Gonzaga Men’s Basketball used its two games in the Fort Myers Tipoff against #6 Kansas and unranked Auburn to make a statement:  Gonzaga is #1 for good reason.  Getting Mark Few his 600 and six-hundred and first wins, putting 102 points on the scoreboard against Kansas on Thanksgiving, and handling Auburn on Black Friday by a margin of 23 points, 90-67, is nothing to snub.  The Zags head from Florida to Indianapolis with early accolades, many reasons to be happy and a little room for improvement as well.  They face off against West Virginia on Wednesday, December 2nd and look forward to an exciting #1 vs. #2 showdown on Saturday, December 5th against the Baylor Bears.  With the talent, intelligence and efficiency they showed over the holiday weekend, there’s every reason to expect two more big wins next week.

In the last installment I mentioned that it remained to be seen whether the hype surrounding Gonzaga’s most highly-ranked recruit, freshman Jalen Suggs, was for real.  It is for real.  In his debut and the game that followed he was very convincing.  Suggs made some of the best defensive players in the country look a bit ridiculous—and was unselfish in distributing the ball to his teammates at opportune times.  His spring and ability to finish around the rim off the break was mind-boggling.  His shooting stroke looked smooth from NBA range, and he displayed a phenomenal ability to score, facilitate, pass, defend, rebound, create turnovers, and capitalize on turnovers in the fast break.  Zags fans have every right to be ecstatic about this young man wearing a Bulldog uniform.  Besides a technical foul 39 seconds into his first game (after an alley-oop dunk for his first 2 points as a college athlete) and a tendency, perhaps, to be too-willing to put his body at risk (he hit the deck really hard more than once)—his game against the Jayhawks was golden.  He finished the opener with 24 points on 9 of 15 shooting (2 for 3 from deep, and 4 for 5 at the foul line), 8 assists, 2 steals and just 1 turnover in 24 minutes.  Though not quite as impressive numbers-wise the following game against Auburn, (Suggs had 12 points on 6 of 9 shooting, 6 assists and 4 rebounds), he continued to impress with elite athleticism and a command and control of the game few freshman exhibit so early.

Perhaps that command and control get a boost from having such excellent, reliable teammates.  Suggs wasn’t the only Zag who put up points against Kansas.  Five Bulldog players finished with double-digits and 3 had 20 or more.  What I see after these first two games is a triumvirate leading the Zags on the offensive end, with great potential in others flanking the 3 as well.  The triumvirate includes Drew Timme, Corey Kispert and the aforementioned Suggs.  Timme, who has earned his place as the primary force down low for Gonzaga, is going to breakout in a big way this season.  The sophomore has already risen to the top against superior defense in these early contests after showing considerable ability as a freshman last year.  In 32 minutes against Kansas, Timme was 11 for 15 from the field, 3 for 4 at the charity stripe, and added 6 rebounds and 2 steals to his game-leading 25 points.  Against Auburn he posted even more impressive statistics with a double-double, going 11 for 16 from the field, 5 for 6 from the free-throw line, adding a career-high 28 points along with 10 rebounds (and he hit his only three-point attempt).  He’s super-slick, using either hand to finish and all manner of pivots and post moves to set himself up.  And just like Suggs, Timme makes some great defenders look ridiculously inept down low.  His mid-range looks spot-on and he uses the glass and the rim expertly at opportune times.  If his deep shots start to drop at a consistent pace (he’s 1 for 2 from beyond the arc so far), there’s no ceiling to the numbers this guy can put up.

The same goes for Corey Kispert, Gonzaga’s senior field general on the court.  He hasn’t missed from the free throw line in 7 attempts and his three-point shooting was spot-on against Auburn, shooting 50 % (4 of 8) from deep, 9 for 14 overall from the field, with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 25 points.  In an effort to be more than the excellent sharpshooter that he is, Kispert is taking the ball to the rim more often than last season—and to great effect.  What I see early on from Kispert is even more intensity than last year, including an extra second of airtime in his jump.  He is hanging and clutching in midair impressively when necessary—or simply throwing it down when he can.  And every leap to the hoop is strong, so he’s getting fouled on the way and hitting his free throws when that happens.  Consider his drive to the hoop on the baseline early in the game against Kansas when, despite Mitch Lightfoot’s attempt at a block was solid, Kispert elevated and relentlessly went for the dunk, getting fouled and earning a trip to the foul line despite missing the bucket.  His vocal command of the squad all over the court provides a much-needed leadership role that his many years and hard work in the program have afforded him.  With 23 points against Kansas on 8 for 13 shooting from the field, Kispert only missed from deep, shooting 3 for 8 from beyond the arc.  When Kispert, Suggs and Timme are not getting 3’s from long range, they are going to be getting 3’s the hard way:  with a bucket and a foul.

Flanking these offensive leaders are the two other starters, Anton Watson and Joel Ayayi, who have all the potential to make opposing teams pay in a big way on either end of the court.  Many have recognized Watson’s importance to this Gonzaga starting line-up and have celebrated his return after shoulder surgery cut his season short last year.  We saw the effect he can have on a game immediately in the opener against Kansas when Gonzaga applied full-court pressure in the first minute of play and Watson caused a turnover that resulted in the aforementioned alley-oop dunk by Suggs (and subsequent technical foul after Suggs’ celebration).  And though he found more turnovers (3) than points (2) against the Jayhawks in his 19 minutes, we saw hints of what is to come when Watson fully asserts himself.  He is the Cobra-head and the fangs of the full-court press that I have little doubt the Bulldogs will continue to use against all opponents.  Against Auburn, though shaky from 3-point range, Watson grabbed 5 rebounds (3 offensive), dished out 2 assists, and added 6 points.  His disruptive ability on defense and elite athleticism is key to this team’s success in transition—and though the offense doesn’t have to work through him this year, I suspect all his numbers will steadily improve as he assets his strength and finds his confidence in coming weeks.            

Last but not at all least of the starters, Joel Ayayi struggled against Auburn on the offensive end, going 2 for 9 from the field and 1 for 4 from deep to add 5 points.  Despite some inconsistency shooting, he continues to track down rebounds at an excellent clip, and he shined especially in the opener against Kansas with a 7 for 9 shooting effort, adding 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals.  Tied with Timme for the team-leading average rebounds per game with 8, Ayayi is a major contributor to Gonzaga’s superior rebounding numbers.  The Bulldogs significantly bested their opponents rebounding (44 total rebounds for Gonzaga versus 32 for Auburn—13 to 9 in offensive rebounds/ 33 to 24 versus Kansas—6 to 5 in offensive rebounds) and considering the strength of their offense, if Gonzaga wins the rebounding battle in any game it’s pretty likely they’re going to win the game.  Ayayi’s excellent anticipation on defense led to steals and easy lay-ups in both games.  He also threw accurate alley-oops in both games to Jalen Suggs who dunked Ayayi’s assists emphatically.  The kid is going to be golden this year whether he’s scoring a lot or not–and with all the other weapons in the Zags arsenal, perhaps he doesn’t have to.  I suspect, though, we’ll see him at his best when he starts hitting from deep and continues being such an effective force on defense, on the boards and assisting others.

Off the bench, the highly appreciated transfer (and recently deemed eligible-to-play this season), Andrew Nembhard, has gained Mark Few’s confidence as an indispensable veteran presence in the backcourt with excellent poise and skill.  The former Florida Gator played 32 minutes against Kansas, taking over some of the point guard responsibilities when Suggs found early foul trouble or playing along with 3 other guards and Timme when Gonzaga elects to go “small.”  Nembhard ended up with 11 points and 3 assists against the Jayhawks.  Graduate transfer Aaron Cook, every bit the defensive specialist he was expected to be as well as an athletic, dangerous threat offensively, has also found a consistent spot in the line-up and played an excellent 18 minutes against Auburn, with 5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 impressive block and 1 steal.  Nembhard and Cook, who would be starting point guards on almost any other team in the country, add veteran calm and excellence off the bench.  Though I don’t suspect the starting line-up will change any time soon if everyone stays healthy, there’s no doubt both of these guys deserve their minutes in the backcourt and will be mighty forces to be reckoned with in the future. 

Though Gonzaga definitely has some depth in the backcourt, it seems depth off the bench for the frontcourt is a cause for greater concern.  In both games we saw last year’s redshirt, Oumar Ballo, enter the game for a spell.  In both, Mark Few didn’t seem to like what he saw and quickly pulled the native of Mali out of the game.  Few has also shown little confidence in the 7’0” native of Russia, Pavel Zakharov, giving him just a total of 3 minutes in both contests.  Though Ballo found 12 minutes, he had more turnovers (2) and fouls (2) than points (0) in his 5 minutes against Kansas.  He displayed some of the same youthful tendencies against Auburn, with a turnover and 2 fouls in 7 minutes, but came away with 4 points on 2 of 3 shooting.  These two bigs, both true centers, will be important in contests like the one coming up against the now ranked #3 Iowa and the all-but-certain College Basketball Player of the Year, Luka Garza.  Garza had monster numbers against the Southern Jaguars on Friday, going off for 41 points (36 in the first half!) on a 14-15 shooting effort including 3 of 3 from deep and 10 of 12 from the charity stripe.  Ballo, nicknamed “Baby Shaq,” is a truly stout, bruising presence underneath and would be an awesome presence off the bench if his fundamentals and footwork improve.  He and/or Zakharov are likely going to have to step up and try to defend Garza at some point on December 19th or on December 2nd against Baylor should Timme or Watson get into foul trouble.  Though neither Ballo nor Zakharov is likely to become another shot-blocking machine like Brandon Clarke was two seasons ago, either could provide some rim protection that seems a bit lacking these first couple of games.     

Besides Jalen Suggs, the other two members of the “tricky trio” (the three incoming freshman to the Bulldog team who know each other well), Dominick Harris and Julian Strawther, weren’t much of a force in the opening contest, with just 5 minutes and no points between them.  They may, perhaps, get more press in newspapers and online than some of the starters as the two Gonzaga players who have been quarantined after a round of Covid testing prior to the game on Friday.  It’s suspected that Strawther may be positive for the virus and Harris in quarantine because of close contact as Strawther’s roommate.  Many articles have been critical of Gonzaga’s handling of a potentially dangerous situation—saying that any type of Covid issues should have been sufficient reason to stop play on Friday against Auburn—and that Strawther, as someone who played in the game on Friday, may have been contagious despite a negative test prior to the contest.  The fact of the matter is that Florida health officials and health officials from all teams present in the tournament gave the game on Black Friday the OK, and contractual obligations that went along with the Fort Myers Tip-Off included the leniency with Covid issues that allowed the game to go on despite the fact that sort of leniency might not have been afforded had they been in a different location.  As Mark Few put it:  “Everything was followed per the tournament, per Lee County and per the Florida health department.”  One hopes, of course, no further ill comes of the situation and that the two, very-talented young men will be ship-shape and back in uniform quickly.   

Barring any other Covid issues (fingers crossed) Gonzaga will face the undefeated (3-0) and now #11-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers on Wednesday.  The Mountaineers won the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic, with a convincing win against VCU and narrow wins against Western Kentucky and South Dakota State.  I predict Gonzaga will have little trouble finding their third win against West Virginia, provided the Bulldogs have all of their key players available.  I predict Gonzaga reaches the century mark again, beating the Mountaineers 105-82.  The game against the Baylor Bears (ranked #2) on Saturday is going to be another story.  Again, provided everyone has a full line-up and the game isn’t cancelled, I predict Gonzaga finds some extra incentive on the defensive end, holds the Bears to sub 35% from deep (they were over 55% from behind the arc against the Ragin Cajuns of Louisiana in a 112-82 rout and close to 45% in their spanking of the Washington Huskies, 86-52 on Sunday).  The Zags win with a lot of points coming from the free-throw line, 95-87.  Stay safe and Go Zags!!!         

~ Clark Karoses

As the dark portends of the Covid-19 pandemic spread over the end of the 2019-2020 college basketball season, Gonzaga Men’s Basketball was left sadly disappointed.  The WCC was one of the few conferences able to complete their tournament before everything was cancelled, and the Bulldogs secured another WCC tournament title by defeating the Saint Mary’s Gaels in Las Vegas, 84-66 on March 10th.  A sweet victory, for sure—but the players, coaches and fans were certainly looking forward to what that victory secured:  an automatic bid into what became the soon-to-be-cancelled NCAA tournament.  Covid brought the Zags’ very legitimate shot at an NCAA tournament title to an end last March.

