We had a lot of guys play quite well but beating Gonzaga usually requires having one or two guys perform at a notch above their typical standard and we just did not get that tonight.
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I was pleased with the effort and thought the Broncos played well. Unfortunately, Gonzaga played as if their lives depended on it because they were behind us in the standings. We played them fairly, even, even though Gonzaga was playing at their best level. Not gonna shame the Broncos I thought they played with heart. This is probably the best game Gonzaga played all year in league and unfortunately it was against us. Hopefully we can beat USF and Oregon State and hopefully St. Maryâs in Moraga. Go Broncos!
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Nobody will want to hear this, but I actually think we needed more Darlan. This is the game where his length really helps.
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Darlan was a pleasant surprise tonight.
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Darian and Cochran had phenomenal first halves than didnât get much run in the second half⌠frustrating.
At the end of the day, Leavey was packed, we ran with the #12 team in the country and had a prime time sat night tv crowd watching.
A week to regroup before (in Jalenâs words) the most important game of the year at usf.
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Just got home and still canât quite believe how quick and explosive the zags are. I said earlier it felt like a stream of layups (and put backs), but just double checked the box score and saw they were 33/46 from 2 point range. Thatâs insane. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap.
On the bright side, weâre still alive which is always a great thing to say this late in the year and while the path is tough and narrow, itâs still doable. Just gotta take of business and hope GU beats SMC so we get the 2 seed to make it slightly less hard.
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Great crowd and a lot of fun on the Mission Campus.
Our first and second half leads just couldnât quite be extendedâŚ
To beat a team like that, we needed someone to have an exceptional game - which is not to say they didnât play hard, they absolutely did - but a statistically aberrational game. We have lots of guys who can do that, which is why I think we can continue to win.
Pleasant surprise to drop just 1 spot on Torvik to 36. Being out of the auto-qualifier slot will give us to see more precisely where the Bracket-heads have usâŚ
In previous years, this game has been the Super Bowl for the program - here, this is perhaps the most compelling story amongst a lot of meaningful hoops. Lots left to come!
Glad our Zag hangover will actually be more digested than USFâs by the game on the hilltop!
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Gonzagaâs bigs killed us tonight. They have more talent. Broncos put up a respectable performance. Defense has got to be better if we get them in the WCC tourney. Highly doubt the zags ever return to Leavey.
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@kevind716 If we win at SMC (along with our other 2 games) then we will take 2nd place even if the Gaels beat the Zags. We will have 2 losses and SMC will have at least 3. Barring any other upsets, Iâm pretty sure the SCU vs SMC game will be for 2nd place regardless of what happens in the SMC vs Zags game.
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That sounds right. Then we would likely get SMC again in Vegas. Beating the Gaels 3 times in one year is a lovely thought indeed.
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My thoughts on game -
I HATE the layup/dunk fest ! I asked coach will at SMC chalk talk to please consider a zone or front the SMC bigs . He laughed - no:. Zags scored 66 points in the paint !!!
We played very hard for the first ten minutes then not so hard . Everyone needs to crash the boards. Too many second or third zag chances.
How many SCU players fell down during the game ?
Herb is the worst in trying to come back. Down ten or so in last three minutes and they barely took any 3âs.
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I was BAD after the game. I saw Julie Sullivan go up a women in zag colors and a suit and figured out so was the new zag president.
I went up to her after the game and said I was disappointed that the zags are leaving their fellow Jesuit schools for 
. She they will try to spread Jesuit philosophy to these state schools .
Oh please ! I told her to have fun in Fresno , boise and Orem .
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Anybody know what WCC commissioner said the bronco broadcasters at half ?
The game plan was solid??? Giving up SIXTY-SIX points in the paint? I think we have different definitions of a solid game plan.
I need to send HS a copy of Sun-Tzu and the Art of War.
An absolutely wasted opportunity after a great start to the game.
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I agree Buckets.
We clearly had a slightly different approach, doubling Ike sometimes (when we rarely double the post) and helping a bit more on drives. But it seemed tepid, half committed, like we were reluctant to deviate from what weâve been doing or not convinced it was the right approach. You canât be âhalf inâ in a game like that.
The Zags lead the nation in points in the paintâŚ..LEAD THE NATION! They have a dominant post player who will be league MVP, they have athletic skilled wings who like to attack the rim but most are not good 3pt shooters (Grant-Foster, Fogle, Innocenti) or donât shoot 3âs at all (Warley).
What more do the coachâs or players need to understand that collapse and clogging the lane, helping aggressively on all drives was the right approach???
A zone would have been great as well, but employing one for the first time late in season in a game like this is risky as our guys donât have game experience playing it so you risk communication, rotations and block outs being poor. Which is why you employ it occasionally throughout the season when it makes sense so that it is an option for when you really need it in the most important game for the program in decades.
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Whatâs so frustrating about this game is the coaching staff (hell, even all of us amateurs) knew EXACTLY what Gonzaga was going to do. Look at Gonzagaâs box score. And we knew exactly how to try to counteract it: clog the lane, force outside shots, and FOUL HARD to avoid and-1s. AND LASTLY, GO STRAIGHT AT IKE EARLY IN THE GAME TO TRY TO GET HIM INTO FOUL TROUBLE. He is the centerpiece of their offense and defense, without him they are much more beatable.
The boys played hard, I donât fault them, except for a few really poor decisions. This was on the coaching staff.
Most of the other bubble teams lost yesterday, meaning there was a prime opportunity to leapfrog a lot of teams in NET. Instead we fell once slot back.
SMC moved up to 26.
So now, have to win out, beat SMC to get the 2 seed and another Quad 1 win (and hope they remain Q1). And then itâs only a maybe.
EDIT TO ADD: I sincerely doubt Gonzaga is going to make it far in the tournament. They are going to run up against a smart coach who is going to figure out EXACTLY how to beat the Zags. And we all are going to watch and curse our coaching staff.
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Agreed. We have much more depth. Bummer of a loss. Need to look forward now and win the rest of these games. Still a strong position for us.
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Would have loved to see Darlan with those long arms at the top of a zone for at least a stretch. Gonzagaâs guards are not good, and Saint-Supery looked like he wanted to turn the ball over more than he did. If we see the Zags again, coaching staff needs to be more situational with the rotations, i.e. more Darlan/Cochrane and less Ensminger/Knapper against their length on the wing.
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