SB Nation - Steven Gray

On the horizon: Zags get a break before taking on Duke

Zach B — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:00:55 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

Elias Harris dominated the Wildcats of Davidson. Is he poised for a breakthrough game on basketball's biggest stage? (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Browse more photos »

Davidson gave Gonzaga a run for their money on Saturday evening but the Wildcats did not have enough to take down the Bouldin-less Bulldogs. The Battle in Seattle was set up by Gonzaga to not only bring good college basketball to the city of Seattle but to also attract big name programs to play the Zags in the Pac-NW. While Davidson isn't much these days without Stephen Curry, you really couldn't have picked a better team for Gonzaga to play without their senior leader Matt Bouldin. As we said in our game recap, Gonzaga was able to physically impose their will on Davidson for 40 minutes and put up 100+ points in Seattle. Robert Sacre and Elias Harris fought, scrapped, and dominated the interior against Davidson while Steven Gray and Demetri Goodson ruled the perimeter. The silver lining of the whole Matt Bouldin incident may have been the way these four played. There's no doubt that they will have to consistently "bring it" if Gonzaga is going to finish out Decmeber the way we are all expecting them to. They should all be riding high after playing Davidson and I expect them to have a great week of practice before heading off to New York. With that, here are a few things to get your week off to a good start...

It's Duke week...

For the first time as a blogger I kind of feel like I'm covering a college football team. November's early season tournament madness is well behind us and were at a bit of a lull in the schedule. Gonzaga will only have two games in the next two weeks. Duke on Saturday and then Eastern Washington all the way on December 28th in the comfy confines of the MAC. Ever since the Duke game at Madison Square Garden was confirmed, Gonzaga fans have had their eyes on the 19th. When you combined one of America's most storied athletic programs with America's most fabled sports arena, there is no need for embellishment. Gonzaga will head into the game an 8-2 ball club and assuming Duke takes care of Gardner-Webb on Tuesday, they'll be 8-1. It will undoubtedly be a game most of the nation will have their eyes on. Gonzaga hasn't played in the Garden since the 2006-07 season when they played three games in the basketball mecca. They played Duke in December and lost a tightly contested game to the Blue Devils but the game most Gonzaga fans like to remember is the preseason NIT when Gonzaga upset North Carolina before being upset by Butler. That game was the official coming out party for big man Josh Heytvelt who absolutely shut down Tyler Hansbrough and established himself as a premier player in the country. I'm assuming there are a couple current Gonzaga big men that wouldn't mind having their official coming out part on basketball's biggest stage come Saturday

continue reading after the poll and jump...

Mark Few made the most of his trip to Seattle...

For big-time college basketball coaches, there really is no downtime. Even after you coaching a high-scoring, up-tempo game like the one Gonzaga played in Saturday, it wasn't as though Mark Few could go back to the hotel and relax. Nope, instead the Gonzaga head man went out to the Kentridge-Federal Way game that tipped at 7:30 PM to get another glimpse at Kentridge's Gary Bell Jr. To be quite honest, this is exactly how I was hoping Coach would spend his time in Seattle. Bell Jr. is a smooth scoring guard from the Seattle area that blew up over the summer during the AAU circuit and is poised for an enormous junior season. Gary holds offers from the likes of Gonzaga, Washington, and Cal. He was quoted as saying the two Pac-10 schools were his leaders right now but it is early yet in the 2011 recruiting cycle. The Chargers of Kentridge lost by six points to Federal Way but Gary put up 18 of Kentridge's 52 points in the losing effort.

Projecting this week's rakings...

The five teams ahead of Gonzaga in last week's AP Poll lost this past week meaning that we should be seeing some significant improvement to our position at some point mid-Monday. Wisconsin, Cincy, UNLV, Washington (sweet), and Texas A&M all lost meaning that I would expected Gonzaga to probably fall somewhere between the 16-17 range tomorrow. Gary Parrish of CBSSports recently weighed in and put the Zags at 15 while Jeff Goodman slated Mark Few's club as the 17th best team in the nation at this point. If Gonzaga could have stole a win from Wake Forest, this Duke game coming up could have solidified Gonzaga as a top 10 team (assuming a positive result).

Bol Kong (and SSF) getting some love

The coolest part about the whole ESPN Insider set up is the Rumors section of the website. For every sport, there is a rumors page that is basically news before it really blows up. Smartly, ESPN's editors have made a conscious effort to stalk the blogosphere to get the pulse of a fan base so that they can get the inside dig quickly. We've been linked a couple of times now by this rumors page including today in a little blurb about Bol Kong:

We wrote last Friday that Gonzaga's Matt Bouldin should be able to play against Davidson despite a suspected concussion. Three hours from the Battle of Seattle's tipoff, coach Mark Few learned that Bouldin would not play or even dress for the game.