It was the seniors, the graduate players, and those whose career paths’ involved stepping away from the team at the end of the season for whom the abrupt end to the season must have been particularly difficult.  I can’t help but wish a healthy Killian Tillie had had a chance to show off his super smooth long-range jumpers in an NCAA tournament to cap off his senior year.  I can’t help but want to have seen the two grad transfers from Texas, Admon Gilder and Ryan Woolridge, get a chance to have their veteran hard work for the Zags pay off in a deep run through the tournament field in late March.  And it’s a shame to have missed watching Filip Petrusev shine again as the bread and butter for the team down low, hauling in a few more double-doubles through some of the stiffest competition in college basketball.  It’s a shame we can only imagine what might have been.  The best we can do now is wish all these former Gonzaga basketball players the best in all their future endeavors.  Bittersweet as the 2019-2020 season was, many of those who had to go will be playing basketball professionally in Europe and/or the NBA so we can cheer their efforts elsewhere.

Besides well-wishing, we fans need to give thanks.  Thanks because the wait is finally over and college basketball is about to start up again—appropriately so, on Thanksgiving for Gonzaga.  Though Covid continues to add uncertainty to schedules all over the country, college basketball has begun—today!  And if you’re a Gonzaga fan, this 2020-2021 basketball team is something to really look forward to watching—and is set to face a number of daunting, highly-ranked non-conference opponents in November and December.  With a truly challenging Thanksgiving season opener against #6 Kansas, followed by Auburn on Black Friday, the Zags are also slated to face Baylor (either #1 or #2 in the rankings), Iowa (around #5),  and West Virginia (#15)—as well as a number of unranked foes in Spokane this December.  Mark Few’s “We’ll play anybody, anywhere” attitude has truly come to its fruition this winter.

The question on many people’s minds:  Does Gonzaga have the fire power to face up to that sort of a gauntlet and come out of 2020 still on top?  The answer, many sportswriters agree, is Yes.  It is with good reason many polls have the Zags at or near the top spot in the country.  Losing premier players like Killian Tillie, and last years’ team leader in both scoring and rebounding, Filip Petrusev is never easy, but the Zags have some excellent grounding down low again this season.  Drew Timme showed some serious mettle as a freshman last year when he was forced into a leading role, averaging nearly 10 points in 20 minutes per game.  Timme will likely have a break-out season as perhaps Mark Few’s premier choice in what may be a hydra-headed Gonzaga frontcourt.  

Few’s other options down low include Anton Watson who, though he showed early potential as an offensive weapon as well as a defensive specialist, missed the majority of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery.  Many predict the now healthy Watson will start at power forward for Gonzaga and there’s a good deal of excitement behind that possibility—having seen hints of the basketball genius, skill and athleticism this Spokane local displayed last year.  Having gained a year of tutelage in Gonzaga’s redshirt program, the young but “growed-up” Oumar Ballo, nicknamed “Baby-Shaq,” will also likely see some minutes on the court down low, especially when a tough, bruising presence is required inside.  Freshman Julian Strawther, who Andy Patton calls “a certified bucket getter” may see minutes as well down low when Gonzaga opts to go “small.”  The 6’7”, uber-athletic and uber-versatile newbie may have trouble finding minutes in Few’s often limited rotation, but with the number of great options Few has on the team this year, perhaps that narrow circle of players getting minutes might widen a bit.  Pavel Zakharov, a 6’11” sophomore who played more of a classic center role in limited minutes last year, may also find minutes in the lineup.  The gist of all this:  Gonzaga’s deep.

That depth doesn’t stop there.  The backcourt is crazy DEEP!  The premier added jewel this season is freshman point-guard Jalen Suggs.  As the most highly-raked (around #5) recruit in Gonzaga’s history, and an all-but-certain one-and-done before moving on to the NBA, Suggs is going to get a lot of attention this season.  Whether he can live up to all the hype is something to be seen, but there’s no doubt that the potential for greatness is alive in this young man who is likely going to be able to drive, dish, dunk, shoot and defend with the best of them.  And we’re excited to see him carve, dish it up and chow down on turkey day!  The Zags have two excellent choices as backup point guard should Suggs require a breather, find foul trouble, or be otherwise troubled.  It was recently announced that Andrew Nembhard, a highly prized transfer from Florida, is eligible to play for Gonzaga this season.  With success and experience against some of the best programs in the country, averaging nearly 10 points and 6 assists per game in his two seasons at Florida, Nembhard is an added gem to the crown of riches in Gonzaga’s backcourt.  

Aaron Cook, a graduate transfer from Southern Illinois is another.  Cook displayed offensive talents last year as the Salukis’ leading scorer and assister at point guard before breaking his hand in a game against Murray State.  Besides prodigious offensive skills, Cook is especially touted as a defensive specialist who racks up steals—and a lot of folks, including Mark Few, are talking up his game.  Whether he’s coming off the bench for Suggs, Kispert or Ayayi, Cook may be one of the primers (along with Anton Watson and company) behind an even more dangerous Gonzaga team that asserts its presence on both ends of the court equally well.

Corey Kispert, after an extremely successful Junior campaign, steps into the definitive role of veteran leader of the team as the only senior starter.  Look for the sharpshooter to expand his game even further—not only shooting accurately from everywhere (nearly 44% from deep last season) on the offensive end, but driving to the hoop more frequently, dishing the ball more adeptly and stepping it up on the defensive end.  He and fellow veteran and backcourt starter, Joel Ayayi (both of whom entertained the possibility to heading to the NBA last year) will be the inspiration for many of the youthful, talented Zags.  A native of France, Ayayi was particularly adept at racking up all manner of statistics last year.  An excellent scorer and rebounder, Ayayi found double-double numbers in a few contests and was just a few assists short of getting a triple double in a few.  Ayayi is an electrifying presence all over the court and will no doubt anchor the backcourt with Veteran leadership along with Kispert.

This year’s Bulldog team, while it will definitely have characteristics of Few’s teams in former years, seems to have the potential to do things Zag fans aren’t accustomed to.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Gonzaga experiments with full court defensive pressure on a regular basis.  Speaking of defense, I suspect the Zags (not always known for their defense) might become a smothering presence on their opponents’ end.  On the offensive end they will continue to lead the nation.  I also suspect Mark Few, with almost an embarrassment of riches, will mix up his line up more often and find minutes for as many as 10 to 13 players.  Whatever happens, it’s gonna be exciting!  Happy Thanksgiving!!  Go Zags!!!       

~ Clark Karoses                                     

Zag Nation saw some great stuff last week in Spokane—a lot even before the basketball games even started.  On Thursday night, before the men’s basketball game against San Diego, Adam Morrison’s legendary career with the Bulldogs was honored—and his name and number were given a nice spot on the wall of the McCarthy Athletic Center.  On Saturday night, before the game against Saint Mary’s, Gonzaga honored all its exiting seniors on the squad.  Killian Tillie, of course, was first and foremost in a lot of fans’ hearts as an outstanding, long-time member of the team.  The graduate transfers from Texas, Admon Gilder and Ryan Woolridge, who have been nothing short of outstanding this season and whose eligibility will end after the season is over were honored as well.  In an emotionally charged moment, the senior team captain Mac Gaff was honored as well.  Gaff, who suffered a paralyzing hunting accident when he was 17 and is often seen on Gonzaga’s sideline in a wheelchair, walked out onto the court with only the aid of a front-wheel walker to receive his senior honors.  In addition, a player who would have been a senior this year had he not been picked in the single digits of the first round of the NBA draft last year, decided to grace the court with his giant smile again to help honor his beloved fellow Bulldogs.  Rui Hachimura took a break from his busy NBA schedule to give Spokane a great big hug.  Oh yea, and there were also a couple of basketball games as well.

And the good stuff kept coming after the pregame festivities and celebrations.  After having a very difficult night against BYU the week before last, we saw Gonzaga in good form on both ends of the court, especially on offense.  We saw Corey Kispert (who went 1 for 10 from deep in Provo) hit a shot from NBA-range right in front of the Gonzaga bench and close enough to Mark Few that his coach could have whispered to him in the deafening building.  On the defensive end, Kispert completed what my high-school coach used to call “the greatest play you can make in basketball” by taking a charge against San Diego and two more against Saint Mary’s.  Killian Tillie, the focus of the senior honoring ceremonies on Saturday, continued to be uber-efficient on the offensive end and a force to be reckoned with on defense while Joel Ayayi showed ever stronger signs that he may be back on track to being the all-stat-gathering weapon he’d been before going on a bit of a slump earlier in February.  All of this is boding extremely well for a team that is gearing up to take on all comers in March—first and foremost 2 opponents in the WCC tournament—San Francisco on Monday and then all hopes set on a rematch with BYU in the WCC tournament title game on Tuesday should both teams win their semi-final matchups.

Against San Diego on Thursday night, 6 of the 7 players I call “the Fab 7” (the seven who garner almost all the minutes of play in Gonzaga’s slim rotation) shot 50% or higher from the field.  Filip Petrusev, who led scoring in both games went 9 for 17 on Thursday to earn his 21 points.  He also gathered a game-high 9 rebounds for the Bulldogs, 5 of those offensive boards.  Petrusev shared high-rebounding honors for the Zags with Drew Timme on Thursday who had 9 as well and added two blocks to his 7 points.  The rebounding numbers were very well in the Zags favor on Thursday.  Every Bulldog starter as well as Timme had at least 6 rebounds—and Gonzaga almost doubled the Torreros total rebounding numbers with 51 to SD’s 27 (18 offensive rebounds for GU, 6 for SD).  Tillie (12 points), Kispert (16 points) and Ayayi (9 points) all had 6 rebounds and shot well from deep—Tillie going 2 of 3 from beyond the arc, Kispert 2 of 5 and Ayayi 1 of 1. 

Perhaps it was Ryan Woolridge who had the most impressive game from his point guard position Thursday night for Gonzaga.  He shot 4 of 5 from the field, including 1 of 2 from deep, 6 of 7 from the free-throw line, adding 7 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal to his 15 points.  Admon Gilder was the lone member of the Fab 7 who shot just under 50%, going 5 for 11 from the field to garner 12 points.  He hit another of his first-half-closing 3-point baskets to bring the crowd to their feet if they weren’t there already.  As time was ticking down, Drew Timme had the ball near the middle of the court and when he dribbled toward the basket and the top of the key, Gilder trailed about 8 feet behind.  After Timme dragged defenders from the top of the key toward the paint, he shoveled the ball back to Gilder who nailed the straight-on 3-point shot to put the Zags up 46-34 going into the locker-room at half.  They outdid that first half in the second by putting up 48 more and holding the Torreros to just 25—finishing with a score of 94-59.

Though the Zags didn’t pull off the dominant performance they had the last time they played Saint Mary’s in Moraga, where the Zags won 90-60 in a just plain bonkers night in terms of offensive efficiency and defensive effectiveness for the Bulldogs—they did have some outstanding numbers in Spokane last Saturday as well.  The Bulldogs shot a sizzling 59.3% from the field and 53.8% from beyond the arc—as well as 15 for 18 from the free throw line for another of their more common 80% + nights at the charity stripe.  Filip Petrusev has gotten some flak at times this season for not being physical enough under the basket.  If he truly hasn’t been physical enough this season—a criticism I find it very difficult to agree with—then last week was definitely an exception to the norm.  Petrusev was 8 for 12 from the field against the Gaels, 11 for 13 at the free throw line, adding 6 rebounds (3 offensive) and 3 assists to his team-leading 27 points. 

In response to the criticism lodged against Petrusev’s play , I would say that the young, native Serbian continues to play with more strength and confidence with each week—a fact that bodes very well as March Madness comes soon and a potential rematch with Yoeli Childs and BYU in the WCC Championship is just a day away.  Last week he flexed his muscle down low on a regular basis, converting numerous and-1 opportunities as multiple defenders tried in vain to stop him.  When Admon Gilder missed a floater through the lane against the Gaels, Petrusev was able to gather the rebound in the middle of three defenders, gather and score despite one of the defenders holding his arm.  The Zags leading scorer and WCC Player of the Year (as well as one of the 5 finalists for the Wooden Award), Petrusev also showed smarts on the block when he drew multiple defenders and kicking the ball out on more than one occasion to teammates like the hot-handed Corey Kispert for a 3. 

If Corey Kispert (recently named to the list of 5 Julius Erving Award finalists) made a strong showing of the fact that he was no longer in a slump in the game against San Diego, he went even further to show absolute excellence against Saint Mary’s.  Going 4 for 5 from deep, and using a variety of spots on the floor to score from, Kispert joined Petrusev in the 20 points or over club with 20 himself, adding 5 rebounds and a block as well.  He and Killian Tillie’s defense against the very dangerous Malik Fitts was a decisive factor in the 86-76 victory over the Gaels.
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It was only after solving a few issues at halftime that Gonzaga was able to pull away from Saint Mary’s—the teams walking into the locker room at halftime in a 34-34 tie.  One of the problems was that Jordan Ford, the uber-talented veteran point guard for the Gaels, was being given a bit too much space.  Ryan Woolridge was regularly ducking under screens when they were given up top by Ford’s teammates, often allowing Ford to have a bit of space to shoot from deep.  Needless to say, Woolridge got burned a number of times—to the tune of 28 points for the Gaels’ high scorer.  Luckily Ford didn’t go off like he did last night in the Quarterfinals of the WCC tournament where he gathered 42 points in a double-overtime win over Pepperdine, hitting a crazy, pivot and shoot 3-pointer with both the shot clock and the game clock counting down in the second overtime to put the game out of reach for Pepperdine despite 43 points from one of the few guys in the WCC—or anywhere for that matter—who can match Ford’s effectiveness at point guard, the Waves’ Colbey Ross.   

