’m excited to see how he takes the lessons learned into the upcoming game against Virginia where he could play an important role.

We also got a chance to see the other members of the “tricky trio.”  Of course, we’ve all seen and appreciated Jalen Suggs’ amazing play, but we haven’t heard a great deal from the other two members of Gonzaga’s excellent freshman class, Julian Strawther and Dominic Harris.  Harris was particularly impressive on Monday night with 10 points on 3 of 5 shooting, sinking both of his attempts from deep and both of his free-throw attempts as well—adding 2 assists to his stat line in 19 good minutes.  Strawther was as impressive in his 12 minutes, going 4-6 from the field and finding 8 points, adding 1 steal and 1 offensive rebound.  In the next game, both went 2 for 3 from the field, Strawther finding 6 points and Harris 5 while continuing his streak from deep by hitting another 3-point attempt.  Besides some turnovers it was a good showing from the other 2 freshman who will see some play this season and likely be part of the nucleus of next year’s Gonzaga lineup.

As for the premier member of the “tricky trio,” Jalen Suggs—he amazed again.  Like many of the announcers have said while covering Zags games, in a game that looks fast-paced as Bulldog games inevitably are, Suggs looks relaxed, at ease, gliding—much like Neo at the end of The Matrix after he finds enlightenment, it’s almost as though Suggs is seeing everything around him act in slow-motion while he is able to react at a regular pace.  Following his game against Iowa where Suggs went 7 of 10 from beyond the arc and scored 27 points, in the first game against Northwestern State he wasn’t quite that impressive, but came away with 12 points on 4 for 6 shooting and continued his hot streak from deep with a 50% performance, going 2 for 4 from beyond the arc.  He also added 7 rebounds and 7 assists in his 23 minutes.  Tuesday night Suggs was extremely efficient from everywhere except deep (he went 1 for 4 from beyond the arc), shooting 8 for 12 from the field, adding 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block to his 19 points. 

Scoring hasn’t been much of a problem for Suggs lately.  And though everybody and their dog has celebrated his excellent game against Iowa, he did have 7 turnovers in that game. As I’ve said before, turnovers are the only stat betraying his youth.  Sometimes he and the Zags as a team just plain look like they’re trying to do too much—trying to get too fancy.  Against a team like Northwestern State, having a bit of patience and not making the silly, risky pass between or over 3 defenders is the smart choice.  Suggs and the Zags weren’t making the smart choice as often as they should have on Monday and Tuesday night.  Suggs had 6 turnovers in two games against the Demons—on occasion looking a bit sloppy.

On other occasions, of course, he looked absolutely brilliant—lighting it up from deep, slashing to the hoop for the lay-in, spinning around a defender to get to the basket, drawing defense only to dish it to an open player underneath—blocking, stealing, defending, dunking, doing everything.  He truly is a big deal, and he’ll no doubt right that turnover ship soon, I’m sure.  Suggs had the opportunity on Tuesday night to redeem himself after missing an alley-oop dunk that Joel Ayayi had set up nicely for him against Iowa on Saturday where Suggs sent the ball caroming off the back of the rim despite the great pass.  Suggs made Ayayi’s lob to him count this time.  On Tuesday, Ayayi, ahead of everyone and streaking toward the basket after a steal, recognized that the extraordinary leaper was following close behind him, and instead of laying the ball in, Ayayi unselfishly threw it off the backboard to feed Suggs who grabbed it high out of the air and threw down a two-handed hammer dunk that the refs took strange offense to (maybe Suggs hung on the rim a bit too long?) and gave Suggs a technical foul.  He’s had two such technical fouls off lobbed dunks this season—the first on his first collegiate basket against Kansas in Gonzaga’s opener on Thanksgiving when it appeared that he taunted a Kansas player after slamming it home off of Ayayi’s (Yes, there is a pattern here—Ayayi can throw a great lob) sweet dime.

Now to Gonzaga’s bread and butter:  Drew Timme and Corey Kispert, who are both maintaining averages of 20 points a game at the moment.  The two traded high scoring nights against the Demons, Kispert with the honor on Monday and Timme on Tuesday.  Kispert went 10 for 13 from the field on Monday, with a 3 for 5 effort from deep, a perfect 4 for 4 at the free-throw line, adding 7 rebounds to his 27 points.  Timme added a nice 12 points and 8 rebounds in the first contest.  On Tuesday, the two both scored very well, Timme enjoying a 10 for 15 night shooting with 9 rebounds, 1 block and 25 points.  Meanwhile, Kispert had 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.  Can any other team boast 2 players averaging over 20 a game, especially against the kind of competition Gonzaga has faced so far?  Few if any I suspect.  #2 Baylor’s two top scorers both average 15.3 a game at the moment.   