Even without Bouldin, the 'Zags were able to pull out the win and in the senior guard's absence, Bulldog fans were able to see first extensive action from heralded frosh Bol Kong. Against Augustana, Kong scored 19 points in only 10 minutes. In place of Bouldin against Davidson, Kong scored 9 points in 15 minutes of action, making one of two threes to increase his team-leading 3-point percentage to 60 percent.

While Bouldin should return, Kong's solid play should earn him more minutes and confidence from coach Mark Few. The administrators of The Slipper Still Fits (a Gonzaga men's basketball site) are definitely enthused by the freshman's play: "When Kong has the ball in his hands on offense, I have total confidence that good things will happen ... He's so deceptively fast and strong on the dribble that there aren't many players that match up well with him."

Bol seems to ideally fit ESPN's Rumors section because this kid is about to explode. I'm just waiting for that game where he comes in early in the first half and takes over. All the sudden...you look up and Bol's got twenty. That's exactly how I expect it to go and I've ran it through in my mind a number of times. I'll be curious to see if Bol has gained enough respect where Coach K recognizes when he is on the court and makes the necessary adjustment. For the Blue Devils, I'm not sure who that would be. Singler can take care of his size but I like Kong on the drive in that situation. If he is not accounted for, I would expect Bol to make some big shots against Duke like he has done all season.

With guys like Bol, Elias, Manny, and Kelly I rest at ease because they have yet to be phased by a situation. Their international experience has made them excellent competitors that have yet to show any real sign of getting caught up in the moment. Elias' ejection in the Wake Forest game was more of a hard foul in my book where he just got a bit overzealous. I exepct this solid play to continue from all four of these players as Duke waits in the wings.

Poll

Three players had career high scoring days on Saturday for Gonzaga. Which Zag impressed you the most?

No Bouldin, no problem as Gonzaga upends Davidson

Zach B — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:03:17 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

This was a common sight earlier today as Gonzaga defeated Davidson in Seattle (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Browse more photos »

When news broke before the game that Matt Bouldin would be inactive and not even suited up for the Battle in Seattle, I wouldn't say that Gonzaga fans were worried. The word I would use to describe the feeling is uncomfortable. For the past four years, Matt Bouldin has created a legacy for himself at Gonzaga. Ever since he torched Washington in his freshman year, people knew he was special and Coach Few definitely understood this. A three-year starter, Matt's been a steady influence on this team and will probably go down as one of the best Zags to come through the program. For this reason, you can understand why today's game against Davidson felt a little bit different. That feeling didn't last long as the Zags got some huge performances from a number of different players and went on to defeat the Wildcats of Davidson, 103-91.

It was pretty obvious from the get-go that Mark Few had been preparing to play this game without Matt Bouldin since the conclusion of the Augustana game. Davidson has the reputation of being a very well-coached and fundamental team. What they aren't known for is being physically imposing. Rather than get to the rack and challenge the defense, Davidson has been built on the outside shot. Realizing this, Mark Few decided to let his bigger, stronger, faster, and more athletic team take control of the game and enforce their will. What I think we may also have seen, was a glimpse into Gonzaga's future as a basketball program.

The Wildcats couldn't keep up with the speed of Demetri Goodson and they couldn't handle the power and size of Elias Harris and Robert Sacre. These three all had the best offensive nights in a Gonzaga uniform as each went for a career high. Demetri Goodson constantly sped past the Davidson defense as he finished with 22 points on 6-7 shooting. Meech was also 10-13 from the free throw line. The power of Sacre and Harris was evident from the very start of the game. Robert Sacre used a variety of post moves to score his 23 points. He was so good, in fact, that the only time he missed was from the free throw line as he hit all six of his field goal attempts and went 11-18 from the line. Elias Harris did it from all over the court. Whether it was from the low post, driving from the wing, or spotting up for three, Harris was a man possessed this evening. He finished with 27 points on 7-9 shooting and 11-14 from the charity stripe. These three set such a physical tone all evening that, despite Davidson's best effort, there wasn't anything in the world that was going to stop them from getting a win in Seattle.

It wasn't all a field of roses for the Gonzaga Bulldogs today at Key Arena. Two of the three stars had their fair share of issues on the court. For Demetri Goodson, it was turnovers. Meech had six turnovers in comparison with two assists in today's contest. He had some issues keeping the dribble up with his own speed and just got out of control at times. He made a few ill-advised passes as well but overall it is really hard to critique Meech because I think he did exactly what Coach Few asked of him. By pushing the tempo early and often, Davidson was constantly in reactionary mode on defense. Due to this, Gonzaga was able to get to the line 54 times and really take this game over. People are going to look at the box score and clamor for Meech to be benched because of the turnovers but I just think he's too valuable to the team in other areas. He'll make you pull your hair out at times, but for a kid that's only started 10 games, I'm happy with what I'm seeing. Robert Sacre struggled with his normal issue, fouls. Rob picked up two midway through the first half when it looked like he couldn't be stopped. Once he came back in the game, Davidson was dead in the water. The big man had his most outstanding offensive night and only picked up one more foul in the game.