In the second half of the Zags game versus Saint Mary’s, Admon Gilder inherited the defensive assignment on Ford, with what must have been the express instruction from Mark Few to not worry about helping on defense against any other players—and to just stay in Ford’s grill the whole time.  This was an excellent adjustment and Ford’s lackluster 2nd half was a testament to Gilder’s hard work and excellence on defense.  Gonzaga found that Saint Mary’s offense just doesn’t work at all well without Ford and were able to pull away for the victory by just over single digits:  86-76. 
Tillie had another uber-efficient night with his 6 for 8 performance shooting, 1 for 1 from deep, adding 4 rebounds and 4 assists to his 13 points.  But Joel Ayayi may have topped him in efficiency and stats in the game as he shot 4 for 5 from the field, 2 for 3 from beyond the arc, and added 8 rebounds 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block to his 12 points.  Tillie’s sustained health and growing confidence on the court and Ayayi’s reemergence as a go-to on both ends of the court are great signs for Gonzaga coming into the WCC tournament on Monday.

While no one should count their chickens before they hatch, the game a whole lot of the country wants to see is Gonzaga vs. BYU in the WCC tournament championship game.  A lot of the other teams and their fans, I suspect, want to see just how good both the teams are—and spoiler alert—they’re both really, really good.  Of course Gonzaga has to beat a San Francisco team in the semifinals that has consistently challenged them on both ends of the court—scaring Zag players and fans for a full half last game they played—and throughout the whole contest the game before that in SF when the Zags, low on bodies minus Tillie, were down by double digits in the first half.  BYU has to beat a very challenging Saint Mary’s team that showed stunning poise in the midst of adversity and has been a nemesis to the Cougars this year, handing BYU a loss on January 9th and almost doing it again in February when BYU came out on top of their second meeting by a slim 2 points. 

My prediction is that Gonzaga and BYU win on Monday.  Gonzaga, 87-66 over San Franicisco due to a couple very effective fine adjustments Mark Few cooks up to flummox the Dons and an excited and well-rested bunch of Bulldogs.  Against BYU, I predict a close, fast-paced game—but a game in which Gonzaga finds the right strategy to limit Childs to 20 or less points and finds the Cougars shooters before they can hit the all the 3’s they hit last time the two teams played.  I’m going to venture a score of 91-83, Gonzaga wins and punches their ticket early.  BYU gets a bid, of course.  And Saint Mary’s sweats a bit, but gets in as well.  And maybe we see two WCC teams play in the big dance somewhere down the road.  Wouldn’t that be a hoot!  Good luck to all the WCC teams in the NCAA tournament, especially, of course, Gonzaga.  Have a great Champs Week folks and a great March!!  GO ZAGS!!!     

~ Clark Karoses

Last week was a tough one for the Gonzaga Men’s Basketball team.  Both games they played saw the team challenged all over the court and in every aspect of the game.  The Zags were able to overcome perhaps the worst half of basketball they’ve played this season against a very good San Francisco Dons team, and emerge triumphant last Thursday night at home.  Two days later, against one of the most difficult teams in college basketball to play on the road these days, the Bulldogs weren’t so lucky.  Hot-handed BYU overwhelmed the ice-cold Bulldogs with a barrage of 3-pointers from deep and strength inside to win on their home court in front of a raucous, elated crowd that stormed the court as time expired to celebrate the surging Cougars’ win.

Both of last week’s games had a very similar feel at halftime.  Not much was working for Gonzaga and down by just under 10 points in each contest, the Zags needed some help to get back in the game when play resumed.  Against San Francisco, that deficit wasn’t the result of poor defense, as the Bulldogs held the Dons to 31 points in the first half.  The problem was that the nation’s #1 offense floundered badly in Spokane and found itself disrupted or stagnant at every turn.  In the face of the Dons’ defensive pressure, the Zags could muster only a season-low 22 points in the first half.  Though the offense was sputtering and struggling in a similar way against BYU, the Zags were able to come up with 38 points by half.  The defense, though, couldn’t contain the Cougars inside or from beyond the arc where BYU was just starting to heat up.  In Provo, the teams went into their locker rooms with a score of 38-46 at halftime on Saturday.

Over the years of watching Gonzaga play I’ve learned not to despair when the Bulldogs are down by single digits at half.  Being down is always a reason for concern, of course, but being down by single digits with a half left to play is never a place to panic when you have a great coaching staff.  Time and time again I’ve seen the team make the necessary adjustments to right the ship and turn the tables around in the 2nd.  That was the case against San Francisco on Thursday as Gonzaga used a 24-2 run when play resumed to completely flip the script and turn a 22-31, 9-point deficit into a 46-33 double-digit lead after the first 10 minutes of play.

Though Joel Ayayi continued to struggle having effectiveness on the court, mustering just 4 points and 4 rebounds against the Dons, the other 4 starters for Gonzaga turned the lean pickings of the first half into a 49-point feast in the 2nd.  Getting the start after sitting out the last few games with ankle trouble, Killian Tillie went on a rampage with a 10 for 13 effort shooting from the field, including 1 for 2 from deep, adding 9 rebounds to his 22 points.  The Zags leading scorer, Filip Petrusev, tracked down 7 rebounds and scored 16 agaisnt SF.

In the Zag’s backcourt, Ryan Woolridge continued his humble effectiveness against San Francisco, picking up a bit of everything in his stat line on Thursday by shooting 4 for 7 from the field and 1 of 3 from deep, adding 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals (!) to his 12 points.  He’s one of Gonzaga’s premier defenders and showed some of his best D against the Dons.  The 71-54 win was a Jekkyl and Hyde game offensively (or, rather, Hyde and Jekkyl), but Gonzaga’s defense was consistently able to hold a decent offensive team to just 54 on the night, including just 23 in the 2nd half.

Corey Kispert found his touch from beyond the arc Thursday night, going 3 for 5 from deep to round out his 11 points and 5 rebounds.  While Kispert did find the hoop on occasion against BYU on Saturday, gathering 16 points on the night, it was rarely from so far away.  A 43.3% shooter from 3-point range on average this season, he shot just 1-10 from beyond the arc in Provo.  As a team, the Zags were a dismal 20% from deep on the night in a 5 for 25 effort—one of the the main reasons Gonzaga couldn’t get the win on the road and fell to BYU by a score of 78-91.

Though Tillie and Petrusev reached double Digits in points against the Cougars, getting 18 and 14 respectively, neither found many rebounds as they combined for just 5.  Nor could the big men find ways to stop BYU’s Yoeli Childs who dominated in the paint, coming away with 28 points and 10 rebounds.  Besides the difficulty handling Childs down low, Gonzaga’s defense as a whole couldn’t get enough hand in the faces of the Cougars’ shooters who ended up averaging over 41% on the night from deep—highlighted by Jake Toolson’s 5 for 8 effort.  The Zags poor performance on both ends was further complicated by 14 turnovers, compared to just 10 for BYU.

Gonzaga did show some fight in the middle of the second half as they whittled the BYU lead down to 2, at 68-70 after Drew Timme made a lay-up with 7:56 left in the game—and it seemed like the Bulldogs might overtake the Cougars down the stretch.  But the overtaking part didn’t materialize as the shots just wouldn’t fall.  In a game that Mark Few summed up by saying:  “We were out-toughed in all phases of the game,” one thing that looked good for the Bulldogs was their performance from the free throw line.  The Zags shot 23-28 from the charity stripe in Provo while facing a very loud, and very boisterous crowd for a rare +80% performance.  Both Tillie and Petrusev shot a lot of those free throws and both missed only one each.  In contrast, despite the considerable win at SF, the Zags shot 8-15 for 53.3% from the line in Spokane, Thursday night.

Having split the two games with BYU during WCC play so far may not have a huge effect on Gonzaga’s placement in any of the upcoming tournaments, provided they come up with wins this coming week and in the WCC tournament.  In most polls, the Bulldogs slipped just one slot as a result of the loss, falling from #2 to #3.  Saturday was a serious bummer, no doubt about it, with a lot of winning streaks broken and feelings hurt and such.  And of all the opponents in the WCC, I hate to see Gonzaga lose to BYU the most.  There may, however, be a silver lining around the dark cloud hovering over Zag Nation.  The Bulldogs are very likely going to get a chance at redemption in just a few short weeks.

While it’s not a lock since both Gonzaga and BYU are going to have to win at least one game in the WCC tournament in order to see each other in the final, as the likely #1 and #2 seeds, provided they actually earn that seeding with their upcoming play this week, they would both receive a double-bye on the way toward the possibility of a rematch.  That could all shake out differently if WCC play goes awry from what I think will happen this week, but it is a distinct possibility.  I, for one, am hoping beyond hope—and I believe all the Gonzaga players and fans are as well—that the title game for the WCC tournament in Las Vegas will be a face-off between BYU and Gonzaga.  The tournament runs from March 5-10 and my guess is that every game is going to be a good one because when you’re playing for a punched ticket to the NCAA tournament even the hard luck teams can step up mightily.

I’m not sure if this qualifies as a silver lining, but I’m gonna put it out there anyway.  Taking too-long of a winning streak into the NCAA tournament could have been a bad thing for Gonzaga.  I know it’s a stretch of logic, but perhaps losing right now isn’t such a bad thing.  A bit of humility coming from a loss, I think, could go a long way for a team that has had some easy sailing in realizing what sort of effort and intensity is necessary to win over and over again against the best of the best in March Madness.  Gonzaga certainly got some humble pie on Saturday.  And hopefully you can assume with me that being knocked down a bit could provide the impetus to start a fire at just the right time that might not have been there if they’d gone on winning.  The fervent goal of upending BYU in the WCC tournament final, if that game happens, is going to be a challenge similar to the challenges the Zags will soon face in each set of games in the Big Dance.  I hope it happens.  I really, really hope it happens. 

First, however, Gonzaga has to take out some frustration in games against San Diego this Thursday and Saint Mary’s on Saturday—both to be played at home in The Kennel.  And though the Zags already beat both of these teams by 30 or more in the contests played on each of their home courts in California, nothing is going to be given easily—especially this time of year.  Though my predictions haven’t been stellar lately, I’ll give you a couple anyway:  Gonzaga wins both.  Against San Diego:  93-67.  Against Saint Mary’s:  91-77.  Have a great weekend and GO ZAGS!!!   

​~ Clark Karoses

The Gonzaga Men’s Basketball team’s two wins against the Pepperdine Waves this season haven’t been easy by any means—they’ve been a couple of grinders.  With a record of 14-13 on the season and 7-6 in WCC play, Pepperdine is a much better team than their record lets on—and head coach Lorenzo Romar and his assistants cooked up a good strategy against Gonzaga in both contests to keep the game close enough to threaten the #2 Zags last Saturday in Malibu, as well as nearly pull off a substantial upset in Spokane earlier in WCC play on January 4th.  Games like these are exactly what Gonzaga needs to help prepare for the challenges of the postseason in March.
In that first meeting between the Bulldogs and the Waves we saw Killian Tillie in great form, coming up with 20 points and a potentially game-saving block in the waning seconds to power the Zags to a 75-70 victory.  Filip Petrusev had his first double-double of the new year in that contest with his 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Joel Ayayi showed up in a big way by shooting 5 for 7 from the floor, including 2 for 4 from deep to round out his 12 points nicely. 

Despite some strong offensive performances on Gonzaga’s end, Pepperdine’s pressure defense threw the Bulldogs into fits in that 1st meeting—to the tune of 17 turnovers and a scoreless game for the Zags’ starting point guard, Ryan Woolridge.  Good defense, and a combined 38 points for Pepperdine’s Colbey Ross and Kameron Edwards almost spelled disaster in the Kennel that night.  Luckily the team was able to outrebound Pepperdine 39-30, cause 15 Waves turnovers, and make a couple key plays down the stretch to put that one on ice in Gonzaga’s favor. 
Last Saturday’s contest ended up being somewhat similar to the first as Pepperdine came out with some good pressure defense, caused a number of early Bulldog turnovers, and kept the score very close through a majority of the game.  It differed from the previous meeting in that there was no Killian Tillie—and despite that fact there wasn’t much drama at the end.  In response to Pepperdine’s pressure on defense, Gonzaga went early and often to its bread and butter down low, especially to Filip Petrusev.