Like I quoted from a fan poster last week, “Gonzaga’s got dudes!”  Woe to anyone who has to try to defend this bunch with Timme, Kispert, Suggs, Watson, Ayayi, Nembhard, Cook, Ballo and company at the helm.  That’s gonna be Virginia on Saturday, December 26th at 1pm—with a defensive unit that some might consider up to the task.  I can’t wait for that one.  Most would probably predict a lower scoring game than usual for the Zags against a defense-focused team like the Cavaliers.  I don’t think so.  I’ve already said it and I’m gonna say it again:  Gonzaga puts some distance between themselves and Virginia and proves too quick, too mean, too athletic, and too hungry for the Cavaliers.  I think these two games give the Bulldogs some structure to work with in practice and light a fire under their feet to go out and prove something the day after Christmas.  In the last post I said 92-75, Gonzaga over Virginia and I’m gonna stick with that prediction.  Have a Happy Holidays!  Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!  Have a Happy New Year!!  And GO ZAGS!!!           

Iowa’s Luka Garza had 30 points and 10 rebounds.  Joe Wieskamp added 20 points and 9 rebounds for the Hawkeyes.  Two other players off the bench, Jack Nunge and Joe Toussiant, pitched in 24 points and 10 rebounds combined.  Sounds like another Iowa rout, doesn’t it?  Not if you’re playing Gonzaga.  On Saturday the 19th, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, these numbers from Garza, Wieskamp and his teammates added up to a loss—Gonzaga Men’s Basketball was simply better than Iowa on almost all fronts.  The Iowa Hawkeyes, now 6-1 after the loss, held their own and came away with 88 points, but couldn’t overcome an 18.2% shooting day from beyond the arc and lost to the hot-handed Gonzaga Bulldogs 99-88.    

In a press conference the day before the game, Mark Few said he was worried about the conditioning of his players after Covid-related concerns caused the team to take a two-weeks long break from practice.  The Bulldog players must have done some running on their own—and some shooting.  Gonzaga outhustled the Hawkeyes all over the court and turned what have been two of Iowa’s strengths against them by shooting lights out from 3-point range and rebounding like men possessed.  After falling behind, 9-5 to open the game, the Zags would come out firing—stretching the lead to as much as 20 points in the 2nd half.  The Bulldogs, who seem to have a different duo or trio of players in each game that give extra-heroic efforts and post some particularly great numbers, were carried especially on the shoulders of Jalen Suggs in the shooting department and Joel Ayayi in the rebounding department on Saturday.  Others played excellent roles as well, and the whole team contributed to some excellent passing and defense, but Ayayi and Suggs shined brightest on Saturday.

Consider Suggs, who consistently destroyed Iowa’s hopes of upending the Bulldogs by hitting 7 of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc (many NBA deep), scoring 27 points (18 in the first half), finding 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 mega-block.  The block happened with 12 minutes left in the 2nd half, with the Zags up 74-58.  After Suggs tried to sneak a lazy pass through defensive pressure and caused a turnover (he had 7 turnovers in the game—the only number in his stat line that hints at his youth), Iowa’s CJ Fredricks scooped up the ball and was streaking down court on his way to what looked like an easy lay-up.  Suggs turned around immediately, obviously angry at himself, and with relentless hustle and quickness, chased Fredricks down and met him at the rim with a ruthless swat, giving the ball back to the Zags and negating the turnover. 

Suggs, though undoubtedly amazing and on his way to being a high draft pick (along with Luka Garza), doesn’t have the kind of NBA-minded “I’m better than ya’all” ego that just lets his mistakes go.  He’s obviously very hard on himself when he makes a mistake and works to correct every little deficiency he might have in his game.  There weren’t many deficiencies in his game on Saturday.  Besides the 7 turnovers and a couple missed free-throws, it would have been extra awesome to see Suggs throw the alley-oop dunk down that he sent off the back of the rim after Ayayi set him up perfectly with the lobbed dime—but I’m getting knit-picky.  It’s a blessing to see this kid in a Bulldog uniform.  He’s leading the team in assists, steals and blocks per game as well as 3-point shooting percentage at 56.5%, and anyone who has seen his performances in these first 4 games should be as excited as I am to see what he can do next. 