Matt Bouldin's absence meant that Steven Gray and first-time starter Grant Gibbs had to step up in a big way for Gonzaga. Steven Gray, who came out of the gates hot in 2009, struggled early in today's game and it appeared that we were heading to another frustrating Steven Gray performance. In the second half, however, Steven Gray was sensational in my estimation. He hit some big time jumpers at crucial points in the game and connected on 3-5 shots from beyond the arc. Finishing with 16 points, I think Steven did a great job leading this team and delivering the big shot when necessary. Grant Gibbs had to fill in for his good friend Matt Bouldin and he did an admirable job. Gibbs played 29 minutes and it was clear that Mark Few wanted to keep him out there a lot early on so that he would gain confidence. Even though he only finished with two points, he did a lot of good things on the court. First and foremost, his court vision is Bouldin-esque. When Matt came in as a freshman, he dazzled as a passer and Grant did the same today. His passing into the post is crisp and he puts his team in great position upon reception. Gibbs also pulled down eight big boards and just continues to fill up the stat sheet for this team.

Four other newcomers played a part in today's win over Davidson. Two looked like they need more minutes and two looked like freshman (which is good). First and foremost, it has come to my attention that we, as Gonzaga fans, just have no clue how good Bol Kong is. When Kong has the ball in his hands on offense, I have total confidence that good things will happen. Kong was 3-4 from the floor today, connecting on one three-pointer but I think I was most impressed with his drives. He's so deceptively fast and strong on the dribble that there aren't many players that match up well with him. For a 6'6'' player to have his ability with the basketball on the perimeter is truly remarkable. I also liked what I saw from Kong in other areas. He hit the boards well, hustled well, and I think he more than held his own on defense. Does he have mental lapses time to time? Of course...but he's still learning. Mangisto Arop is another guy I have great confidence in just because I love what he brings on defense. His length on defense is such an asset and when you combine that with Demetri Goodson's quickness, the tandem is a nightmare for opposing guards. He's still gun shy offensively if he can continue to make this type an impact on defense, I'm sure Coach Few will be able to find a way to play him.

I think we all know what lies ahead for Gonzaga. The Zags have a week off to get Matt Bouldin healthy and prepare for the eighth-ranked Blue Devils of Duke. To make things even bigger, the two teams will square off on basketball's biggest stage: Madison Square Garden.

Gonzaga routs division three foe Augustana

Zach B — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:22:10 -0000

More photos » by Rajah Bose - AP

Augustana had some nice talent but just couldn't play with the Zags on Wednesday night. (AP Photo/Rajah Bose)

Browse more photos »

There's not much we can take from tonight's dominant Gonzaga victory except for the fact that Matt Bouldin was knocked out of the game with an apparent head injury. He banged heads with an Augustana defender early in the game and hit the floor hard and wound up never checking back in. Matt looked fine and stayed on the bench as the game went on but it was definitely scary moment as you never want your star to get hurt in a game where Gonzaga's bench could have started and routed the Vikings of Augustana.

The final score of the game was 79-40 tonight in the McCarthey Athletic Center and it was a pretty underwhelming performance overall. By no means was the game ever in question but the same ugly flaws for Gonzaga came out tonight. The Zags shot 56% from the free throw line (17-30) and only outrebounded the Vikings by four, unofficially. The free throws are an especially hideous stat considering this game was played at home in front of a silent crowd. It was mostly the young guys contributing to these misses with guys like Grant Gibbs and GJ Vilarino missing their fair share but both those guys will probably be pretty solid contributors by years end.

I shouldn't harp on the play of Grant Gibbs tonight as I, once again, thought that he was tremendous for Gonzaga. The guy literally does a little bit of everything and has really started to get into a groove on the floor. Grant had eight points, four assists, three rebounds, and two steals tonight. He's obviously filling up the stat sheet in a number of ways and is making his mark on the team. He's never going to give fans the wow factor but when good things happen on the court you can expect #10 to be hanging around.

The best lineup of the night was at the end of the first half when it was (I believe) GJ Vilarino, Steven Gray, Grant Gibbs, Bol Kong, and Kelly Olynyk. This glimpse into the future really extended Gonzaga's lead to the 40-14 halftime mark and produced some great plays. Bol Kong really isn't fond of hitting anything but net on his shots. He made some nice drives to the rack as well and showed how he can really force the issue if he wants. Steven Gray facilitated the evening's actions and looked confident out there. He was 5-8 from the floor, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds. He struggled with stupid turnovers again tonight but at least his offensive game appeared to turn a corner. GJ Vilarino had an off shooting night but drove well to the hoop and Mangisto Arop, who subbed in early and often did what Manny does. He hit the boards, worked hard on D, and took what the D gave him on offense.