Coming off a game against Saint Mary’s the week before in which he and his frontcourt teammate, Drew Timme, had double-doubles (Timme with 20 points and 10 rebounds, Petrusev with 18 points and 11 rebounds), the native-Serbian came out strong with 20 of the Zags 40 points in the first half.  Petrusev finished with another double-double in the game with 27 points and 12 rebounds—though not with quite as efficient a shooting percentage as his 56.8% average for the season in a 9 for 20 effort. 

Many of Pepperdine’s 20 fouls were given in an effort to stop Petrusev.  Even fouls didn’t stop Gonzaga’s leading scorer as he converted numerous and-1 opportunities and ended up a very decent 9 for 13 from the foul line.  Though the Zags’ freshman rising star in the frontcourt, Drew Timme, didn’t best his career high scoring against Pepperdine like he did with his 20 against the Gaels a week earlier, he shot more efficiently than any other Zag from the field in a 4 for 6 effort to earn 10 points and boost his shooting percentage to 62.3% on the season.

Corey Kispert was a star again in Gonzaga’s backcourt, shooting 5 for 8 from beyond the arc and adding 6 rebounds and 5 assists to his 19 points.  Despite all these strong efforts in Malibu, it did take Gonzaga three-quarters of the game to finally pull into a comfortable, double-digit lead.  The Bulldogs took a slender 40-36 lead into the locker room at halftime, compared to the earlier game in Spokane where the score was tied at the break, 37-37.  It also took a full half last Saturday for Joel Ayayi to get going on offense.  Held scoreless in the first half and struggling to connect from deep, Ayayi came up with 11 points in the 2nd half and added 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals to his stat line.

Much like the first contest, last Saturday saw Colbey Ross and Kameron Edwards coming up big for Pepperdine with 23 and 22 points respectively.  But it’s hard to beat a team with the kind of balance we see from Gonzaga where all 7 of the players who play a significant number of minutes average double digits scoring.  And despite the fact one of the better of those 7 was sitting on the bench, all 6 of the others reached double digits against the Waves in Malibu as well.  Ryan Woolridge, who was held scoreless in the last meeting of these teams, earned 10 points and helped Gonzaga best Pepperdine on the boards by grabbing 8 himself.  The Bulldogs ultimately won the battle on the glass by coming up with 39 total rebounds to Pepperdine’s 32, and 10 offensive rebounds to the Waves’ 7.  Woolridge’s fellow graduate transfer from Texas, Admon Gilder continued his humble excellence as well, going 1 of 2 from deep and 4 of 4 from the charity stipe to reach 11 points, and adding 5 assists to Gonzaga’s 20 assists for the game. 

Martynas Arlauskas made an appearance in the game early for about 8 minutes, and got another opportunity to find his pacing and his legs.  As the 8th Zag in a tight, essentially 7-man rotation, his ability to contribute in some way could become very important in games where the already slim Gonzaga lineup is further thinned by foul trouble or injury.  Tillie’s difficulty lately with stringing together more than 2 or 3 games in a row before having to sit two or more out is worrisome to say the least.  His dominant presence on both ends of the court is going to be helpful if not essential to the Bulldogs’ high hopes of finding themselves in the Sweet 16, the Elite 8, the Final 4 and hopefully the title game this season.

Before we go looking too far ahead, however, Gonzaga still has a slate of games in February to finish up.  San Francisco comes to Spokane on Thursday of this week, followed by a trip to Provo to face the now #23 BYU Cougars on Saturday—both available to a national audience on ESPN2.  Both will be serious challenges, and if the Zags are still sans Tillie, they’re going to be downright difficult.

Last time the Bulldogs faced off against the Dons in San Francisco, the game went down to the wire with Corey Kispert putting on his hero cape and scoring 5 points in the last 2 minutes to lead the Zags to a very narrow 83-79 victory.  If it’s a six-man rotation for Gonzaga minus Tillie, like it was in San Francisco, we could see much the same—a very close game.  Despite the fact that Gonzaga sailed past BYU, 92-69 in the Kennel during their first meeting this season, I’m even more concerned about that game on Saturday than I am about the one at home against SF.  In the first meeting between GU and BYU, Yoeli Childs, the Cougars’ star forward and leading scorer with 20.7 points per game, was sitting out with a hand injury.

I don’t expect easy sailing this time in Provo with Childs playing some great basketball of late and the Cougars having won 6-straight, including particularly strong wins against Pepperdine, 107-90, and San Francisco, 90-76.  BYU is going to want to win this one badly to both stay in the top 25, punch the teams ticket to the big dance, and get some revenge against the Bulldogs who have embarrassed them in Provo and Spokane multiple times in the last few years.  This cat and dog fight is one you shouldn’t miss.

I’ve got separate predictions for both games depending on whether Killian Tillie is going to be playing or not.  If he’s tweaked his ankle really good, I suspect Gonzaga will keep him on the bench against the Dons and leave it to the might 6 to take care of business against San Franscisco.  It’s just as likely, though, that he’ll play in both and I sincerely hope so.  If Tillie doesn’t play I say Gonzaga doesn’t quite control the game, but uses the energy of the home crowd to stay comfortably on top, pulling away at the end.  My guess is 88-77.  If Tillie plays in good form it won’t be as pretty:  95-69.  If Tille doesn’t play against BYU, Gonzaga edges past the Cougars despite the hostile crowd 91-87.  If Tillie plays against BYU, I think we win by double digits and we reach triple digits: 104-71.  Those numbers may be a little inflated by love, but I’ll stick by them.                    

I don’t know if you’ve heard the news, but the Gonzaga Men’s Basketball team is really flippin’ good this season and they’re only getting better.  If their 11-0 record in WCC play and their 25-1 record for the season hasn’t convinced you yet, maybe this last week of play will.  In the week prior to last, with a rotation whittled down to 6 main players after losing Killian Tillie to an ankle sprain, the Zags were supremely tested.  The team responded with some serious mettle in the midst of adversity—especially on the road against San Francisco on February 1st where the Bulldogs won by a narrow 4 points thanks to Corey Kispert’s heroics late in the game. Gonzaga kept Tillie on the bench for the first of last week’s games against the Loyola Marymount Lions as well.  That proved to be a good decision, as the Zags were able to travel to Moraga with a somewhat well-healed Tillie to face the Saint Mary’s Gaels.  In the first meeting of the two teams since the Gaels beat the then #1 Bulldogs 60-47 in the WCC tournament final in March 2019, Saint Mary’s took the brunt of Gonzaga’s fiery wrath.  The Zags handed the Gaels their worst loss at home since 2001 with a 90-60 victory, and let out a triumphant, bellowing bark that was heard nationwide on ESPN.

Gonzaga’s game last Thursday night, with Tillie on the bench resting his ankle, saw 5 of the 6 main players for the Zags picking Lions’ pockets, and accounting for 13 steals.  Filip Petrusev was the only starter without a steal, while Corey Kispert grabbed 5, Drew Timme added 3, Joel Ayayi stole 3 more and Ryan Woolridge and Admon Gilder pilfered 1 a-piece.  One of the few downsides on the night for the Bulldogs was the fact that the Lions were able to get 9 steals themselves and cause 12 Gonzaga turnovers.  But the Zags were able to capitalize on 17 LMU turnovers in a big way—especially on the more and more common quick pushes in transition from the defensive end to the offensive one resulting in lay ups or dunks.  Those quick pushes and sometimes easy baskets helped boost the Zags shooting numbers on the night, as the Bulldogs finished shooting 60% on a 30 for 50 effort, including a decent 7 of 20 from beyond the arc for 35%.  That was good enough for a well-earned victory at home that saw Gonzaga up by a slim 8 at halftime, but able to extend that lead considerably in the 2nd half by as much as 28 before finishing with a score of 85-67
 
Gonzaga’s bigs, especially, were rolling against LMU.  In the absence of Tillie, we saw the freshman native of Texas, Drew Timme, start the game and reassert his excellence on both ends of the court. Filip Petrusev, the other anchor down low for the team, has simply been money down low from day 1 this season and was no different on Thursday night.  Both forwards missed only 1 field goal each in the game against the Lions: Timme on an 8 for 9 effort shooting, Petrusev at 5 for 6. Timme added 8 rebounds and 2 assists to his 17 points, while Petrusev added 6 rebounds to his 21 points—getting a lot of those at the free throw line in an 11 for 15 effort.

Besides stealing the night away on defense Thursday, the backcourt for Gonzaga was outstanding on their offensive end as well.  Joel Ayayi had the only difficult week, getting just 5 points and 3 rebounds against LMU and 5 rebounds and a single 3-point basket against Saint Mary’s to open up scoring on Saturday night.  Kispert and Gilder picked up the slack against LMU, both shooting 50% from deep on mutual 3 for 6 efforts, adding 11 and 17 points respectively.

Gilder’s fellow graduate transfer from Texas on the team, Ryan Woolridge (Gilder from Texas A&M, and Woolridge from North Texas University) has been absolutely on point at point—and he was phenomenal again this week.  He was 5 for 7 shooting against both LMU and Saint Mary’s, adding 12 and 11 points respectively.  In addition to his lightning-quick drives to the hoop and acrobatic finishes at the rim, I thought one of his 7 assists for the week was particularly noteworthy.  Against LMU, after Ayayi was able to poke the ball away on D, and get it upcourt to Woolridge, Ryan crossed the ball over to avoid a defender at half court and seeing a streaking Petrusev sent a bullet pass from halfcourt perfectly between defenders, hitting Filip in stride for a monster dunk without even a dribble. 

Both of the graduate, native-Texan guards have been devastating for opponents on both ends of the court and the Lions and Gaels found that out the hard way.  The two continued their thieving ways against Saint Mary’s by getting 3 steals each, and succeeded in doing more than their parts to further stifle the Gael’s offense.  Gilder made those steals count, especially when he found Woolridge streaking down the court after making them, which was a common occurrence on Saturday.  Woolridge had, about midway through the second half against SM, a 7-0 scoring run by himself—scoring an and-1 basket after an acrobatic finish at the rim and then two lay-ups—the first off a steal by Gilder who sent an alley-oop at the Zags rim his way, and the second off a steal of his own that Woolridge was able to dribble in for an easy finish on the other end.  Though Gilder had a more subdued scoring night against the Gaels, going 3 for 6 shooting, adding 3 rebounds, 5 assists and a block to his 7 points—his one 3-pointer came off an assist from a driving Woolridge who took the defense with him toward the basket and left the ball for Gilder in the right corner in front of the Gaels’ bench, hitting the shot as time expired in the first half to put Gonzaga up by a back-breaking margin of 53-28. 

Against Saint Mary’s we saw what every true Zag fan has been waiting anxiously for in the previous 3 games:  the ever-so-welcome return of Killian Tille, aka: KT, aka: Godzilla.  KT was coming back from a nasty ankle sprain suffered the Thursday prior to the LMU game when the Zags were playing Santa Clara.  After a good week and a half without playing, Tillie went on another tear on both ends of the court Saturday.  In 25 minutes Tillie helped suffocate the Gaels’ offense with his hustle and strong position on defense, and crushed them on his own offensive end by going 7 of 10 shooting, 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, adding 2 rebounds and an assist to his 19 points.  He shared defensive responsibilities on the very dangerous Malik Fitts with his fellow veteran-Zag on the team, Corey Kispert.  Together, they helped limit Fitts to just 12 points in the contest.  Kispert continued his humble excellence on offense as well, taking only the best shots and sinking 2 for 4 from deep, 4 for 7 overall, adding 2 assists to his 10 points.

Seeing Tillie pick up where he left off with another performance over or near 20 points was a blessing for Zag Nation fans.  But it was Tillie’s absence that has allowed for another Godzilla-like candidate to further emerge out of the deep—boding very well, I think, for Gonzaga’s post-season hopes.  When Tillie was injured against Santa Clara, freshman Drew Timme more than just stepped in to fill the void.  For a good portion of the season, Timme has been getting considerable play as a sub for either Tillie or Petrusev in the front court and doing quite well off the bench.  As a starter against San Francisco on February 1st, and last Thursday against LMU, he was outstanding.  He earned player of the game honors in the very tight contest at SF, where he scored 19, added 3 blocks and shot a very cool, collected 7 for 8 from the foul line to help seal the win. 

We already mentioned his 17 points and 8 rebounds against LMU, but he was able to eclipse both of those efforts off the bench against Saint Mary’s on Saturday in just 23 minutes of play.  Timme had a team-high and career-high 20 points on 7 for 8 shooting as well as a double-double with his 10 rebounds—3 of those on the offensive end where he always attacks the boards with gusto.  Though he has shown occasional difficulties from the free-throw line, Timme’s stroke there seems to be smoothing out and he was a perfect 6 for 6 in Moraga.  Not only is he the block leader for the team at the moment, he is one of 7 players (all 7 of the essentially 7-man rotation for the Zags) who is averaging in double digits scoring per game.  He and Ryan Woolridge are tied at the bottom of that list right now with 10.3 points per game. Last time I checked no team in college basketball had more than 5 players averaging in double digits. With balance like that, no wonder Gonzaga owns the #1 offense in the country.