Suggs is going to get a lot of deserved hype after his stellar performances against now-#3 Kansas to open the season and now-#4 Iowa on Saturday, but the very consistent, yet unsung hero of this Gonzaga team has been Joel Ayayi.  His value to the team so far this season has been immeasurable.  Ayayi always seems to be exactly where he needs to be to do great things for the Bulldogs—especially in big games.  He had a game-high 9 rebounds, along with 2 steals and 15 points on 7 of 9 shooting against Kansas to open the season.  Against the next ranked opponent the Zags played, #8 West Virginia, he had a game-high 21 points (adding 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals).  He fills up the stat sheet in so many categories offensively and defensively and, as a 6’5” guard, leads the #1 team in the nation in rebounding with 10.2 per game. 

Against Iowa, Ayayi had 11 points, 6 assists and 18—count ‘em—18 rebounds!  Five of those were on the offensive end.  Against Iowa and Luka Garza!  He was the major contributor to the outstanding rebounding numbers Gonzaga posted in the game with 49 toral rebounds and 16 offensive rebounds compared to 37 and 13 for an Iowa squad that has been dominating on the glass in previous contests.  He tied Corey Kispert for high assists in the game, another category the Zags performed well in Saturday with 25 assists on 36 made field goals to Iowa’s 16 on 35.      

Despite fighting foul trouble and both eventually fouling out of the game, Gonzaga’s offensive bread and butter so far this year—with averages of 21.3 and 20 points per game respectively—Drew Timme and Corey Kispert, had great days on the court as well.  Kispert helped Jalen Suggs light it up from long range in the first half, finishing 3 for 7 from deep, adding 6 assists 2 rebounds and 13 points.  Along with Aaron Cook (who went 2 for 4 from deep and found 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in 19 good minutes off the bench) Kispert and Suggs are the main reason the Zags found an outstanding 50% of their shots from deep falling through the net on 13 of 26 shooting from deep as a team. 

With the help of co-forward Anton Watson, Drew Timme was faced with the monumental task of trying to slow down Iowa’s Luka Garza in the game.  While Garza’s 30 points and 10 rebounds in 37 minutes might seem a poor job defensively for the Zags, Garza scored that many in less than half the minutes against Iowa State where he had 34 in 17 minutes—and I think the Zags did an excellent job of limiting his effect on the game Saturday.  Garza never got anything easy and he didn’t get any clean looks from beyond the arc.  All his makes were simply great shots from a great player.  Considering the assignment, Timme had a great game himself—with a 6 for 10 shooting effort, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 15 points.  Much needed help to defend and face up against Garza came from the bench from last year’s redshirt freshman, Oumar Ballo.  The 7’, 260-pound native of Koulikoro, Mali has consistently improved his game this season and will likely see more and more minutes as the season progresses.  He played an important 9 minutes against Iowa for the Zags, going 3 for 3 from the field for 6 points.  

As far as areas of improvement go for Gonzaga, the Bulldogs will definitely look to turn the ball over less and shoot better free throws.  Luckily for Zags fans, both the Bulldogs and the Hawkeyes shot poorly from the free throw line and the misses evened out in the end.  Neither team could find over 60% at the so-called “charity stripe.”  Besides leading in almost every positive category, Gonzaga unfortunately led in the negative ones as well.  Particularly troublesome were the 18 turnovers and the 23 fouls they accrued.  Eleven of those turnovers came from Drew Timme and Jalen Suggs.  Andrew Nembhard was a steady hand again for the Zags and had just 1 turnover in his 30 minutes on the court—posting excellent numbers on both ends with 13 points, 3 steals, 3 assists and 5 rebounds. 

I don’t know about you but I’m gaining confidence in the possibility of a perfect season for Gonzaga this year.  Perhaps perfection in the win column is too much to hope for, but the hurdle of getting past this dangerous Iowa team is a big step toward that goal.  Next up are back-to-back games against the Northwestern State Demons on both Monday and Tuesday.  I’m sure the Zags will do well in these contests, and coach Few might be able to work some of the bench players who don’t get in as often in for some significant minutes.  The next ranked opponent for Gonzaga comes on the day after Christmas—next Saturday.  The Bulldogs play #16 Virginia at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.  Virginia is particularly known for excellent defense and Gonzaga for excellent offense so it’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out.  Only two of the Cavaliers’ opponents have scored over 60 points this season.  The first team to do so, the San Francisco Dons of WCC fame, upset Virginia 61-60.  Virginia may have some good D, but I don’t think it’s going to hold back these raging Bulldogs too much.  I’m gonna say Gonzaga runs away with a big win again, 92-75.  Thank goodness for the blessing that is College Basketball this holiday season—and for all the players who sacrifice so much to stay healthy and safe, including not being home for the holidays. 