We're not really going to overanalyze this game because it is not really deserving of it. Gonzaga playing Augustana at this point in the season is just a tune up for the mid-to-end of December. Next up for Gonzaga is Davidson on Saturday for the Battle in Seattle. The Wildcats have returned back to Earth after Stephen Curry's departure but will still give the Zags a decent test.

Postgame Reaction: Wake Forest defeats Gonzaga in the Kennel

Zach B — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:17:21 -0000

More photos » by Rajah Bose - AP

10 days ago: Gonzaga's Robert Sacre, foreground, tries to drive against Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Rajah Bose)

Browse more photos »

There is much to be discussed about this game so I don't want to wait to hear some thoughts from you all. Gonzaga lost Wake Forest 77-75 in gut-wrenching, at times embarrassing and just all in all miserable fashion. Here are a few things that stood out for me and are things to take from this game.

-- First, the elephant in the room: Elias Harris made a freshman, bonehead play and did not look like the man he has been in the first part of the season. Chas McFarland gave him a mini-shot to the chin and Elias reacted with a forearm shiver. As we all know, the second guy always gets caught. Chas made a similar play against Kelly Olynyk and got called for it. I understand E's frustration but you can't really classify it as anything but dumb.

-- Wake's two freshmen C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart combined for more points than Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray, 36-34. Gray didn't get on the board until 10:50 in the second half and was outplayed by Mangisto Arop. Manny showed hustle and grit while Steven disappeared until the end...and then missed two of three free throws in the clutch.

-- 21-34 from the free throw line at home.

-- Bol Kong was great on offense and brought Gonzaga back to life. Say what you want about defensive issues, Gonzaga is ran out of the gym with Bol. He was 4-5 from the floor (4-4 from three) and finished with 12 points. He also had a beautiful dish to Matt. His Sudanese teammate Mangisto Arop also showed why he needs more minutes. Manny played his ass off and finished with nine points and nine rebounds.

-- The start of the second half lost the game for Gonzaga. The Zags trailed by one at halftime and let the lead get up to eight by the 15 minute mark of the second half. I expected Matt and Steven to come out in half two and set up the game to be played through them but neither did and the Zags faltered early and lost late.

-- Gonzaga was outrebounded by Wake all day long and it just appeared that they wanted it more. This is the second time this week an opponent came into the Kennel and wanted it more than Gonzaga. Against WSU, they were able to pull out the win, tonight they were not so fortunate.

-- Dino Gaudio is an outstanding coach. From their play out of the time out where Ish Smith connected with Al-Farouq-Aminu on the alley-oop to when they fouled Matt Bouldin when they were down three with time running out. Gaudio make the calls in the clutch and showed what it means it be a great in-game coach. I'm not taking any shot at Mark Few but that was an impressive display by Dino.

-- Piggybacking on the coaching, it appears that the word is out on Demetri Goodson and Rob Sacre. Meech is being defended so that he is allowed to shoot and Rob is being doubled and pressured like crazy. Neither has responded well yet as Meech took some horrible three point attempts in this game early and also let his frustration get the best of him late. I'm VERY concerned about these two and whether they have what it takes to adjust and flourish.

I promise to put up a more detailed and hopefully more positive post later. For now, there's some good football on and as far as I know, the sun will come up tomorrow!

What say you?

Gonzaga stopped Klay Thompson, then stopped the Cougars

Zach B — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:25:38 -0000

More photos » by Rajah Bose - AP

Steven Gray might have struggled offensively, but his physical play on defense may have been the difference last night. (AP Photo/Rajah Bose)

Browse more photos »

At Gonzaga, the term "go-to guy" has been something synonymous with the program as it has risen to the top of the non-BCS conferences. From Dan Dickau to Blake Stepp to Adam Morrison to Derek Raivio, Gonzaga has usually had one player that had to show up game in, game out for the Zags to be successful. Things have changed a bit in Spokane as balance has become the name of the game. Instead of having two or three players score 17 or more a night, the Zags have developed a style of play that can facilitate five or even six guys hitting double figures on any given night. Last night, Gonzaga welcomed Washington State to the comfy confines of the McCarthey Athletic Center. This Cougar team, for better or worse, is currently forced to rely on the play of one go-to player: Klay Thompson. This is not to say that the rest of the Cougar team isn't skilled because they are. At this point however, they are very young basically all over the court. Heck, even Thompson is a 19 year old sophomore that is being asked to play like a vet. Leading up to this game, there was no surprise as to the man Gonzaga had to stop. In the end, they did, and it led to a big win in the Kennel.

