ZAGS 360: Week 12 – Gonzaga is 22-0 with two to go
Only two regular-season games remain for the undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs. The big question now is should they compete in the WCC tournament in Las Vegas?
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are 22-0 and have two games remaining on their WCC schedule. Previously canceled games between LMU and Santa Clara, due to COVID-19 outbreaks at the respective schools, are rescheduled to the upcoming week. We know their offense is killer but is their defense ready to hold off the other teams hoping to grab the same national title.
In the last week or so, there has been a question about Gonzaga going to Las Vegas for the WCC tournament. Should they or shouldn’t they? Will Vegas be a hotbed of Covid that could potentially ruin their trip to the NCAA Tournament? Those are excellent questions. I think they should skip the tournament. Please let us know what you think in our comments section.
Gonzaga 87 vs. St. Mary’s 65
The Bulldogs played St. Mary’s on January 16. The score was 73-59. I remember being very upset with the Zags because they came out slow and didn’t seem to have their usual energy. Not so this past Thursday. The rival team that once led Gonzaga by nine points in January didn’t get a chance to lead at all in this game.
If you were like me, you wondered why Anton Watson was out of the starting lineup. According to an article by Keith Ybanez in Slipper Still Fits,
“We’ve all commented here in the past that we like having Anton Watson in the starting lineup and Andrew Nembard off the bench to maintain balance in the rotation. But after a bunch of sluggish first halves in WCC play, Mark Few swapped them in the starting lineup and the Zags have looked much better to start the last two games since that change.”
I am not blaming Watson for their slow starts. In my opinion, he is a great player and exciting to watch.
Corey Kispert led his team to this victory with 20 points and three rebounds. Joel Ayayi had 16 points and six rebounds, including 11 in the first half. Drew Timme kicked in 12 points and four rebounds, and the third in the trio, Jalen Suggs, contributed eight points, five assists, and two rebounds. Andrew Nembhard, in his starting position, had ten points, two rebounds, and five assists.
Although he didn’t score, Few had Julian Strawther getting time with the starters, including Suggs. It might have been an audition.
Gonzaga 106 vs. San Diego 69
Let me start by saying Drew Timme had 17 points in the first half as Gonzaga off strong. This is the second meeting of the Zags and Toreros in the last month. It was an exciting game for the Bulldogs; their execution was excellent. The score at halftime was 51-22.
The Bulldogs led by 29 points in the first half without a single three-point basket. They didn’t make a three-pointer until Andrew Nembhard’s three in the second half.
Timme led the way with 21 points, eight rebounds, and one block. Suggs followed him with 17 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and four turnovers. Kispert was also incredible with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals!
It was great to see Gonzaga’s defense tightening up this game, and I hope they keep it up. The turnovers and personal fouls equal points they don’t need to give to those awesome teams waiting to be the first to defeat them and stop them from their goal.
The bench players came in at the end to seal the game adding 17 points.
The week ahead
Gonzaga will be closing out the regular season with two previously postponed games. They will be playing Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount. I hope the Bulldogs will be working to do better with turnovers and personal fouls during these games. Once they clear up these game-losing deficiencies, the Zags will be ready for March Madness.
What to look for
- A tightening of Gonzaga’s defense.
- An undefeated regular season.
- The WCC tournament?
This was a great week for Gonzaga. Until next time, let’s all stay safe!