P.S.:  I saw some crazy rumor that the Zags might be a part of a New Year’s tournament that involves Baylor and Michigan State, but that may have been a social media joke I was too gullible not to fall for.  Best Wishes to all, Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year! Go Zags!!!    

​~ Clark Karoses

After exercising an abundance of caution and cancelling not only the most highly anticipated game so far in college basketball—I mean the #1 vs. #2 matchup against Baylor that had been scheduled for Saturday, December 2nd—but four other games to boot, the Gonzaga Men’s Basketball team is scheduled for perhaps the most highly anticipated game so far in college basketball that hasn’t been cancelled.  I’m talking, of course, about #1 Gonzaga vs. #3 Iowa on December 19th at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (9am PT on CBS).  With a 6-0 record, and the #1 offense in the country according to Ken Pom, the Iowa Hawkeyes have been absolutely destroying opponents lately—largely owing to the extraordinary play of the all-but-certain College Basketball Player of the Year, Luka Garza.  Garza looks like a cross between Gaston, the handsome character in Beauty and the Beast, and The Beast.  On the court though, especially down low, he’s all Beast.  Naysayers might say Iowa’s stats are padded because it’s played some not-so-highly ranked teams in early season play—some “cupcakes” if you will—but Iowa does have significant wins over the likes of the Iowa State Cyclones and #16 North Carolina, so I don’t think that argument carries too much weight.

Iowa averages 100.3 points per game, and besides Garza’s ridiculous averages of 29.2 points, 9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game (rarely having played more than 25 minutes per contest), the Hawkeyes have three other players averaging double digits in points per game as well.  And they are not just scoring in the paint.  Many of Iowa’s players are absolute assassins from deep.  Four players with significant minutes per game are listed as shooting 50% or higher from beyond the arc.  Garza’s average from deep (and he’s not at all shy about shooting 3-pointers) is just a tad lower than his average in terms of overall field goal percentage.  Garza is shooting a mind-boggling 69.1% from the field and an absolutely-baffling 68.4% from deep so far this season!  Against Iowa State he went 6 for 7 from beyond the arc, 13-14 from the field, and had 34 points in 17 minutes.    

So Gonzaga should just bow down to the new king and hand that #1 ranking over this coming Saturday?  Not so fast, Hawkeye fans!  The Bulldogs aren’t looking too shabby themselves.  Having secured a 3-0 record in early-season play, the Zags had key wins over Auburn, the #5 Kansas Jayhawks and the now-#8 West Virginia Mountaineers before Covid put a halt to competition for them the last few weeks.  It was, as I said in the last installment, a timely hiatus considering that their uber-talented freshman point guard, Jalen Suggs, likely had some rehab to do on his ankle to get back to 100% after tweaking it in that last contest against West Virginia on December 2nd.  Had the game against Baylor been played on the 5th, he might not have been at his best.  

While the Zags don’t have a player averaging near 30 points a game, they do have two players averaging over 20 points per game in the 3 contests they’ve played this season:  Drew Timme with 23.3 and Corey Kispert with 22.3.  Both are shooting just over 60% from the field.  Though overshadowed at the moment by Luka Garza’s monster stats, both should and will be seriously considered for Player of the Year—especially if they play well against Iowa.  Three other Zags join Timme and Kispert in averaging double-digit points per game:  Joel Ayayi, Jalen Suggs and Andrew Nembhard.  These three have been the muscle behind Gonzaga’s true strength:  its unselfish basketball.  Excellent passing has been a trademark of Mark Few’s teams for over 20 years.  The Bulldogs find great shots for themselves and the team by passing the ball and relentlessly dissecting opposing defenses through ball movement.  Their post play is excellent, they drive to the hoop extremely well, dish the ball when the drive is well-defended and they constantly push the ball in transition.  West Virginia, the only team so far to have taken the lead from the Bulldogs for a considerable portion of the game (they led through most of the first half, and at halftime by a score of 39-34), can bear witness to Gonzaga’s precision passing attack and strength in transition.  In the second half of that game, against a Mountaineers frontcourt that is among the best in College Basketball, Gonzaga scored 53 points, with assists on nearly every basket and numerous fast-break lay-ins and dunks, to turn the tide and find the win 87-82.  

If fault is to be found, the Zags haven’t been hitting from deep nearly as well as Iowa.  The only two players shooting over 30% from beyond the arc so far are freshman phenom, Jalen Suggs at 33.3% and Corey Kispert at 45%.  Kispert has proven himself an excellent shooter and should get the most attempts from deep for Gonzaga this season and against Iowa on Saturday.  The Hawkeyes will likely try to get in his face, but Kispert has really upped his dribble-drive game lately and will be a threat every time he touches the ball to either pull up and shoot or attack the rim.  Though the deep ball hasn’t fallen as often as they’d like for any Zag players not named Kispert, Gonzaga hasn’t shown any difficulty getting points on the board against some elite competition.  They average 93 points per game, and Gonzaga’s offense was ranked #1 according to Ken Pom before Iowa narrowly took over that #1 spot recently during the Bulldogs’ break in play.  