It's almost scary the type of numbers Klay Thompson was putting up before last night's game. In the previous four games he had never dipped below 50% from the field. When you consider the fact that Klay had...oh 76 attempts in those four games, that stat is pretty damn impressive. Although WSU wasn't playing great teams in those four games, it is a situation where he was hitting those shots when you knew that they were doing everything they could to stop him. If you watched his movements on the court last night, it's pretty obvious why he is starting to blow up on the national scene as one of the top scorers in the country. First of all, he's just an immensely talented player. Sure he was off last night and a bit frustrated but just watching him move on the court and shoot the ball, it's clear that if a few more bounces would have gone his way, we'd be a much more depressed fan base this morning. Secondly, he has great length for a guard and is a match up nightmare. Much like Adam Morrison, Klay is long, lanky, and very slight. He's a polar opposite guard in comparison to someone like Matt Bouldin as you will rarely see Klay bump around in the post. He uses his length to get off screens and hit jumpers on the move much like we saw with Adam. He can also thrive in any offense. Since he is so lanky, he can absolutely go crazy in half court sets and since he is probably bigger than 90% of the players that guard him, he can frustrate smaller guards in fast break, Ken Bone type settings. In WSU's first six games, Klay killed opposing teams in both facets. Last night against the Zags, Thompson struggled to get anything going. Was it just an off night or was it Gonzaga-induced? Read on after the jump...

In past years, Gonzaga has been torched by players as versatile as Klay. Not only has perimeter defense constantly been an issue but the Zags have been historically bad in tracking players off screens and stepping out. So now the question is...why did Klay struggle so much last night and shoot 6-21 from the floor? Enter the maturation of Steven Gray and the presence of Mangisto Arop. Steven Gray has always been a solid defender at Gonzaga. He has typically always drawn the most difficult match ups from opposing teams whether it was Stephen Curry with Davidson or last night with Klay. What I saw last night from Steven was an aggressiveness and desire to be great that gives me so much hope for this season. He did a great job tracking Klay all night and showed great hustle. For as much as it seemed like he was invisible on offense, it felt like he was defending everyone at once. Part two of this new defensive excellence in Manny Arop. Manny hasn't played as much as we all thought he would early on but last night his length was exactly what the doctor ordered. Manny is one of the few players that can match Klay Thompson's overall size and it showed in his limited minutes. I really feel that having Mangisto come off the bench this season for Gonzaga as a defensive stopper and rebounding extraordinaire is just what we need and he's already shown that he can do both thus far this year. Look for him to really start to have a great impact when WCC play rolls around.

So what does Steven and Manny shutting down Klay Thompson mean for Gonzaga in the long run? I truly feel like this may have been Gray's best game of the season and really carried on from what we saw in Maui. Against Cincinnati, we saw Matt Bouldin really play terrible offensively. Usually when a player of that caliber struggles offensively, it has a ripple down effect on the rest of their game. Instead, Matt dedicated himself on the boards and pulled down 10 rebounds. We've seen this before with Matt in previous years and it sometimes has affected his play. Typically with him, we see a lot of forced shots and increased urgency but against Cincy, he just thought it would be better to let the offensive work around him and dominate the boards. Last night, Steven Gray could have easily been frustrated with his offensive play and let it take away from the rest of his game. He had some careless plays with the ball, and just never got in rhythm with his shot. In the past two years, we've seen him have these kind of games and he sort of disappears from the floor. His defense goes down the tubes, he gets lazy, and it drives us crazy. Last night, he took his frustration out on Klay Thompson and flew around the defensive side of the court. He was diving for balls, creating contact (smartly), and showed great leadership. To me, this tells me that, although Matt and Steven are our offensive leaders and catalysts, they are also team first players. They understand their roles extend beyond offensive production and that this team has enough skill to help them when they struggle. Steven could have forced up 15 bad shots last night and lost this game for the team. It didn't happen and that cleared the way for Matt and Elias to explode offensively and Steven did his job and made sure Klay Thompson had his worst night of the season in WSU's biggest game yet. The result: the Zags are now 6-1 and have defeated a team from the Big 12, Big 10, Big East, and the Pac-10.

Will a team from the ACC be next? That test comes Saturday with Wake.

Gonzaga 74, Washington State 69

Grady. — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:29:39 -0000

NCAA Basketball Stats

There's a reason I (usually) only use the final score as the title on my game recaps. Not because I'm boring, or can't think of a catchy title that would summarize the game in a few snappy words.

It's because it is what it is.

All that really matters in the end is the final score. It didn't matter if the Zags went on their run in the first five minutes or the last five. We knew they were too good a team not to have a stretch with momentum on their side. It was a matter of how we responded. Tonight, we didn't. In that event, it doesn't matter what the score was 10, 20 or even 30 minutes in. All that matters is the result.

What you saw tonight was a young team falling apart on the road against a veteran team. Of course the Zags are young at a couple spots, but we're young at every spot, minus Nikola Koprivica.

Ultimately, I think what really hurts about this loss is the brief glimpse of what this team could become. With Reggie Moore on the bench in foul trouble, and Klay not up to living up to his usual scoring prowess, this team dominated Gonzaga in the first half. Thames, Koprivica and Harthun played well off the bench. Casto and Lodwick controlled the interior. Scoring was balanced. Shots were in rhythm. The defense was taking away the three-point shot, for the most part.

