Drew Timme, Gonzaga Bulldogs.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs had a hard time right out of the gate during the West Virginia game. The Mountaineers were ready; they wanted a victory and were very physical about it. At the 7:07 point in the first half, Jalen Suggs went down with what looked to be a serious ankle injury. An athlete and non-athlete testing positive for Covid canceling the game of the season.
West Virginia used their physicality offensively and defensively in an attempt to wear down the Bulldogs. Gonzaga started out in a word – disappointing. To make matters worse, at the 7:07 mark of the first half, Jalen Suggs went down. He clutched his ankle and had to be helped to the locker room.
When he returned to the court, it was on crutches. Twitter went wild with torn Achilles speculations. It honestly made me a little nervous, as I’m sure it did most Gonzaga fans. Losing Suggs also seemed to deflate his teammates mentally. That change in attitude wasn’t lost on the Mountaineers. WVU took advantage of Gonzaga’s let down, pulling out to a 33-24 lead.
There was one member of the Bulldogs team who did the opposite. Andrew Nembhard made the most of his opportunity and took off. He ended the game with 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists in 35 minutes.
When to everyone’s surprise, Suggs returned to action in the second half, it was as though the Zags took a shot of adrenaline. Joel Ayayi and Corey Kispert went into action. Ayayi contributed 21 points, Kispert had 19, and Drew Timme added 17 points. Jalen Suggs may have only had four points, but the kid was the star of this game. It was his energy that propelled this 87-82 victory.
I looked forward to this game since I first saw the schedule. The number one and two ranked playing this early in the season was an event! I was sitting at attention in front of the TV when my phone flashed that the game was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
One athlete and one non-athlete member of the Gonzaga traveling party tested positive for the virus. It was also a concern for the West Virginia game, but they still played.
A joint statement by Gonzaga Coach Mark Few and Baylor Coach Scott Drew read:
“We’re disappointed to not be able to play one of the most-anticipated games of the season, but we are following the advice of public health officials. When we decided to play during a pandemic, our priorities were protecting the health and safety of student-athletes and following public health guidelines, and we’re proud of how both programs have held true to those promises. There are much greater issues in this world than not being able to play a basketball game, so we’re going to continue praying for everyone who has been affected by this pandemic.”
We send our best wishes to those affected as well as the rest of the team.
Hopefully, there will be games this week. Right now, the Zags have three contests scheduled Tarleton State on Monday, Southern on Thursday, and the week finishes on Saturday with Northern Arizona. All three games are at the McCarthy Center and will be televised on NBC Q6 and Root Sports Northwest.
Tarleton State has suffered losses to Texas A & M and Abilene Christian. I don’t see them as much of a threat. The Southern Jaguars are 0-2, while Northern Arizona had their first three games postponed due to positive coronavirus tests within their program.
What is there to say. Unfortunately, this is the state of our country today. The only thing you can do is send best wishes to these young athletes. As much as I wanted to see the Baylor game, I’d prefer they not play than to get sick.
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