At the top of the points per game list for the Zags, with 17.2, is Filip Petrusev—the Serbian native who also leads Gonzaga in rebounds with 7.9 per contest.  He had another stellar showing against Saint Mary’s, topping both averages and joining Timme on the double-double list with his 18 points and 11 rebounds.  Going 8 for 11 shooting and exhibiting a host of post moves, a very deft touch around the rim, as well as the ability to slam the ball home, Petrusev was outstanding once again.  He did, however, have an awkward moment that caught the attention of one of the ESPN announcers enough to play it back in slow motion.  In the play that happened about 7 minutes into the 2nd half, he was calling for the ball down low while sealing off a defender who was struggling to defend him.  He had good position it seemed, and when Gilder shot a 3 instead of passing to him in the post, he seemed to just walk away from the play in obvious frustration, ignoring the rebound and all that was happening around him. 

Keith Ybanez of The Slipper Still Fits very aptly called it a “little tantrum” and a “moment of madness”—finding it as inexcusable as I do. Petrusev has, at times this season, seemed to be a bit of a whiner.  Perhaps it’s his immaturity and/or ego getting the best of him.  It’s likely very difficult not to be egotistical when you’re as good as he is at his young age—and I’m willing to forgive his perhaps all-too-common complaints to the refs for fouls against his opponents when he should be running back on defense. But getting so frustrated with your own teammates that you walk away from a play that’s still going on is another matter altogether. Ybanez brings up the possibility that Petrusev was being held in the post (maybe he had been being held all night) and the frustration was with the ref, not Gilder.  Either way, that shit’s got to get set aside while dealing with the task at hand.  Whatever the case—let’s not do that anymore.  Zag Nation loves you and thinks you’re awesome, but you need to act like a GU Bulldog should act.  It seemed Mark Few pulled him from the game shortly thereafter and likely told him just that (probably without any of the kindness mixed in).  On a positive note, Petrusev added insult to injury by sinking a rare straight-away 3-pointer later in the game, during a series of 3 consecutive 3’s from the Zags’ Tillie, Petrusev and Kispert that stretched the lead to its widest margin of 88-54.

Just to give you a sense of how dominant the Zags were in this game:  1.  Gonzaga started the game by going 14 of 15 from the field, missing only one shot in the first 12 and a half minutes.  2.  GU shot 74% in the first half of play and finished near that mark at 67.9% on 36 makes in 53 attempts—including over 53.3% from beyond the arc on an 8 of 15 effort.  3.  GU went on a 22-2 run in the first half during which the Gaels were held without a basket for over 7 minutes, ending with the Zags up 34-12.  4.  I counted 5 and-1 baskets for the Zags, adding many 3's the hard way to their 3-point efforts from deep.  5.  The Bulldogs outrebounded the Gaels 33-23--and I won’t even complain about the 9 to 6 margin in favor of SM on the offensive boards since there’s very little chance to get offensive rebounds when you make so many shots.  6.  GU shot about 72% from the free throw line in both games this week and though that wouldn’t be reason for many teams to celebrate, it is for this team as the Bulldogs continue to improve their season average, having had 4-straight games over 70%. 

The complaint that can be made in both games concerns turnovers.  Against LMU, despite forcing 17 turnovers, the Zags gave up the ball 12 times.  In the first few minutes in Moraga, it was turnovers and sloppy play that kept the score close.  It’s surprising that a team who wins so convincingly can have 7 turnovers in the first 8 minutes of play.  Though Gonzaga caused 14 turnovers in the game, they gave the ball up 15 times.  That’s as much as I’ve got for complaints, though.  Gonzaga was simply dominant and as good as one could hope for in every other aspect of the game.  They were even better than I could hope for as I predicted they'd win by a score of 88-77--getting the Zags score pretty close but not expecting the defense to keep a very good Saint Mary's team from scoring more than 60 points. Despite the hefty loss, Saint Mary’s definitely has some dangerous folks on their squad.  Jordan Ford and Malik Fitts are very good players.  They showed moments of brilliance and were a combined 15 for 30 shooting from the field, scoring 23 and 12 points respectively.  They will have to be well accounted for when the Gaels travel up to Spokane to finish WCC play on the 29th of February.

Next on the slate in Gonzaga’s pursuit of WCC perfection is a road game against the Pepperdine Waves in Malibu.  Pepperdine gave the Zags a good run for their money during the last contest between the two teams in Spokane.  Killian Tillie scored 20 in that game and blocked Colbey Ross’s shot attempt that could have tied the game in the waning seconds—sealing a 5-point victory for Gonzaga 75-70.  Ross was very good in the game and both he and Kameron Edwards had double-doubles for the game—Edwards with 14 points and 10 rebounds, Ross with 24 points and 10 assists.  Though Tillie, Petrusev (16 points and 10 rebounds) and Ayayi (5 for 7 shooting and 2-4 from deep) played well in that game, the team struggled to come away with a narrow win at home.  This game is going to be a good gauge of how well the Zags have improved since early in January.  My guess is they’ve improved a great deal and they’re going to surf to a victory over the waves down in Malibu.  My guess: 88-63. 

P.S. I don't know if you've been paying any attention to what former Zag turned NBA-rookie Brandon Clarke has been doing with the Memphis Grizzlies and fellow NBA-rookie Ja Morant lately, but he had a career-high 27 points tonight against Portland.  Have a great weekend, and GO ZAGS!!!                   

~ Clark Karoses

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs weren’t the only team that had to muster some serious gumption to come from behind and find a way to win amid adversity last weekend.  The Gonzaga Men’s Basketball team took the show on the road to California last week—and what I’d expected and predicted to be smooth sailing in Santa Clara, and just a bit of a test in San Francisco turned into quite a test on Thursday night and a nail-biter Saturday afternoon that required Corey Kispert’s heroics late in the game to turn a considerable deficit into a win.  The only thing I got right in my predictions from the last installment of The Zag Wag was the fact that Gonzaga would win both games.
 
At halftime, the Bulldogs found themselves struggling against a team that was gaining confidence, momentum and the belief that they could knock off the now #2 team in the nation on their home floor in both of these contests.  In a the previous meeting on the 16th of January, when Gonzaga played Santa Clara in Spokane, the Bulldogs had opened up a halftime lead of 58-22.  On Thursday the 30th,  it was only a Ryan Woolridge layup with 7 seconds before the half that put the Zags up by more that a basket, 40-36 on the Broncos home court.  On Saturday, playing very short-handed against San Francisco for the first time this season, it was a Jamaree Bouyea jumper as time expired in the first half that put the Dons up by 8 points, 43-35—and had San Francisco fans in War Memorial Gym hungry for the huge upset.  SF had been up by as many as 12 points, 24-12, earlier in the half after heating up from beyond the arc. 

One thing I’ve learned in my years as a Gonzaga fan is to have great confidence in the fact that Mark Few and his assistants on the coaching staff are going to make the best adjustments to cure any ills or woes at the halftime break—and that they will make everything better in the final half of play.  The coaching staff did just that in both contests and the players came out with a vengeance after the break.  Gonzaga notched two more WCC wins despite the fact that their star post, defender and sharp-shooter, Killian Tillie, went down with what looked like a nasty ankle sprain halfway through the first half of play on Thursday and missed the whole game in San Francisco. 

Some Zags players stepped up in a big way in these contests to help make up for the loss of Tillie, playing long minutes and hitting baskets at critical times.  Let’s start with Filip Petrusev, who had a career-high scoring night in Santa Clara.  Before and after Tillie’s injury, Petrusev was absolutely brilliant at Santa Clara, receiving a number of lobs into the paint from Gonzaga guards and dunking them with flair to help him gain an amazingly efficient 14 for 18 shooting from the field.   He was just one rebound short of a double-double, with a team-leading 9 rebounds, and added 3 steals to compliment his 31 points.  It is the rebounding numbers that stand out in the contest as something the Zags truly took control over.  Five Gonzaga players had over 5 rebounds in the game, and the Zags dominated the boards both offensively (10-5) and defensively (33-27), gaining 43 total rebounds compared to 32 for the Broncos.

At San Francisco, without our beloved Tillie, Petrusev did much the same—this time managing a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds on 8 for 14 shooting (you don’t get on the 20-man Wooden Award short-list for nothing).  Accustom to being the team-leader in scoring and rebounding, anchoring the defense in the paint, and playing at or near 30 minutes, domination is nothing new to Petrusev.  But it was his fellow big-man down low, Drew Timme whose clutch performance down the stretch and solid excellence throughout earned him player of the game in San Francisco.  While not as dominant on the boards as usual, Timme came up with a career-high 19 points on Saturday afternoon in 30 minutes of play, with a 6 for 11 effort shooting from the field, an impressive 7 for 8 from the foul line, while adding 4 rebounds and 3 assists.  After coming up with 2 blocks against Santa Clara and 5 blocks against Pacific the previous Saturday, Timme added another 3 against SF, including a key block with 23 seconds left as Jordan Ratinho went up for a layup to try to make it a single-basket game.   
                     
Though his career-high scoring game against SF was definitely an excellent one for Timme, the game against Santa Clara wasn’t half bad either.  In 20 minutes of play, Timme went 5 for 8 from the field, notching 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 11 points.  One of the things that characterized these two games, besides some less than inspired defense by Gonzaga in both first halves, was struggle from the Gonzaga guards to find or to hit good shots, both allowing and requiring the big men to feast down low.  Against San Francisco, Timme and Petrusev had the first 12 points of the game as the guards struggled against a hounding Dons defense that was disrupting the offense and forcing too many turnovers.    

Mark Few called Killian Tillie his “problem solver” for good reason.  His ability to shoot from anywhere on the court, especially from deep, allows him to drag defense away from other players, opening up so much for everyone else on the court (you don’t get on the Karl Malone Award 10-man short list for nothing).  Without Tillie, both the Broncos and the Dons found Gonzaga’s defensive pressure and help often lacking and at times, hit mildly contested 3’s or slashed to the basket with ease.  On the other end the Dons strove to choke Gonzaga’s offense with stifling, overplaying defense on the perimeter—a brand of defense that would have been much more problematic with Tillie’s versatility on the court.  Though Petrusev and Timme are outstanding in their own right, Tillie adds so much to the Gonzaga line-up on both ends and it will be integral to the Zags success in the post-season that Tillie is healthy.    

Against Santa Clara, we saw Corey Kispert and the Zags go ice cold shooting.  Kispert was 2 for 12 from the field and 1 for 5 from deep, though he added 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks to his 9 points.  Joel Ayayi, who adds a brilliant element whenever he plays, was a tepid 3 for 7 from the field, and 0 for 2 from deep—adding 8 rebounds, 5 assists and a block to his 7 points.  Ryan Woolridge and Admon Gilder were the only guards who scored in double figures against SC, though both stayed below 50% shooting—and together could only knock down 1 3-pointer in 5 attempts.  Woolridge was able to come away with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals for a very decent night, while Gilder added 11 points and 6 rebounds.  The Zags finished just 3 of 16 from beyond the arc for an uncharacteristically poor 18.8% from deep.  In fact, Gonzaga didn’t make an attempt from deep in the whole second half of that game at Santa Clara, or in the 1st half of the following game against San Francisco—that’s a downright frigid cold spell. 

Luckily the big men were on point in both games and Gonzaga’s free-throw shooting wasn’t half bad either (72.7% against SC).  If you take a look at the offensive play-by-play feed for Gonzaga in the second half of the game against Santa Clara, there’s not much variation.  Hit the post is the major theme, or get it to him on the fast break.  It reads something like:  lay-up, lay-up, dunk, free-throw, free-throw, lay-up, lay-up, dunk, dunk, lay-up, free-throw, etc.  That strategy ended up working very well as the Zags pulled away with a 15-point victory 87-72.  No need to razzle-dazzle with the long ball, just lay it in, stuff it in the hoop or hit from the charity stripe—letting the big guys get a lion’s share of the grub, and the guards pick up some scraps.

Though the guards struggled through the second half of the SC game and the first half of the SF game, they more than redeemed themselves in the second half against the Dons.  While the Zags only had 5 attempts from beyond the arc on Saturday, the only one they missed came in the first half.  Both Kispert and Ayayi went a perfect 2 for 2 from deep for the game, helping the players lift themselves out of the hole they found themselves in at halftime.  Held scoreless in the first half, Kispert went 4 of 5 from the field shooting for the game, adding 3 rebounds and a steal to his 11 points (you don’t get on the Erving Award 10-man short list for nothing).  Ayayi, while only shooting 2 of 6 from the field, was just a rebound short of another double-double, adding 4 offensive rebounds and 5 defensive boards to his 12 points.  Gilder (3-3), Kispert (1-1) and Ayayi (6-6) were all perfect from the charity stripe to help boost the Zags free throw shooting numbers over 78% in the contest.  Gilder, master of the reverse lay-up and so dangerous everywhere on both ends the court, went 4 for 9 shooting from the field, had 5 rebounds and added a steal to go along with his 11 points.