But then we saw the ugly head of what this team really is, or at least has been up to this point. Horrific three-point defense. Rebounding issues. A lack of a reliable scorer outside of Klay and Reggie Moore. We also saw our inconsistencies: free throw shooting, turnovers and forced shots all in the final ten minutes. An inability to match the Zags' aggressiveness and ability to get to the foul line. 8 turnovers on 10 possessions is unacceptable; one of many lessons to be learned from this game. This was no longer a team hungry for an upset; it was a team trying to hang on. We did against Eastern because we were the better team; we didn't against Gonzaga because we aren't.

Still, try to see this for the whole picture, not the end of the second half. This was a five point loss to a great team, who is nearly unbeatable on their home floor (I know we debunked the Kennel myth a little bit earlier, but the fact is their dominance is due to the fact that so often they ARE the better team). And the Zags don't easily get upset. It hurts now, but next year when this team closes out a game just like this you can be thankful they had this kind of experience.

It is what it is. K-State next.

Player of the Game: DeAngelo Casto. 10 points, 10 boards, on 50% shooting with 3 blocks and 3 steals.

[I should also give some well-deserved respect to the Zags' Steven Gray, who did a phenomenal job defensively on Klay Thompson, especially late in the game.]

Unsung Hero: Xavier Thames. Did most of his damage in the first half, but still had 11 points on 3/5 shooting (including 3/3 from three-point range), 3 rebounds and an assist.

Play of the Game: I have to go with the Casto block that brought Robert Sacre back to the floor. Takes us back to the first half. Simpler, happier times.

It was over when... the Cougs failed to score on a field goal for an almost ten minute stretch late in the second half. Thanks to free throws we were able to score six more points in that stretch, but that obviously was not going to be enough. Ugh. I thought the scoring droughts were supposed to move to Virginia along with Tony.

Stat of the Game: I've already mentioned the scoring drought, so let's go with the Cougars missing 8 out of 20 free throw attempts - the secret killer for WSU in this game. Make just half of those misses and, well...

AUDIO: CougCenter Podcast, Episode 17

Nuss — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:03:16 -0000

As promised, this week's CougCenter Podcast. We switch gears into full-on basketball mode with the Gonzaga contest tonight. Topics covered include a debrief of the Great Alaska Shootout, how long Klay Thompson might actually stick around Pullman, and a breakdown of just what the Cougs need to do to beat the Zags.

As usual you can listen to the audio via the player below, or visit our podcast page for myriad subscription options. You can also find us in the iTunes directory under keyword "CougCenter." The advantage of subscribing? Besides having the audio directly delivered to your player of choice, I often upload the audio to the podcast site before posting it here.

AUDIO: CougCenter Interview - Jim Meehan, The Spokesman-Review

Nuss — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:41:51 -0000

More photos » by Eugene Tanner - AP

Spokesman-Review writer Jim Meehan says Matt Bouldin has evolved into one heck of a leader for the Zags.

Browse more photos »

It's Gonzaga day! Remember when we used to get this excited about football games?

Anyway, it's time to ramp it up for tonight's contest with the Zags. We'll be back later this afternoon with our own edition of the podcast to extensively preview the game, but to kick off our coverage, we present to you our interview with Jim Meehan, Gonzaga beat writer for The Spokesman-Review. We talk about the changing nature of Gonzaga's basketball team (they're tough? what?!?!?), Matt Bouldin's evolution as a leader, and whether the Zags want to run with the Cougs (you'll have to listen to find out).

Two items of note before you listen:

The audio quality on Jim's end is less than superb. He was on the road and talking on an apparently cheap Bluetooth headset (either that, or he should get his money back), so it's not great. I tried to clean it up in the audio file and amplify it, but it's still dicey in spots. Sorry.
Pay no attention to my apparent confusion over when the game actually is. Yes, I know the game is tonight. It was recorded yesterday, and I kept getting caught up in which way to say it because I wasn't sure when the audio was going to hit the site. So I just more or less sounded stupid. Forgive me -- I'm just not a podcast pro yet.

If you liked what Meehan had to say -- or if you just can't have audio at work or just prefer to read stuff -- here's his preview from the Gonzaga side. You can also read Grippi's preview from the WSU side here.

Gonzaga upends Cincinnati, wins the 2009 Maui Invitational

Zach B — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:18:40 -0000

More photos » by Eugene Tanner - AP

Rob Sacre was huge for Gonzaga tonight in the physical Maui championship. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)

Browse more photos »

Time and time again in tonight's Gonzaga-Cincinnati match up I had to shake my head and wonder how in the world the Zags were still in this game. Throughout Maui, we have seen tremendous individual performances from veteran leaders like Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray. Tonight, however, Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin threw out a great gameplan against Gonzaga and basically forced them to have someone else beat his Bearcats. It worked wonders early on and in some ways, was effective the entire night. What Cronin didn't account for was a combination of other members of this Gonzaga teams stepping up and his squad attempting a dizzying amount of outside shots. This combination was enough for the Zags tonight as they outlasted the Bearcats in a thrilling overtime game, 61-59.