Further fault might be found on Gonzaga’s defensive end.  Though the Bulldogs’ defense has been nothing to snub and has resulted in many fast-break points off turnovers on the opponents end, they have allowed opponents to score 80+ points in two of the 3 games they’ve played so far.  And if comparisons are going to be made, they have yet to show the ability to protect the rim in the way a Luka Garza offers Iowa down low.  Giving up points may have something to do with the fast pace with which Gonzaga likes to play, but Iowa has only given up 80 points in one game so far—against North Carolina, and the Tarheels fell to the Hawkeyes 93-80. 

Possible weaknesses aside, in the limited play they’ve seen so far, Gonzaga is hitting on all cylinders in the same way Iowa is—and against more highly-ranked competition.  There is good reason Gonzaga has that #1 beside their name on the scoreboard.  There’s also good reason Iowa has that #3—and in the murkiness that goes along with ranking teams at this point in a very odd season, who knows if #3 is actually any worse than #1?  One of the great things about college basketball is that any team can beat any other if one plays well and/or the other plays poorly.  As a Gonzaga fan, it’s my belief that the Bulldogs are going to come out on top Saturday and although Iowa is by no means going to be an easy hurdle to get over, with the talent the Zags have and Mark Few at the helm, Gonzaga has all the ability and basketball smarts they need to get a win this Saturday—and every confidence they can.  So how do they do it?  Let me offer up a few possibilities here.

The Zags need to run and push the tempo even harder than they’ve pushed it in the 3 games they’ve played so far.  I think the Bulldogs are going to try to turn it up a few degrees in South Dakota, get down the court and score in transition, and hopefully beat Garza and any other big men to the bucket before they can offer any defense.  And in that process, the Zags will see if they can tire the hell out of the Hawkeyes—especially the big ones.  
In the same vein, I think Gonzaga will continue to press, like they have in the other games they’ve played this season.  Defensive pressure off the inbound could disrupt Iowa’s ability to set up their offense comfortably and might lead to some steals and easy baskets.  And Gonzaga’s quickness, length and athleticism is perfect for applying that pressure as opponents have found out already.  I don’t think Iowa has seen a team like Gonzaga yet and I think the Bulldogs are going to give Iowa some serious trouble Saturday and rack up a good number of steals.

Gonzaga’s defense, particularly it’s ability to hound Garza down low, and to recover and rotate quickly to open shooters beyond the arc is going to have to be spot on to get the W on Saturday.  Iowa is a tough cookie offensively because every team that has tried to bother Garza inside with double-teams and the like gets lit up from deep by Iowa’s excellent shooting.  I think Gonzaga is going to employ some sneaky doubles on Garza and hound him with some collapsing guards, then utilize its quickness to rotate, recover and hopefully get a hand in front of any open shooters.  One tactic Gonzaga utilized well on defense against West Virginia was to hound the rebounder after a miss on their offensive end—offering defense right away when the opponent got the ball.  Joel Ayayi made 2 steals in a row late in the second half and helped seal the victory by sneaking up on Mountaineer big men who’d just pulled in a rebound and swatting the ball out of their hands—resulting in quick buckets, including a dagger 3 from Kispert.   

Another thing the Zags will likely do is go after Garza on the offensive end as well as on defense.  Against West Virginia, the Bulldogs finally put the Mountaineers away by drawing significant fouls on each of their best frontcourt players.  Though not quite the hulk that Garza is down low, Drew Timme is very good at working around defenders and drawing fouls.  His footwork is exceptional, and I think the battle down low between the quick and nimble Timme, and the brute excellence of Garza, (Beauty and the Beast again?) is going to be a lot of fun to watch.  Though Timme hasn’t shown the same ability as Garza to shoot well from deep, Timme is definitely Gonzaga’s offensive powerhouse in the frontcourt and has a wide variety of offensive weaponry at his disposal.  He gets down the court very quickly and has gotten numerous baskets streaking in transition.  I think he’s going to do just that as often as he can to put some of the Iowa defense, Garza in particular, behind him—and tire Iowa out in the process.  This is going to be his opportunity to show that he’s on par with the best in the nation and a legitimate candidate for Player of the Year, and I think Timme is going to rise to the challenge.  

