The Gonzaga Bulldogs were back in action last week, opening West Coast Conference play with a lopsided victory. They still have plenty to sort out in the weeks ahead. But in the meantime, there are some exciting games on the way.
Our regular Zags blogger Teresa Powe is off this week, filling in is Ed Stein.
COVID wreaked havoc on the opening weeks of West Coast Conference play. After an 11-day break, the Zags finally got back on the court. Pepperdine probably wishes the Gonzaga Bulldogs hiatus lasted a little longer.
In their WCC opener, Gonzaga led wire to wire, never trailing in a 34-point blowout win. Anton Watson came off the bench to lead the Zags in both minutes (25) and points (19). Starting forwards, Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren had 18 points each. Andrew Nembhard only scored 3 points but had 8 assists and 6 boards.
The Zags played one game this week and climbed two spots in the polls to number two. Their rise was in conjunction with a couple of high-profile losses by top teams.
It started last Monday in Lafayette, Indiana. Wisconsin outscored then-third ranked Purdue 14-7 in the final four minutes to pull off a 74-69 upset win. The Boilermakers dropped four spots to seventh.
On Saturday, Duke’s final shot missed the mark giving Miami a 74-72 upset win in front of the Cameron Crazies in Durham, North Carolina. As a result, the Blue Devils fell six spots to eighth.
During their time off, Gonzaga had three games postponed. Contests against San Diego (12/30), Loyola (1/1), and San Francisco (1/5) all need to be made up. In a tightly scheduled WCC season, the Bulldogs’ only open conference dates are January 22 and February 17. Unfortunately, all three of those opponents already have games on those dates. Look for some reshuffling by the WCC office soon.
Sophomore guard Dominick Harris, who has been out all season with a foot injury, looks close to rejoining the team. He put on a trey-display at practice this week. This season, the Zags are connecting on just 35 percent from three-point range (128th in D1). His shooting touch would definitely shore up a big weakness.
Speaking of scheduling, Kentucky coach Jim Calipari is adamant that he wants to play the Bulldogs this season. The Wildcats coach said he’s been in contact with Mark Few, and if both teams have an open date that works, they’ll make it happen. Over the last few seasons, the Zags haven’t been shy about playing anyone, anywhere, to get their team ready for March Madness.
The Zags game against Washington on December 12 was canceled, which means they have room for another game. SEC teams Mississippi and Florida already dealt with COVID cancelations; more will come, which could open up some dates for Kentucky. Call it a hunch, UK and GU will play each other this season.
The Zags have two games on tap against some of the West Coast Conference’s better teams.
Gonzaga has two conference games scheduled for this week. On Thursday, Brigham Young visits the McCarthy Center. No one in BYU’s main rotation is over 6-foot-8, so the Zags have a huge advantage in the paint.
This is no easy game for Gonzaga. Even with BYU’s lack of height, the Cougars are a dangerous team. Nembhard and Rasir Bolton will have their hands full defending the perimeter against All-Conference guard Alex Barcello, who is shooting nearly 47 percent from behind the arc. Brigham Young ranks in the mid-30s on both polls and at one point were as high as 12th.
BYU Leaders
Points – Alex Barcello 16.3
Rebounds – Fousseyni Traore 7.3
Assists – Te’Jon Lucas 4.3
Santa Clara’s layoff (21 days) was even longer than the Gonzaga Bulldogs. At least the Broncos get one game in before playing the Best in the West. All-WCC guard Jalen Williams leads the conference in scoring with 18.8 points per game.
Santa Clara already has wins over Stanford, Cal, Nevada, and TCU. The Broncos are a good team who will be playing games in March past the WCC tournament. Their in-conference performance will determine if that’s in the NCAA Tournament or NIT.
SC Leaders
Points – Jalen Williams 18.8
Rebounds – Keshawn Justice 8.0
Assists – Josip Vrankic 4.1
Until next time, stay safe. Our Gonzaga Bulldogs expert Teresa Powe will be back next week with the Zags 360.