If you couldn't tell from the final score, this game was not exactly an offensive slugfest. Cincinnati's defense was absolutely outstanding all game long as they dedicated themselves to doubling Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray on the perimeter and not letting them get their drive started. This opened up lanes for Gonzaga's unheralded back court member. Demetri Goodson, who has been scrutinized to begin the season came up big for the Bulldogs all night long. He attacked the basket with vigor early on and really took what the Bearcats gave him. He finished with 12 points and was a nice catalyst for Gonzaga in the first half when no one else could really figure out Cincy's defense. It was only fitting that it was Meech's defense at the end of the game that won it for this team.

For as stellar as Meech Goodson was tonight on both ends of the court, the most outstanding player of the tournament for me was Steven Gray. Like a commenter said in our live game thread, Steven has developed into a flat-out gamer. He contributes in so many ways, shows great control and decision making on the court, and is such a calming presence especially during tonight's high tension game. He had 13 points tonight but delivered (unofficially) three assists and brought down seven boards. Like Matt Bouldin, he is learning to contribute in a number of ways and continues to shine all over the court.

continue reading more on Gonzaga-Cincinnati after the jump...

There were obviously a number of negative plays for Gonzaga tonight. Anytime a Mark Few-led team scores 61 points, including an overtime, something is not right. The great thing about this win, and the entire Maui experience in general, is that they have increased their toughness ten-fold. From being taken to the wire by Colorado, to battling a defensive-minded Wisconsin team, and then tonight facing an aggressive, athletic Cincinnati team, I feel like Gonzaga is now prepared for every team on their schedule. Obviously you'd like to see more production from Gray and Bouldin but I would wager that they were near, if not at, the top of the minutes played list in all of Maui.

I'd be remissed if I didn't speak a little bit about the post play for Gonzaga tonight. I do apologize that this post has become a large rambling. I guess beating Big 12, Big 10, and Big East teams in consecutive days does that to me! Back to the post guys. Elias Harris and Rob Sacre struggled early. Elias was settling for outside shots and was kind of taken aback by the physical nature of Cincy. Mark Few wisely sat him early to settle him down and he came out in the second half firing. Sure, he made rookie mistakes and got whistled for a few travels but his bounce is so evident and his motor never stops. He finished in double figures once again and continues to be the hustle player this team needs all over the court. You can't really say enough about Robert Sacre. Early in the second half I said that his game effort was pretty forgettable and he made me eat some serious crow. He made a beautiful mid-range jumper to tie the game with time winding down and blocked Yancy Gates last second dunk attempt to send the game into overtime. He added a powerful dunk in the extra session off a pretty feed from Steven Gray which gave the Zags another lift. His impact has been pretty remarkable as his post moves continue to improve and it's now obvious to me that Rob's improvement since arriving at Gonzaga is nothing short of amazing.

Cincinnati played a hell of a game out there tonight and they deserve a lot of credit. Yancy Gates is a legit big man and Lance Stephenson has all the talent to be a star. They've also got great talent with some of their role players and appear to be a team headed to a nice season in the Big East. I would say that they were doomed by their horrid shot selection as they attempted 31 three point shots in this game. You can take that many if you are going to make a decent percentage but when you only make eight...odds are you aren't going to win the ball game.

All in all, it's another early season tournament win for Gonzaga. Last season they rolled through the Old Spice Classic and this year they fought through a dangerous Maui team. This tournament proved to be a real sleeper as I'd wager that there will be at least five tournament teams from this field come March. Gonzaga's win tonight means that they are likely destined for a spot back in the Top 25 and will be rolling into their match up with cross town rival Washington State with plenty of momentum.

Enjoy this one, Gonzaga fans, and have a tremendous and relaxing Thanksgiving!!

Gonzaga dominates Wisconsin, advances to Maui finals

Zach B — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:43:16 -0000

More photos » by Eugene Tanner - AP

21 days ago: Gonzaga forward Elias Harris (20) attempts to drive past Wisconsin forward Jon Leuer (30) in the second half of a NCAA college basketball game Tuesday Nov. 24, 2009 at the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii. Gonzaga defeats Wisconsin 74-61 and will play Cincinnati in the finals. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)

Browse more photos »

We mentioned in our game preview that Gonzaga might really benefit from their tight contest with Colorado yesterday. After sleepwalking through the first twenty minutes of play a day ago, the Zags played a great second half to squash the Buffaloes upset bid. Tonight, the Zags were able to carry that momentum over and delivered a rousing performance in Maui against the Badgers of Wisconsin. The final tally had Gonzaga with a 13 point victory and it was one of those games where Wisconsin hung around for a while but there was never any doubt who the better team was. Four of the Bulldogs' five starters scored in double figures tonight and Demetri Goodson was just on the outside with nine points.

