Gonzaga Basketball: Zags Hit With Pac-12 Sucker Punch
Pac-12 cancelation of all sports until January 1, 2021, wipes three crucial games from the Gonzaga basketball schedule.
COVID-19 took another bite out of Gonzaga basketball. Last spring, the Zags seemed poised to make a big run during the NCAA Basketball Tournament. They were favorites to bring home their first national championship. Then the pandemic took over America and forced the cancelation of March Madness. Five months later the cancellations continue.
After the Big Ten voted to cancel fall football, on Tuesday, the Pac-12, as expected, followed their lead. However, the west coast giants took things a step further. The Pac-12 canceled all sports, including basketball, until January 1, 2021. That move puts a big hole in the Gonzaga basketball schedule.
Gonzaga isn’t shy about scheduling Mark Few‘s squad to play against the best competition they can find. Pac-12 schools always make for good games. Three of the Bulldogs’ early-season opponents are now unavailable. Games against Southern Califonia, November 17, in Portland, Oregon, as well as Arizona and Washington, December 5 and 12 respectively, at the McCarthey Athletic Center won’t happen.
Other quality opponents
There are plenty of big games left on the docket for Zags. Corey Kispert and Joel Ayayi will still have chances to shine against top competition. GU has Big 12 opponents Texas on November 13, and Texas Tech at the Colangelo Classic on December 19. They also face SEC foe Tennessee on December 5, in New York.
Then there is the Orlando Invitational at the Disney Complex on November 26-29. The eight-team field includes Auburn (SEC), Michigan State (Big Ten), and Xavier (Big East). So far, playing in Orlando has been fine for the NBA; it should serve college hoops just as well.
Filling out the schedule
It won’t be hard to schedule teams to replace the Pac-12 squads that opted out of GU’s pre-conference season. Other schools that lost matchups with Pac-12 opponents need to fill their schedules too. This is Gonzaga basketball, the Zags are a draw in any arena they play in.
A more difficult task might be replacing the lost home games. Most top teams, not named Gonzaga, don’t like to face other top teams on the road. Bulldogs Athletic Director Mike Roth would be happy to get a few neutral court games against other ranked schools.
If Gonzaga wanted to add additional home dates, why not host a regional invitational? Mid-major schools within a bus ride of Spokane include Eastern Washington, University of Seattle, Boise State, Idaho, and Montana. Each team gets at least two games and a safe place to play. Those schools might not be Arizona or Washington, but local interest would be high.
As Zags fans already know, the West Coast Conference is a competitive league. Unfortunately, it’s also often a one-bid conference that Gonzaga almost always dominates. The Bulldogs like to make their mark with the NCAA Selection Committee by playing top-tier non-conference games early on. Losing three Pac-12 teams from their schedule hurts, but it’s far from a disaster.
Gonzaga men's basketball schedule affected by Pac-12 postponing sports to 2021 https://t.co/e9Dpj1Q2nB
— KREM 2 NEWS (@KREM2) August 12, 2020
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