Anton Watson, Gonzaga’s other starting forward—though not the offensive threat Timme has proven to be yet—might be the Zags’ best full-court defender.  He spearheads Gonzaga’s press and can guard any player from the fence to the post on the defensive end.  If Timme finds any trouble dealing with Garza, Watson might get the assignment on Garza for significant minutes—or more likely, they will be trading the assignment constantly and doubling as necessary.  The only other forward/center for Gonzaga who has found significant minutes in the rotation so far and who might be able to match up well against Garza’s bulk is Oumar Ballo.  A native of Mali and an intimidating physical presence down low, Ballo will likely find a significant role in this game whether Watson or Timme find foul trouble or not.  Ballo, who is definitely young and has been called “raw” in his play so far, has shown improve  ment in every game he’s played and could find a more prominent role in the Gonzaga line-up this season should he prove himself effective on either end against the likes of Garza.

Gonzaga will have to be spot-on on defense Saturday but, as I said earlier, the key to Gonzaga’s excellence always rests in their ability to share the ball on offense.  If they move the ball like they have so far against Kansas, Auburn and West Virginia they have a great chance to come out on top.  If I haven’t talked this game up enough yet, let me just say:  This is going to be a good one.  I believe it’s going to be a close game for a good while, but that Gonzaga is going to pull away in the second half.  Kispert is going to light up the scoreboard for the Zags and show that he has Player of the Year potential. Suggs is going to impress again like he did against Kansas and show that he has Player of the Year potential as well.  Same goes for Timme who will step up and show everyone he’s on par with the likes of Garza.  Free throw shooting will play a big role and I think the points are really going to flow.  I suspect it’s going to be a game similar to the one against Kansas.  I say 105-93, Gonzaga.   I have been known to overshoot the score in the past in the favor of the Bulldogs, so if this isn’t a resounding victory, it’ll be the Zags in overtime, 111-108.  Enjoy, and GO ZAGS!!!!  

~ Clark Karoses

I had planned on making this installment a discussion of the two games Gonzaga Men’s Basketball had scheduled this week in the Jimmy V Classic:  #11 West Virginia on Wednesday and #2 Baylor on Saturday.  I turned on the television at 10am to watch the game against Baylor, and my heart sank immediately even before I heard what Mark Few and Scott Drew were saying—I could see what I was about to hear before I heard it.  The game would be cancelled.  Serious bummer, but if we’ve learned anything during this pandemic it’s that nothing is certain, you take what you can get, you move on when faced with disappointment, and you celebrate what has been good and hope what’s lost or cancelled can be replaced sometime soon.  Gonzaga has plenty to be happy about considering the game they were able to play this last week in the Jimmy V classic and they’ve plenty to look forward to—especially, hopefully, when this game against Baylor gets rescheduled.    

I spent most of the last installment praising the triumvirate of Zags who scored 23, 24 and 25 against Kansas in the season opener on Thanksgiving—Corey Kispert, Jalen Suggs and Drew Timme respectively.  Against West Virginia on Wednesday, December 2nd, in a game that saw Gonzaga face some serious adversity (including a scary ankle tweak for Jalen Suggs and a 9-point deficit in the first half), the Bulldogs had a new couple of players take the helm and guide the team home. 

As West Virginia applied a choke-hold early in the game on Wednesday—in the form of relentless defensive pressure and strength on the offensive and defensive glass—consistent heroics came throughout the game from the dynamic duo of Andrew Nembhard and Joel Ayayi.  These two Gonzaga upperclassmen provided the necessary kick that eventually allowed the Zags to break free and prevail.  Nembhard earned ESPN’s player of the game honors after stepping up to take over the point guard duties when Jalen Suggs went out for a considerable spell after the painful ankle tweak he suffered with 7:07 left in the first half.  Nembhard and Ayayi kept Gonzaga in the game through the first half and did more than their share to help the whole team rise up and put the Mountaineers’ hopes of an upset to rest later in the 2nd.

In a game that saw Gonzaga’s frontcourt struggling to find both rebounds and points against West Virginia’s physical forwards early, Ayayi added a much-needed scoring boost and led the team with nine points at the halftime break.  He finished the game at 10 for 15 from the field, 1 for 3 from beyond the arc and had team-highs for the game in offensive rebounds (3), rebounds (7), steals (4) and points (21, tying his career high).  Ayayi added 4 assists as well, none more important than the one late in the game, where he hounded a West Virginia rebounder on Gonzaga’s end after a miss, and with 4:20 left in the game, made a steal he had to track down in the far corner of the court, turned around and fed Corey Kispert at the wing who subsequently drained a three-pointer, giving Gonzaga a seven-point lead and a bit of the breathing room they sorely needed down the stretch.  Ayayi creates opportunities everywhere on the court, simply does everything well and puts himself in all the right places to make great plays.  Zags fans should kneel and bow repeatedly at his feet. 