Shooting 4 for 4 from beyond the arc in the second half may have been a huge boost for the Zags to pull themselves out of the hole they found themselves in, but it was getting the 3 the hard way that really won one of the most challenging contests so far for the Bulldogs.  Fouls on both sides dominated play throughout in this unusually long game and every starter on the Zags roster had 4 fouls by the end except for Ayayi who had 3.  Two Dons’ big men fouled out of the game and it was largely the ability of Gonzaga to get to the line that allowed them to prevail—especially because they often hit the basket on the way to the line as well as the additional free-throw.  Just 14 seconds into the game, off the opening tip, Petrusev caught a pass from Timme down low, drew a foul on the way up and sunk the lay in.  He is getting tougher and so much more willful down on the block lately.  Petrusev added another bucket and foul shortly thereafter in the 1st, as did Admon Gilder a bit further along toward the half.  Drew Timme added two and-1 conversions in the second half in a crucial stretch between 14 minutes and 9 minutes left that saw the lead change a number of times as the Dons battled to quell the Bulldogs’ surge.  

The last and-1 conversion came after Taavi Jurkatamm made two free throws at 1:59 left to put SF up 76-75.  Corey Kispert got the pass at the top of the arc and drove, muscling a bit of space to go up for the hoop and getting fouled hard, he managed to kiss in the lay-up off the glass for a triumphant score.  Kispert had 5 points in the last 2 minutes in San Francisco, including the fade-away dagger with 35 seconds left that put the red wax on the victory letter that Gilder and Timme stamped by hitting three out of 4 free throws in the waning seconds to notch the Zags final points and send the players off to a gutsy 83-79 victory. 
   
I have a few lingering difficulties to bring up.  I mentioned offensive rebounding in the last installment.  Rebounding was good against Santa Clara again on both ends, though shooting wasn’t stellar.  Shooting against San Francisco looked pretty good number wise.  The Zags were 27 for 50 from the field (54%), 4 for 5 from deep (80%) and stellar at the free throw line with 78.1% on 25 for 32 attempts (that’s 2 games of +70% FT shooting).  Overall the Bulldogs edged the Dons on the boards 38 to 32 in total rebounds, but on the offensive glass, SF was able to track down 12 offensive rebounds, while Gonzaga only came up with 7.  The Dons’ lower shooting percentages could account for some of those as they had more misses to try to track down the board for, but I think the Zags could improve in that category. 

The truly worrisome statistic in the game, and perhaps the biggest reason Gonzaga found themselves nearly notching another loss, was in the area of turnovers.  San Francisco limited themselves to a stellar 7 turnovers (anything under 10 in a game is quite good, I think).  Gonzaga doubled that number and-1 with 15—every starter having at lest 2 and 3 players adding 3 turnovers on the night.  Not so good there, especially in the first half. 

Whatever we can say here, positive or negative, Gonzaga showed some guts and resolve in these road wins in California without one of their most valuable players, and learned some great lessons about perseverance despite adversity along the way.  Luckily our team travels with some cushion, and Gonzaga fans made some noise and added some energy in San Francisco especially.  They saw Gonzaga rise to the challenge with essentially a 6-man roster for 70 of the 80 minutes of play.  Mark Few, talking after the game said:  “They had us reeling there early” and asked about how he felt about the game and the way his players responded, said:  “I’m proud of them.  We’re low on numbers, low on bodies, low on everything, and we had foul trouble.  So it was a very, very good win.”

Gonzaga has a heck of a schedule approaching.  Though LMU coming to Spokane on Thursday may not sound so intimidating (the Zags beat them 87-62 on their court in January), its back to California after that to face the only team we haven’t seen in WCC play yet, the always intimidating Saint Mary’s Gaels—in the absolutely hostile (even truculent) gym in Moraga, on Saturday the 8th on ESPN.  My guess, and everyone else’s that I’ve read so far, is to look for Tillie to play for sure in the game against the Gaels and more than likely not to play against the Lions in Spokane.  It doesn’t get much easier from there as the Zags take another plane south to face Pepperdine the following Saturday the 15th (we only had a 5 point victory against the Tigers in Spokane), then facing San Francisco again 5 days later in the Kennel before traveling to BYU in a much anticipated contest on the 22nd in Provo that will hopefully pit superstars Yoeli Childs and Killian Tillie against one another in a dramatic battle.  Exciting times ahead as Gonzaga does its best to keep both their record-setting conference win streak of 36 games, their home winning streak of 35 games, and their road winning streak of 16 games alive. 

My prediction for this week (though if you saw my prediction last week you’ll probable want to take this with a grain of salt) is that Gonzaga shows up strong at home against LMU and bests the Lions 95-65.  On the road against Saint Mary’s the Zags win by 11, 88-77.  Best wishes to all and GO ZAGS!!!                 

​~ Clark Karoses

This week I’m going to brag unapologetically.  In The Zag Wag 12—Buckets I said if Filip Petrusev plays in the game against Pacific, the Bulldogs will win by a score of 91-58.  The score last Saturday night:  92-59.  Not too shabby.  Better than me nearly predicting the score, however, was the Gonzaga Men’s Basketball team scoring that score—and defending Pacific well enough to keep them under 60 points.  It was an even balance of excellence on both ends of the court for the Zags Saturday.  You just cannot complain about a game where your team goes 33 for 58 shooting from the field (56.9%), shoots 9 of 18 from beyond the arc (50%) has only 7 turnovers (while forcing 15), gets 10 blocks, outrebounds, outhustles, outdefends and scores 92 on the #1 defensive team in the WCC.  There were a few issues that could use some shoring up for the now 21-1 (7-0 in WCC) Bulldogs, but problems were few and far between on a very fun night in the Kennel.  Not too shabby, indeed.

Jahlil Tripp led Pacific in points, rebounds, and assists for the game.  He put up 21 points on 8 of 15 shooting, had 5 rebounds and added 4 assists on the night before fouling out late in the game.  Tripp, who leads the Tigers in average points, rebounds and steals, is an impressive player in all respects and is relied on heavily to carry the team in many ways on both ends of the court.  While allowing a player to get 21 points doesn’t sound like successful defense, Gonzaga did a great job of keeping Tripp from getting too many decent looks at the hoop and forced him to turn the ball over 6 times.  Defensive pressure was particularly effective in the second half, where the elite level, 6’5” guard from Brooklyn scored only 6 points.

Killian Tillie drew the defensive assignment against Tripp to begin the game for the Zags and showed great versatility for a player his size guarding a quick wing.  Tillie handed Tripp-duty off at times to Corey Kispert and Admon Gilder, but it was the coordinated defensive effort of the whole team that kept Tripp and the rest of the Pacific Offense in check.  Besides holding another WCC team under 60 points, the Zags forced 15 turnovers, blocked 10 shots , had 9 steals, and held the Tigers to 35.5% shooting overall and 29.4% from deep.

Killian Tillie was an absolute monster in this game, and he is looking more and more menacing to WCC foes with each contest.  Like some sort of postmodern Godzilla, harnessing the electricity of the crowd in the Kennel, he was wreaking havoc wherever he stepped on Saturday and loving every minute of it.  He’s had 20 or more points in 4 of the 7 games Gonzaga has played in the WCC conference so far in January, including 22 points in both of the last 2.

The week of rest between the BYU game and the game against Pacific seems to have done the French forward very well indeed.  His legs may be getting near 100% again, his shooting stroke seems to have all its smooth grace, his defensive step and leap look quicker and higher than earlier in the season—and it all shown in his stats.  Unstoppable in the first half, Tillie was 7 for 8 shooting from the field and a perfect 3 for 3 from deep on his way to 17 points—2 of those coming with just over 2 minutes before halftime when Tillie drove through the middle of the key and slammed home a thunderous dunk to put the Zags up 43-28.  Overall, in his 29 minutes of play, Tillie went 9 of 11 from the field (82%), 4 for 5 from beyond the arc (80%), pulled down 8 rebounds, and added 2 steals to his 22 points.

Killian Tillie and Drew Timme were the MC’s at a two-hour block party on the Bulldog’s defensive end.  Tillie added 4 blocks to his already impressive stats.  Despite a slender night offensively, Timme one-uped Tillie and added 5 blocked shots to his 3 rebounds and 4 points.  The freshman from Texas is becoming an impressive, integral part of this team. 

Gonzaga’s guards got in on the defensive fun as well, as Kispert added a block and a steal to his stats line.  Pick-pockets Joel Ayayi and Admon Gilder had 2 and 3 steals respectively, and both had at least one break-away basket from the defensive to the offensive end of the court as a result of one of their steals.  After getting a hand in a Pacific passing lane, Gilder swiped the ball forward, drove to the hoop ahead of any defense and elevated for another dunk (like last week, but 2-handed).  Off a similar leap into the passing lane on defense, Ayayi poked the ball away and drove to the other end ahead of everyone for a more subdued lay-in.  As the Bulldogs’ defense and anticipation improves, these break-aways seem to be getting more and more common.

Probably the best thing the Zags fans, players and coaching staff saw on Saturday night was Filip Petrusev taking the court despite having done down a week before in the game against BYU with a painful ankle sprain.   Again, the week between games was just what the doctor ordered for both the team and the Serbian forward who leads Gonzaga in points, rebounds and blocks per game (16.1, 7.6, 1.1).  He logged 20 minutes on Saturday, including a phenomenal 12-point first half that saw him scoring many of the baskets for the team in the opening minutes of play.  The ankle didn’t seem a bother Petrusev as he gathered 15 points and showed some relentless strength down low on both ends of the court.

Corey Kispert topped Petrusev’s point total by 1, getting 16 and 5 rebounds on the night.  He was outstanding as always, utilizing both his right and left hands in a very ambidextrous display of shooting skill off drives to the basket.  He had one 3 his usual way shooting from deep, but added a 3-point play “the hard way” after gathering one of his 3 offensive rebounds and going up strong for the bucket and the foul in the middle of 3 Pacific defenders.  Ayayi and Gilder continued their high-efficiency work on the offensive end as well, with Ayayi shooting 4 of 6 from the field, gathering 3 rebounds and adding 4 assists to his 10 points.  Gilder went 3 of 6 from the field and added 2 assists and 5 rebounds to his 10 points.  Even in these lean times roster-wise for Gonzaga, what a gift it is to have guys like Gilder and Timme off the bench. 

Ryan Woolridge was another of six Bulldogs (all the starters plus Gilder) to finish in double figures for Gonzaga.  He had another outstanding performance at point guard, shooting 4 for 9 from the field, 3 for 7 from deep, and added 2 rebounds and 3 assists to his 11 points.  The highlight of the night for me (though Tillie’s dunk was awesome) came just a minute into the 2nd half when Woolridge sent the ball on a spider thread, through two defenders collapsing on the passing lane, toward a streaking Petrusev.  Woolridge sent it perfectly into Petrusev’s hands, setting up a sweet, two-handed flush for the Serbian.

It’s hard to find fault in a night like the one Gonzaga had on Saturday, but I’m gonna try.  The Bulldogs have been getting bested on the offensive glass by a few teams lately, including Santa Clara (16 to 14) and Pacific (16 to 11).  Against BYU the previous Saturday, the Zags nearly eliminated the Cougars’ ability to get a put-back or a second shot attempt by allowing BYU only 1 offensive board, while gathering 9 on their own offensive end.  That is an outstanding performance by Gonzaga’s defense at blocking out offensive players and crashing the glass on their own end!  Of course, allowing 1 as opposed to the 16 in the other contests is a big difference. 

One thing to keep in mind that should temper any criticism of the offensive rebounding stats for Gonzaga is that in both of the recent games where Gonzaga was beaten on the offensive glass stats, the Bulldogs shot very well as a team.  Against Santa Clara the Zags scored 104 points on 51.5% shooting.  Against Pacific, that percentage was a bit higher at 56.9%.  A team shooting that well doesn’t get that many opportunities to rebound the ball off a miss on their own end, while a team shooting a low percentage (Santa Clara shot 30.4% and Pacific shot 35.5%) has a lot more misses that could lead to potential offensive boards—and sometimes, even if the defense blocks out well, the ball just happens to go in the right/wrong direction off the rim.  So that could explain a bit of why Gonzaga was beaten in that area, though 16 is still a fairly high number.  The overall rebounding numbers against the Tigers, though in favor of the Zags, were close at 37 to 35.  Perhaps offensive rebounding and rebounding in general could be something to work on.

