ZAGS 360: WCC Championship Edition
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are the WCC Champions! After a regular Gonzaga-style win against St. Mary’s Gaels on Monday, then a tense battle Tuesday night with the BYU Cougars, the Zags remain undefeated and ready to head into the NCAA tournament.
Monday night, the Zags beat the St. Mary’s Gaels in typical wire to wire Gonzaga fashion which was expected. Tuesday night turned into a nail-biting, stomach clencher, upset-looking, shocker of a game against the BYU Cougars. What happened to the Gonzaga Bulldogs? Nothing really except they are now the undisputed WCC champions. Cut down that net!
Gonzaga-78 vs. St. Mary’s-55
Monday night’s game was a typical Gonzaga game. They led from start to finish. It didn’t even feel like a semi-final game. The Terrifying Trio was sensational. Drew Timme led the Zags with 18 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Corey Kispert had 14 points, six rebounds, and Jalen Suggs had 15 points and seven rebounds. Joel Ayayi was great with 16 points and eight rebounds, with Andrew Nembhard rounding out the double-digit scorers with ten points.
Gonzaga-88 vs. BYU-78
The first half
This game was Gonzaga’s biggest thriller this season. A heart-pounding contest from the first half until the last six minutes. BYU had full command of the first half. The Bulldogs could do nothing; worse, their defense was ineffective. At the same time, it seemed the Cougars could do no wrong. At one point in the half, the Zags trailed by 14 points. I sat stunned with unbelieving eyes. I covered the Zags for PNWS this entire season, and they had not been down by double digits in any of their games.
Messages were coming up on my phone saying, “there is an upset happening in Las Vegas.” Sick to my stomach but unable to look away, then finally, it was halftime. The analysts reminded everyone of February 22, 2020, the last time the Zags lost, and it was to BYU. They kept saying that the Cougars were shooting 75 percent from the field. No team had such stats against the Zags this season.
Coach Mark Few had these words to say:
“They really took the fight to us, especially in that first 20 minutes. We couldn’t stop them. They had us on roller skates. They were outcompeting us and beating us to balls but also just executing their offense and making big shots.”
The second half
Thankfully the second half opened with a renewed Kispert, and he was in the three-point zone. The sigh of relief was audible. But BYU wouldn’t go quietly into the night. The Zags came to within three but seconds later were again down by nine. Drew Timme missed two free throws. With nine minutes left in the game and the Bulldogs down by nine, the freshman phenom known as Jalen Suggs went to work for his team.
Suggs sent one of his football passes to Ayayi for a layup, and it was smooth sailing from there. Suggs put up eight points in less than three minutes, giving his team a nine-point lead. This is what he said after the game,
“When the lights are shining the brightest and more people are watching, I always want to go out and make plays. More importantly, I wanted to come out with a win. I told Coach with like six, seven minutes left, we’re not walking out of here without a championship. I’m gonna get it done. Coming down the stretch, guys had great confidence in me, they trusted in me. I kept screaming, ‘It’s March! It’s March!’ I’ve been waiting to play in these moments, in March, my entire life.”
From day one, Suggs has been a commanding presence on this squad.
What’s ahead
The NCAA Tournament! Gonzaga basketball fans will get the who and when they play next on Selection Sunday, March 14. The Zags are only one of seven teams in NCAA history to enter the tournament undefeated.
Regarding being undefeated, coach Few said, “We finally acknowledged this is a big deal. It puts us in some incredible company. … It’s a heck of an accomplishment.”
I hope the Zags take the BYU game to heart. There will be some hungry teams out there waiting to take down the undefeated, undisputed No. 1 seed. Let’s hope the players keep this game at the front in their minds. It’s time to practice hard because the Zags need six more wins for a national championship and a spot in history.
Let’s get behind them. GO ZAGS!!!
I also give a special shout-out to the Gonzaga women’s basketball team, who also beat BYU to win the conference championship. Jill Townsend overcame food poisoning and came off the bench to hit a game-winning buzzer-beater. Great job, ladies!