The same goes for Nembhard (yes, kneel and bow) who played 35 minutes, shot 8 for 14 from the field and 1 for 3 from deep, added 5 rebounds, 6 outstanding assists, 1 steal and just 2 turnovers.  His 19 points (especially the 12 he had in the second half) and each of those assists were essential, not only to get Gonzaga the 34 points they struggled for in the first half that saw them down by 5 at the break, 34-39, but to boost them through the 53-point 2nd half that allowed them to flip the script and win by 5, 87-82.  Gonzaga would come out of the gates quick in the 2nd, going on a 6-0 run to put them up by a point.  And then the lead would see-saw between the two teams until the 6:00 mark when 2 Gonzaga assists from Anton Watson and Andrew Nembhard led to a layup by Timme and an alley-oop dunk by Kispert.  The Zags held onto the lead down the stretch with a death-grip as numerous bigs on both teams fouled out—West Virginia’s forwards exiting a bit more quickly than Gonzaga’s.  Loads of credit should, of course, go to the coaching staff for making the necessary adjustments that led to that success—but Nembhard and Ayayi’s consistency allowed the rest of the Zags to find a higher gear after halftime, play better team basketball, and ultimately prevail.

Drew Timme, Gonzaga’s leading scorer, is perhaps the best example of finding that higher gear in the 2nd half.  Stymied through much of the first half, going just 1 for 9 from the field and getting beat repeatedly on the boards by the Mountaineers’ forwards, Timme found all but 3 of his 17 points in the second half.  He was the grateful recipient of assists from Cook, Suggs, Nembhard, and Watson.  Perhaps Mark Few told the Zag players at halftime to make backcuts to the basket to try to stop West Virginia’s defense from overplaying them in the passing lanes because many hoops in the half came off such cuts.  Few also likely told the team, and Timme in particular, to try to get fouled.  Timme had three and-1 lay-in baskets in the second half, 2 of which he converted for a three the hard way.    

At least as important as getting points on those 3-point conversion opportunities, Timme added a notch to the Mountaineers’ forwards foul total.  Before fouling out themselves, the two Zags frontcourt starters were able to draw significant fouls on Oscar Tshiebwe and Gabe Osabuohien who both put up excellent numbers rebounding and scoring for West Virginia, before fouling out.  The outstanding Derek Culver was hit with 4 fouls as well, which helped put a bit of a lid on his 18 point, 15 rebound double-double. 

Oumar Ballo, Gonzaga’s young giant who hails from Mali, earned a share of the praise for stepping up alongside Nembhard and Ayayi on Wednesday.  Though young and raw, Ballo is an intimidating physical presence down low—exactly what was needed to help match up against West Virginia’s spectacular frontcourt.  In his play so far, Ballo has shown improvement with each game as he adjusts to the spped of play—and he was an important part of getting all three of those outstanding Mountaineer big men in foul trouble and, thus, limiting their production and opening up opportunity for Zags players.  In his 10 minutes, he was 1 for 1 from the field, had 3 rebounds (2 offensive), and drew three West Virginia fouls.  Not only did he draw the fouls, Ballo hit 80 % of his free throws when he was fouled—going 4 for 5 from the charity stripe.  Gonzaga’s great depth in the backcourt only becomes great depth all around if they’ve got at least one big man who can come off the bench and contribute considerably.  Ballo’s continued improvement is an excellent sign for Gonzaga’s season and Gonzaga’s team for a few years to come (before he goes pro).

Despite Ballo, Timme and Anton Watson’s best efforts, this was the first game so far in which Gonzaga lost the rebounding battle.  West Virginia was, as expected, excellent on the glass and found 14 offensive rebounds and 41 total rebounds for the game while the Bulldogs pulled down 10 offensive boards and 36 total.  Even more telling is a look at the discrepancy between the two teams in terms of rebounding from the forwards and centers.  West Virginia’s forwards had a total of 32 rebounds while Gonzaga’s bigs (including Corey Kispert who seems to play more in the backcourt even though he’s listed as a forward) had 15.  West Virginia’s two leading rebounders were Derek Culver with 15 and Oscar Tshiebwe with 9.  The Bulldog’s bigs, Anton Watson and Drew Timme, had 4 and 3 respectively—and Gonzaga’s two leading rebounders in the game were guards (Ayayi had 7, Suggs had 6, followed by Nembhard and Kispert with 5).  While it’s a testament to how well Gonzaga’s backcourt hits the glass, it’s not the best sign for the Bulldogs as they are soon to face opponents with similarly talented frontcourts that could dominate on the glass. 