The same old complaint is going to reemerge here—and maybe you’re getting as tired of hearing it as I am of bringing it up.  After enjoying two great performances from the free-throw line at home against Santa Clara and BYU, offering hope that free-throw shooting percentages in future games could continue to be at or above 75%, Gonzaga had a poor performance last Saturday in a game that saw a lot of Zags get to the free-throw line.  The Bulldogs were 17 of 29 for another worrisome 58.6% from the free-throw line.  Compare that to the Zags best effort this season against Santa Clara where the team shot 87.5% on a 28 of 32 effort.  Leaving those 5-10 points off the Gonzaga end of the scoreboard, though it wasn’t problematic last Saturday, could be catastrophic in weeks to come.
Kispert continues to be very reliable from “the charity stripe” (for him that nickname applies).  He had another perfect effort last Saturday, going 7 for 7.  Tillie didn’t get a chance to shoot any, but his fellow MC in the block party, Timme, went a cringe-worthy 0 for 4 shooting free throws.  Petrusev gets a waive on his 3 for 9 effort because I could definitely see a stiff/sore ankle giving a player troubles at the line since so much of the flat-footed free throw shot comes up from the ankles.  Poor free-throw shooting was perhaps the only serious blemish on an otherwise near-perfect night, and Gonzaga will no doubt see improvement in that area in weeks to come. 

Concerning the week to come:  Mark Few continues to give a vast majority of minutes to a slim rotation of the 7 players we’ve mentioned (lets call them the Fab 7).  He has been giving a few more minutes to two players further down the bench who may have the potential to help this team in more problematic contests in the future.  I’m thinking in particular of the two Freshman who hail from a similar region of the earth:  Martynas Arlauskas (the 6’6” and very-athletic Lithuanian freshman wing) and Pavel Zakharov (the 6’11” freshman forward from St. Petersburg, Russia).  Both have seen limited minutes this year, most coming in situations where the game is well beyond decided in the Zags favor.  It’s going to become increasingly important to have extra guys further down the bench who can fill in should injury rear its ugly head again or foul trouble take one or more of the Fab 7 out of the game—especially against any bigger, stronger teams the Zags might face in March.  It would be great, I think, to see more of both freshman in the coming games just to get them better worked into the speed of play, though I’m going to defer any decision to the excellent judgement of my vote for coach of the year, Mark Few.

The option of giving minutes to anyone besides the Fab 7 recently has come only once a game is either firmly in control, or is at least leaning so well in the Bulldogs favor that the coaching staff can afford to play around a bit.  And Mark Few seems to like things to be very firmly in control before he plays around.  This was the case especially in two WCC games recently—the game against Santa Clara, where the Bulldogs prevailed 104-54, and the game at San Diego,, where the Zags won 94-50.  In those two games both freshman saw about 8 minutes of action in each game.  Against Pacific, as the score hovered around 25-30 points in the Zags favor, Arlauskas and Zakharov saw 6 and 4 minutes respectively. 

Neither player has been explosive by any means (neither scored more than 4 in any of the 3 games mentioned), but having options beyond the 7, I think, is going to bode well for Gonzaga.  Considering the fact that the only teams Gonzaga hasn’t played in the WCC so far are San Francisco and Saint Mary’s, and that some of the games have been lopsided in the Zags favor, more opportunities could arise for these two very capable and talented freshman to progress and contribute as Gonzaga begins its run back through some of the WCC teams it has already faced. 

The team leaves Spokane this week for 2 road games in what could prove to be a very hostile California.  The first game will be against Santa Clara on Thursday night.  We faced the Broncos already in Spokane recently for a 104-54 win, and even on the road I think the Zags will take care of business in good order there.  Look for Arlauskas and Zakharov to get minutes after the Fab 7 reassert dominance quickly.  I say the Zags will not only lock down on defense and hold the Broncos under 50, but will also break the century mark again 101-49.

On Saturday night, San Francisco presents, perhaps, one of the more formidable challenges in the WCC.  Both games against the Dons were difficult last year (especially the one in SF)—and San Francisco has shown some serious star power of late.  Saint Mary’s has been SFU’s nemesis this season, and the Gaels have beat SFU twice in low scoring games where neither team reached 70 points.  San Francisco had a wonderful win on the same night the Zags played Pacific, beating BYU 83-82 (despite TJ Haws’ 20 points and Yoeli Childs’ 19 for BYU)—coming from 7 down at halftime to flip the script and best the Cougars.  Khalil Shabazz (coolest name in the WCC?) had 32 points in the contest and Jamaree Bouyea (coolest name in the WCC?) had 23.  Obviously they have some guys who can put up numbers against good competition.  I think San Francisco is going to give Gonzaga one of its tougher challenges on Saturday, keeping the Gonzaga lead within single digits for the first 10 or 15 minutes.  By half, though, Gonzaga is going to stretch the lead and begin to pull away.  The Bulldogs will gather more strength and wisdom from the coaching staff at halftime and prevail big in a hostile environment, 97-76.
​
Rest in Peace Kobe Bryant, along with your daughter and all the others who perished in the tragic helicopter accident last weekend.  If you haven’t already, watch or re-watch the short film that won him an Oscar some years back called, “Dear Basketball.”  It offers some spiritual solace in troubled times, I think, and is beautiful in all respects—inspiring us, as Kobe always did, to put our hearts and hard work into whatever our spirit reaches toward.  
 
~ Clark Karoses         

I hate to brag, but I did fairly well at predicting the outcome of the Gonzaga Men’s Basketball game against BYU last Saturday night.  In the Zag Wag’s last installment, I said if BYU’s Yoeli Childs wasn’t playing, Gonzaga would win by a score of 95-71.  Childs didn’t play and the outcome was 92-69.  Not too shabby if I do say so myself. . . but before I go patting myself on the back too enthusiastically, I should mention that I predicted last Thursday night’s game against Santa Clara as well.  I ventured 88-77 in favor of the Zags.  The Bulldogs went ahead and made a joke of my assumed 11-point margin, prevailing by 50 points in the contest:  104-54.  Though I wasn’t in the ballpark there, I’m the last to complain about a 50 point win—nor about Gonzaga improving their record to 6 and 0 in conference play, 20 and 1 on the season and breaking the WCC record for consecutive regular season wins with 33.

When I see point totals like 104 and 92 in college basketball, defense usually isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.  The Zags were definitely getting buckets last week, but they’ve been putting hard work in on both ends of the court lately.  Consider:  Gonzaga had 22 steals last week—11 in each game.  Guards Ryan Woolridge, Admon Gilder and Joel Ayayi had 3 steals each in the game against Santa Clara—a game that saw the Bulldogs block 7 shots as well—Killian Tillie and Drew Timme getting 2 blocks each.  Ayayi had another 4 steals against BYU as well.

Gonzaga outrebounded both opponents by a combined total of 90 to 51.  Though most rebounds happen on the defensive end, it was the offensive rebounding numbers that showed improvement from the first game to the next.  One of the few statistics in which Santa Clara came out in front of Gonzaga was on the offensive glass, where the Broncos edged out the Bulldogs 16-14.  Perhaps in an effort to shore up one of the areas of the game where they had trouble against Santa Clara, Gonzaga pulled down 9 offensive rebounds on Saturday, but allowed BYU only one offensive rebound on the Zags’ defensive end.

Those numbers tell you something, but good defense isn’t always the easiest thing to quantify.  My high school coach used to say (repeatedly):  “The best play you can make in basketball is to take a charge, and they don’t even keep track of those.”  He was also the football coach, so I think the thing he really liked about that defensive highlight was the collision that taking a charge involves—since the defensive player must often accept a blow delivered with the full force and inertia of the offensive player’s body without flinching in the least (as they’re being knocked down).  The Zags had at least one of those Saturday when Drew Timme stood up straight just outside the restrictive circle under the basket and unflinchingly took the brunt of a driving Cougar attempting to get a lay-up—going down to the floor, forcing a turnover, negating the offensive possession for BYU, and giving the ball back to the Zags.

Perhaps an even better play in basketball (because it involves the coordinated effort of all 5 defensive players) is to get a shot-clock violation.  Shot-clock violations only happen when the defensive pressure is so intense and consistent that the other team is either unwilling to take a poor shot in the time allotted to do so, or are just plain unable to get a shot that hits the rim off in time.  Again, the Zags had at least one of those on Thursday against Santa Clara early on in the game, adding inspiration to a defensive effort throughout the half that limited the Broncos to just 22 points. 

More often than steals, blocks, shot-clock violations and charges taken though, defensive effort is simply working your tail off to stop the opponent from doing what they so desperately want to do (score), and being very aware of what as many of the 9 other players on the court are doing.  It’s the coordinated cutting off of the opposition’s efforts at every impasse.  Last week you saw Gonzaga players in synch and absolutely flying around at times in both contests.  And it ended up creating numerous fast break and transition opportunities on the offensive end—including a high-flying fast break dunk against BYU by Admon Gilder (off a steal by Joel Ayayi), and a fast break lay-in by Joel Ayayi against SCU (off a steal by Admon Gilder).

In the end, the best quantifier of the defensive effort for a team—definitely the most important one—is the final score.   And limiting Santa Clara to just 54 points on Thursday, and BYU to 69 on Saturday was a great achievement.  BYU had scored more than 90 in both of its previous games, and 84 against Saint Mary’s before that.  Santa Clara scored 84 in a win against Pacific on the same Saturday the Zags beat BYU—and any time you hold a team under 60 in Division 1 basketball, it was doubtless a great effort.  Some Cougars fans are going to argue that Yoeli Childs’s absence in the game would have changed the outcome a good deal—especially in terms of offensive production.  There’s no doubt about that—but it doesn’t take away, I think, from the defensive achievement.  We look forward to the game on February 22nd in Provo that sees BYU at their full strength and in their own building.  Childs, with teammates TJ Haws (who had 17 points against the Zags and showed off some very nifty passing skills), and Jake Toolson (who came away with 16 points), will be a challenge that can help this defense grow even more.

Gonzaga continues to impress on both ends even though there isn’t much rest being had for any of the Bulldog players.  What we’ve seen develop through these first 21 games for Gonzaga is a very tight rotation.  Since it was announced earlier last week that Anton Watson would be out for the season as a result of continuing shoulder problems and scheduled surgery, Mark Few is giving a vast majority of minutes to just 7 players.  A 7-player rotation is great in terms of developing a cohesive group on both ends of the court.  It’s troublesome, though, when any of that 7 gets into foul trouble—and especially troublesome when any injury problems make that into a rotation of just 6.  Five minutes into the second half against BYU, with the Zags up by a slim 7 points, that very situation came about when Filip Petrusev, the high scorer on the team and a key piece of the Gonzaga offense down low, rolled his ankle and went down in excruciating pain.  Luckily there wasn’t much foul trouble at the time.  The very skilled and able-bodied Drew Timme filled in, and Corey Kispert logged some minutes in the roll of forward instead of shooting guard without missing a beat in his offensive production for the night—and the Bulldogs ended up extending their lead rather than suffering as a result.

Killian Tillie, who seems to be almost fully mended from his own early-season knee surgery, ended up leading all Zags in scoring and rebounding with his double-double against BYU—gathering 22 points and 10 rebounds and shooting 7 for 13 from the field.  Kispert had even better shooting percentages against the Cougars, going 7 of 12 from the field and 4 of 7 from beyond the arc to gather 19 points.  Against Santa Clara it was two other starters and a 6th man off the bench leading the offensive production.  Petrusev earned 18 points on Thursday night and added 7 rebounds.  Coming off the bench, Admon Gilder had the same 18 points on a 4 of 6 effort from the field, 2 of 4 from deep and a perfect 8 of 8 (!) from the free throw line.

It was Joel Ayayi who led the Bulldogs in scoring against the Broncos, and filled up the stat sheet in both of last week’s contests.  Against the Broncos, he shot 8 of 13 from the field, 2 of 5 from beyond the arc, and added 6 rebounds and 3 steals to his 19 points.  He did something similar stat-wise against BYU with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.  While Drew Timme didn’t earn his more and more common double-double on the evening against BYU, he went a perfect 3 of 3 from the field for 7 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals.  Against the Broncos he added 15 points and 11 rebounds to his 2 blocks.  What gems these young Gonzaga players are becoming!

One very welcome change we saw last week was both opponents shooting a good deal worse from the free-throw line than the Bulldogs, who were surprisingly good—even stellar.  Against SCU, GU had, I believe, their best mark yet this season with an 87.5% mark on a 28 for 32 attempts effort, highlighted by perfection from Kispert (5 for 5) and Gilder (8 for 8) and a respectable 6 for 8 from Petrusev.  Against BYU the Zags had a slightly less impressive 75% mark on a 19 for 25 effort.  It’s great to see that statistic moving in the right direction for the Bulldogs after a somewhat worrisome effort from the charity stripe throughout the season so far that saw games with Gonzaga shooting below 60 and even 50%.  Last week bumped the season’s free throw percentage up a bit to 67.6%, a number we all hope continues to rise as the players strokes from the line are looking smoother and more relaxed.  Both Santa Clara and BYU suffered woes last week in this area, going for 47.4% on Thursday and 50% on Saturday.  Taking free throws in the very intimidating and sometimes downright hostile McCarthy Athletic Center in Spokane can’t be easy.                