The first ten minutes of tonight's game gave off the impression that this game was going to be a back and forth battle as Wisconsin did a nice job dictating the tempo of the game and matching whatever Gonzaga threw at them. It was a remarkably crisp start to the game. Both teams were shooting the ball nicely and the Zags were doing everything right. They pounded the ball into the paint early and established Rob and Elias all night long. At the eleven minute mark, the "old guys" showed up for Gonzaga and delivered the first knockout punch of the night. From 11:07 to 6:20, the Zags went on a 13-1 run and expanded the lead from one point to 13 points. Eleven of those points were converted by the veteran back court as Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray each had excellent games. From that point on, you could really argue that the game was over. Against Big Ten teams, a double digit first half lead is basically a rout. Wisconsin was able to bring the deficit down to single digits at a few times but it never felt like the Bulldogs were in danger.

Wisconsin's best effort to close the gap came in the middle of the second half as they brought the lead down to six. The Badgers took advantage of Robert Sacre's foul issues and Kelly Olynyk's rough defensive night and gave Gonzaga a taste of their own medicine. Big man Jon Leuer, who I completely underestimated coming into this game, was outstanding and showed great touch around the basket. He scored six points during this particular Wisconsin run and also was great on the boards. Rob re-entered the game when the lead was down to six and proceeded to convert a fantastic post move and draw the foul. He hit the free throw and the lead was back up to nine and the game was, for all intents and purposes, was over.

There were a number of outstanding individual efforts in tonight's Gonzaga win over Wisconsin. Continue reading after the jump to see what jumped out to us...

Here are a few random observations regarding individual performances:

-- Steven Gray has become a complete player. When he commits to the drive, there are few defenders that can stop him. He was 0-3 from behind the arc but was 7-8 when driving. His composure on the court is night and day from last year in that he doesn't let negative moments affect his game. He might not ever be a double double machine but he fills up a stat sheet like none other. Tonight he was great on the boards, pulling down five and also had three assists. He's not forcing up shots on offense and seems to have come to the realization that his three-point shot, while an asset, is not the best facet of his game.

-- I still have to pinch myself a bit when I think about what Elias Harris brings to this team. I know there are a ton of great freshman out there when you think about John Wall, Lance Stephenson, Tiny Gallon etc etc but, to be honest, I'm at the point where I'd take Elias over all of them. I really underestimated Harris and his contributions. I have as much confidence in Elias with the ball as I do when Matt or Steven has it. His versatility continues to show as he hit a three-pointer tonight after thinking about it for a while. He finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds and only had one foul. His defense was stellar all evening and he definitely does not show any signs of having "freshman feet". It appears that Rob Sacre is going to battle foul issues all year so Elias is going to really have to commit himself to playing as smart as possible and not taking too many risks.

-- Speaking of Rob Sacre, I guess I'll forgive his foul trouble because he was amazingly efficient when he was in the game. On four shot attempts, Rob finished with 13 points. This is great news for a couple of reasons. First off, it means that he is hitting his shots, and secondly, it means he is getting to the charity stripe. Rob was 7-7 from the line this evening and also had six boards. When you consider that he only played half the game (literally), that's a pretty damn good stat line. With that being said, I'm sure Mark Few is telling him that he can't put his team at risk by getting in foul trouble. He means way too much to this team to be saddled with foul issues.

-- Great to see Bol Kong get into the game during some meaningful minutes. The Sudan native checked in about mid-way through the first half and played a nice game. He only totaled 10 minutes but was 2-3 from the floor and had a rebound. His defensive abilities are still lacking but I expect him to be heavily involved in the rotation by the start of WCC play.

-- Much like Steven Gray, Matt Bouldin just continues to plug away and put together another solid performance. Bouldin finished with 18 points of 5-13 shooting but contributed in a number of other ways. He grabbed five rebounds and passed out six assists this evening and was a constant force all night. It was great to see the designed half court plays to get Matt posted up. He truly shines when he can exploit smaller guards in the paint.

-- I rarely like to toot my own horn but I feel like I must point out the fact that EDZ and I are on fire with these game predictions. Against IPFW, EDZ missed his pregame prediction by one point and I followed him up with a similar effort. In the game preview, I said that the Zags would be tested early and pull away late for a 74-62 win. One damn point!!!

That's all for tonight! Next up is the Maui title game against the Bearcats of Cincinnati who have breezed through to the finals and have been just as impressive as the Bulldogs. They will present a whole different spread of issues for Mark Few's Zags as they are based around athletic play and an up tempo brand of basketball. It should be a terrific match up as Gonzaga looks to win their first ever Maui title.