Though they lost the rebounding battle, Gonzaga made up the difference by winning the battle in a number of other important categories.  The Zags limited turnovers and had 4 fewer than West Virginia with 11 to the Mountaineer’s 15.  The Zags also had 22 assists and 9 steals to West Virginia’s 16 assists and 2 steals.  Gonzaga’s unselfish passing ability, from every position on the court, was the difference in the game.  It wasn’t always there in the first half, and when it really started clicking in the second, the Bulldogs made it all look easy.  And while West Virginia was certainly stifling defensively, Gonzaga showed a defensive tenacity that, if maintained and improved upon, can lead to what all Zag fans are (secretly, perhaps) dreaming of:  a national title and even an undefeated season.

Gonzaga’s second-leading scorer, Corey Kispert, had similar trouble finding his best game in the first half.  Kispert ended up shooting 50% again from deep in a 2 for 4 effort.  One of those shots behind the arc fell for him in the first half—and a few minutes later he added a 3-point conversion after his high-speed, fast-break Euro-step to the hoop ended with a foul called against West Virginia’s Sean McNeil.  Besides being hit with the foul, McNeil got hit hard with Kispert’s elbow mid-Euro-step and the frustrated Mountaineer would only come back into the game much later after getting 3 stitches over the gruesome gash in his forehead.  Before that drive, the Zags had trailed through the first 10 minutes of play, but took a momentary lead after the Kispert bucket and free throw put them up 17-18.  The Zags would only hold that lead for 3 minutes before the Mountaineers turned things back around and Kispert would only add 1 more point to his two 3’s in the first.  The recipient of a number of Suggs, Ayayi and Nembhard assists (including the aforementioned alley-oop dunk Kispert slammed home later in the 2nd off Nembhard’s toss), he was a bit better than 50% from the field at 6 for 11 for the night, had 2 assists, 1 block and tied Nembhard with 19 points and 5 rebounds.  I’m hoping to see the senior shoot over 50% from deep this season—a task I know he’s capable of and that he wasn’t far from achieving last season. 

While Jalen Suggs’ injury was a scary moment for Zag nation everywhere—noone wants to lose this amazing, immediately awesome freshman from even a minute of the time he’s available in a Gonzaga uniform—the fact that he and the team as a whole didn’t fold in the face of adversity is an excellent sign.  These guys persevere and move forward no matter what.  Especially Suggs, who shrugged off the pain and showed his mettle by insisting he reenter the game, showing that no matter what, even at his own risk, he’s going to contribute.  Besides scoring on a lay-in and a reverse lay-in for the 2nd and 3rd baskets of the game for Gonzaga, Suggs contributed to all of Gonzaga’s first 8 points, with assists to Ayayi and Ballo for Gonzaga’s first and fourth baskets as well.  While he didn’t have his usual scoring numbers because of the injury, I’m going to call his stat line a countdown to greatness and perseverance:  He had 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 points, 3 steals, 2 turnovers and 1 block.

Though stagnant in the first half, Gonzaga showed they can put serious points up against anyone in this game and some Bulldogs who hadn’t found their true rhythm yet, including Nembhard, Ayayi and Ballo, really stepped up and allowed the team to find the win against West Virginia.  While the postponement of the game against Baylor is a serious disappointment for college basketball fans everywhere, Zags fans like myself can find the silver lining in this dark cloud.  Suggs, though he toughed it out in the West Virginia game to finish, wouldn’t have been quite in top form on Saturday if he’d even been able to play.  This delay (let’s really hope its just a delay and not a cancellation) will allow him to get ship-shape before what this Baylor game would have been—perhaps the supreme test of the season.  Up next on the schedule is Tarleton State on Tuesday, the 8th of December, Southern University on Thursday, the 10th, Northern Arizona on Saturday, the 12th, and Idaho on Monday, the 14th.  These games feel like the kinds of games Gonzaga would have scheduled early in a normal season and might provide a nice way to ease toward another supreme test, the #3 Iowa Hawkeyes on December 19th—and maybe even Baylor before Christmas?  Some have floated the possibility of Baylor vs. Gonzaga on the 17th in Sioux Falls before Gonzaga plays Iowa in the same location—or maybe the 21st or 22nd?  Or Christmas Eve? (Please, Santa?  Go Zags!!!)    

~ Clark Karoses