After last week’s convincing performances, it may seem wrong to many Gonzaga fans that the team was bumped out of the top slot in the AP Top 25 by Baylor in a very close vote.  Baylor had 33 1st place votes and 1591 total points compared to 31 first place votes for Gonzaga and 1588 points.  Baylor’s victories over Iowa State and Oklahoma State in the Big 12 were more impressive in the panels’ eyes than Gonzaga’s blowout wins in the WCC.  It’s a bummer that you can win by 50 and nearly 25 and still slip a spot in the rankings for sure, but it’s a voting matter that no one should attach a great deal of importance to.  There’s always the possibility that the Zags will regain the top slot if Baylor slips up against West Virginia or any of their other conference foes.

Pacific in next on Gonzaga’s slate in the WCC on Saturday night.  Besides Jahlil Trip, who is averaging 15.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest, Pacific is what Steve Cameron of The Spokane Review calls a “hoops by committee” team “as no less than 12 players are averaging at least 14.4 minutes per game.”  In other words, The Tigers do exactly the opposite of the Zags’ slim rotation.  Pacific has quite a fat rotation of players.  Perhaps their best victory of late was a quadruple overtime (I’d never even heard of a quadruple overtime) thriller against Saint Mary’s in which they prevailed 107-99.  Jahlil Trip gathered 39 points and 11 rebounds in that game.  The Tigers just lost on Thursday to BYU, 74-60—in a game that saw Yoeli Childs return to action.  He and teammate Jake Toolson did a majority of the scoring for BYU, combining for 54 points.  I have no doubt everyone on Gonzaga is going to be pumped up for another home contest on Saturday—and all seriousness is going to be brought to facing these Tigers.  Hopefully Filip Petrusev will be healed up enough to join the starters.  If not, this might be closer than the games last week.  I’m gonna say Gonzaga wins 83-61 if Petrusev doesn’t play.  If he does play, I say the Zags breaks 90 again 91-58.  Have a great weekend, and GO ZAGS!

​~ Clark Karoses

After a somewhat shaky first week of WCC play, with stretches that saw the Bulldogs playing catch-up against Portland and Pepperdine, the #1-ranked Gonzaga Men’s Basketball team took a trip to California and had a much less anxious showing this last week on Thursday evening against San Diego and Saturday afternoon against Loyola Marymount.  Though the margins of victory much higher than the ones against Portland and Pepperdine, the overall result was the same as the week before.  The Zags notched two more wins to make them 4 and 0 in conference play so far, and 18 and 1 overall this season.

Last week’s games against the San Diego Torreros and the LMU Lions weren’t without some difficulties—including continued and worrisome shoulder trouble for freshman Anton Watson as well as a frigid spell from deep early on against Loyola that saw Admon Gilder as the only Zag able to connect twice from beyond the arc in the whole first half of play.  Little else was going wrong though, and Gonzaga walked off the court at half in both contests with a comfortable lead:  38-22 against LMU and a whopping 53-16 against San Diego.  Finshing with scores of 87-62 and 94-50 respectively, the Zags left little doubt that their #1 ranking is well-deserved. 

Debate about that #1 ranking in college basketball, however, has been abundant in the last few days since Baylor (who beat #3 Kansas in Kansas 67-55 on Saturday and disposed of #22 Texas Tech 57-52 earlier last week) emerged as the definitive #2, leapfrogging the now woe-stricken Duke (who just lost away at Clemson).  Don’t get me wrong.  I know these numbers don’t matter, but I think there is good and bad about Gonzaga having the top ranking.  On the one hand the #1 could inspire complacency, egotism, lack of effort and the underestimating of opponents in players because they’ve been recognized as superior.  More likely, though, the Zags could use the goal of keeping that #1 ranking as inspiration for further excellence, improvement, attention to detail and hard work.  The vote in the two significant polls was very close earlier this week.  The Coaches Poll had Gonzaga ahead of Baylor, 775 points to 764 points—Gonzaga with 16 first place votes and Baylor with 10.  The AP poll had Baylor getting one more first place vote than Gonzaga 31-30, but Gonzaga edging them in the total point margin 1574 to 1567.
 
Baylor has a good argument for being #1, and perhaps they deserve it.  The only piece of evidence I might use to refute that is that Gonzaga beat the only team to beat Baylor this season, Washington.  Of course, the Zags lost to Michigan by a much larger margin than Baylor has lost.  It’s a dilemma, and I’m glad it’s up to others to decide who gets what number. The only real solution if each of the top teams continues to win convincingly, will be to see them play to settle the matter—but that won’t happen, if it ever does, until March.  I was lucky enough to see that Gonzaga/ Baylor game happen last year in March at the Vivint Center in Salt Lake City, and Baylor’s returning players and fans are sure to remember Gonzaga—especially the name Clarke, as in Brandon Clarke, who played two feet above everyone the whole night and finished with 36 points and 5 blocks.  I digress—back to the games last week in California. . .  

Gonzaga absolutely owned the glass in both contests.  The Bulldogs had a dominant 47 total rebounds to San Diego’s 27, and 41 to LMU’s 23.  And all the usual suspects wreaked their usual scoring havoc on the opposing defenses.  Filip Petrusev scored 16 against LMU (half of those at the free throw line on 8 of 11 attempts) and added 7 rebounds as well. He had 17 points against San Diego on 7 of 10 shooting from the field, along with 5 boards.  With consistent performances like and exceeding these in almost every outing this season, Gonzaga’s vastly improved big-man from Serbia has earned a well-deserved slot on the JR Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list.

Corey Kispert picked only his best opportunities on the road trip and hit roughly half of his shot attempts in both games, gathering 10 points against San Diego on 3 of 6 shooting from the field and 2 of 4 from beyond the arc.  Against LMU he found a bit more fire, going 6 of 10 from the field, 2 of 4 from deep and finishing with 15 points.
The team points leader in both of the Bulldogs first two WCC games (adding 22 against Portland and 20 against Pepperdine), Killian Tillie, had a much more subdued scoring outing this last week.  The French, sharpshooting forward had 8 points against LMU and 6 in the game against San Diego where he led the team with 10 rebounds.  His best games always seem to come when the pressure is on and/or competition is fierce and I think we’ll see him return to prime form in the two very challenging upcoming games this week.

On Saturday afternoon at LMU, Gonzaga had a freshman not only lead the team in rebounds, but also earn the first double-double in his young, promising career.  It’s time to talk about Timme!  The freshman native of Texas, Drew Timme, has been and is going to continue be a force and a key component for the team this season—especially considering Anton Watson’s shoulder troubles.  As the likely heir-apparent to a starting slot on the low block next season (since both Tillie and Petrusev will almost certainly find places to play professionally), he has found his way into some significant minutes through tenacious play on both ends of the court as well as a super-slick set of post moves—including an excellent and accurate jump-hook.  The passion he plays with has earned him a fair number of quick and, perhaps, ill-advised fouls in many contests so far.  That passion and fight have also resulted in some very efficient, high-percentage scoring down low as Timme is excellent at crashing the glass—especially at finding offensive rebounds and put-backs whenever Zag shooters miss.

In his 20 minutes against LMU, Timme went 4 of 5 from the field, gathering 10 points, 11 rebounds (3 of them offensive), and 2 blocks.  Against San Diego he showed off some passing skill as well, with 4 assists in 19 minutes of play along with 8 points and 7 rebounds (4 of them offensive).  Timme, Petrusev and Tillie all pass extremely well for forwards, often assisting from down low or at the high post—getting the ball to the other forward across the block, to a guard streaking to the basket, or to a shooter setting up for a good look from in or outside the arc—a fact that will continue to bode well for the team for the remainder of the season should any foe try to double down.  While Timme doesn’t have the same green light to shoot from deep that Tillie does, or quite the polished finesse Petrusev has learned with a couple of years in the program, Timme is an absolute gem to have off the bench to substitute for either or the starters down low.  He seems to be getting a lot of attention and specific instruction from Coach Few each time he comes off the floor.  He is, without a doubt, bound to improve at an exponential rate under the tutelage of Gonzaga’s coaching staff and the WCC’s school of hard knocks.

Another interesting player success story this season comes from Tillie’s fellow Frenchman on the team, Joel Ayayi.  Last year Ayayi’s minutes and contribution to the team were minimal, and I believe everybody except perhaps Ayayi himself, some members of the team and the coaching staff, and those who paid attention to his outstanding play for the French team in the 2019 U-19 international tournament, have been surprised by his stellar rise this season into a multi-talented guard who fills up statistics sheets in every category. 

Admon Gilder, the graduate transfer from Texas A&M had the starting spot over Ayayi for many of the early games this season.  After being hobbled and suffering some down-time due to knee trouble, Gilder bowed out to Ayayi as starter.  Though he’s shown some minor inconsistency, Ayayi has flourished in the starting role.  He showed why he earned the starting roll on Thursday night against San Diego by leading all scorers with 20 points on 7 of 12 shooting, going 3 of 5 from beyond the arc and a perfect 3 of 3 at the charity stripe—adding 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.  It’s not just that so many announcers get endless amusement out of loudly exclaiming his last name—the kid can straight-up play basketball.  But to that point about inconsistency:  against LMU Ayayi, accruing too many early fouls, struggled to earn 5 points and went 0 for 5 from deep.  Days like that are already few and far between and will very likely become fewer and farther.   

Fortunately Admon Gilder showed consistency in both contests off the bench and performed particularly well in the LMU game where Ayayi struggled, going 4 of 8 from the field and 2 of 4 from deep for 12 points.  In fewer minutes he had the same 12 points against San Diego, getting a good helping of those at the foul line where he went 5 of 6.  Though Gilder might be the better defender and the smarter veteran player, Ayayi continues to both impress and improve on both ends of the court and has the potential to add the kind of go-to, confident element that a guy like Zach Norvell Jr. brought to the team in years past.

Along with his role as shooting guard, Ayayi is also the best substitute for the other grad transfer from North Texas University, point guard Ryan Woolridge.  As one of the best defenders on the team, however, Woolridge rarely sees any time on the bench—and he is proving to be a more and more dangerous weapon on the offensive end as well.  Though he has had a few days on top of the scoring board for the team (especially in games against teams from Texas) he used these last two games to do a little bit of everything well by distributing the ball with precision, rebounding, scoring and locking down on defense.  Against LMU he had 13 points on 5 for 8 shooting, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.  On 4 for 9 shooting against San Diego, he earned 8 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals.  He gets well-deserved praise nearly every outing, and Woolridge has made the transition for the Zags from Josh Perkins at point last season (the all-time assists record holder for the team) to the graduate transfer from North Texas at point this season, a very painless one.

In summary, things went well last week for Gonzaga, have been going well for some time, and I expect nothing but the same excellence in all weeks to come as this team becomes more cohesive with each contest.  After its road trip to California last week, Gonzaga will be enjoying a stretch of games at home that should test this team to the core as they proceed deeper into the minefield the WCC seems present these days. 

Gonzaga is the only team in the conference that has managed to go undefeated, even at this early juncture.  Every other team has suffered at least one loss, and Gonzaga’s long-time rival and nemesis, the Saint Mary’s Gaels—who took the WCC Tournament Championship from the heavily favored Zags in Las Vegas last year—have already suffered 2 defeats in conference play and will have to climb back into good standing.

The next two opponents coming to Spokane may be the best two they’ll face before March.  The Zags are at home against Santa Clara on Thursday (at 8 pm Pacific on ESPN2), a team with a very impressive 15-3 record on the season who just beat Saint Mary’s by a point last Saturday.  After that they get BYU on Saturday.  Sitting at 13-5 on the season, their non-conference losses have come at the hands of some of the better teams in the country, including Kansas and San Diego State.  They were narrowly defeated by Saint Mary’s in conference play and will no doubt present a significant challenge considering that the very talented, veteran players they return to the court are both accustom to Gonzaga’s style of play and are looking for revenge after some significant pummelings in the last couple of years delved out by the paws of the Bulldogs.

The WCC seems to be as competitive this season as I’ve every seen.  Every team has a shot at winning any given night, and there are 4 or 5 teams that are going to threaten to add to Gonzaga’s loss column.  These next two teams the Zags play are both significant threats, along with Pacific who comes to town the following Saturday the 25th.  You can’t build greater strength without resistance and I think the WCC play is going to be some heavy lifting this year. 

My predictions this week:  Gonzaga is going to add some order to the chaos in the conference by establishing dominance and continuing its winning ways.  The McCarthy Athletic Center and the hometown crowd are going to give Gonzaga the extra boost that propels them into even more significant victories.  Santa Clara will suffer a respectable loss in Spokane, falling by a score of 88-77 on Thursday night.  BYU will lose just a bit more convincingly, 95-80 if Childs is playing in decent form and 95-71 if he’s still suffering a good deal from the recent injury to his hand.  Best wishes, Happy New Year, and GO ZAGS!!!

​~ Clark Karoses