Tip-off: Saturday, 7pm a@ Leavey TV: NBC Sports Bay Area; I suspect outside the Bay Area can be found on regional ROOT Sports networks. Line: Torvik- Zags -2.5, 59% win probability; ESPN: 77% win probability.
Gonzaga:
Zags are 13-3 overall, 2-0 in the WCC coming off the late comeback 77-75 win over USF on the Hilltop.
Offensively, the Zags are good across the board, ranked 4th by Torvik. But worth noting they don’t take a ton of 3’s, ranked high 200’s in 3pt attempt rate…works to our advantage since we haven’t defended the 3 particularly well.
Defensively is where the Zags have fallen off compared to years past, ranked 104 on Torvik overall, and 214 in effective FG% defense. They no longer have the rim protector in Holmgren; Timme and Watson will block an occasional shot but neither are elite rim protectors and Timme has to be careful with foul trouble given how critical he is to them.
Top players and stats:
6-3 guard Rasir Bolton (11.4pts, 2.7 assists, 43% from 3)
6-8 forward Anton Watson (9.6pts, 5rebs, 2assists, 1.8 steals)
6-2 guard Nolan Hickman (8.1pts, 3.7 assists, 33% from 3)
6th Man: 6-4 guard Malachi Smith (8.6pts, 51% from 3)
Other bench guys: guard Hunter Sallis is a great defender but not much of shooter, Ben Gregg is their primary post back-up and is solid all around and a better 3pt shooter than Timme or Watson.
For the Broncos…need to play our A game to have a chance in this one. Keep the TO’s low, rebound well particularly at the defensive end, make our share of 3’s and somehow find a way to hold Timme to below his season average. Neither Timme (62%) nor Watson (54%) are good FT shooters…might be a good time for our posts, especially our back-up guys to use their fouls and force GU posts to beat us from the foul line. Also need our guards to attack the basket and force Timme to try to be a rim protector and maybe get him in foul trouble.
And will be interesting to the see the crowd turnout…school doesn’t resume until Monday and dorms will still be closed through Saturday, so student attendance, at least from frosh/soph’s living on campus, may be light. Hopefully the upper classman show up.
Prediction: Broncos battle but fall to the Zags, 79-73
Apparently the student-athletes from other teams are able to move back in early if they filled out a form. I think student turnout will be just fine. First Gonzaga home game since ‘19 without restrictions. Should be packed with SCU fans. These guys deserve it!
One of the years in the time of me and Nashty and Midwest, this exact situation occurred: the Gonzaga game fell on the Saturday before the Sunday on which dorms opened. This was when Keating even offered to pay for hotel rooms. We all figured out a way to make it work, and the student section was filled.
And sounds like it would be before your time but the infamous 2008 game at Leavey tops this. KK’s 1st season…Broncos up 2 with a couple seconds left, Brody Angley gets called for a foul in the backcourt, 60feet from the basket with like 2 seconds left (or less), Steven Gray makes both FT’s to send it to OT and the Broncos lose in double OT. A heartbreaking loss and still stings and would foreshadow several narrow losses to GU under KK including your example though we did beat GU at home in 2011 by double digits.
And before anyone blames Angley…that kid always played his a$$ off and that night had a line of 28pts, 6rebs, 6assists.
I probably first heard of SCU or started watching their hoops games because my uncle knew Brody Angley from Redding. Total gamer. Frankly could be one of the reasons I ended up at SCU.
We did get the bulldogs in Leavey in between the horrid one Patty has made me relive and the Angley one… in 2010? I think GU lost @SMC, @SCU, then @USF in a row but I can’t remember. At some point we won in Spokane too, 2004? With the guy from Spokane on SCU? Is it still the case that only we and SMC have ever won a league game in their “new” building? What a horrid stat.
David Stockton going coast-to-coast in the WCC tourney is the one I remember most. Probably up there with Chubby Cox, the SJSU game that cost an undefeated year in the 60s and that one where the ball went over the backboard during Cable Car (is that thing officially dead?) but still counted as my off-the-top-of-the-head most annoying SCU losses of all time.
Don’t mention Chubby Cox, denied the Broncos probably their best ever (would have been) win. Ok maybe the win over Arizona was better. I remember we have beaten Gonzaga but don’t have your clearer memories as to when. I am afraid that the fact Gonzaga looked asleep against USF and they almost lost will have them at the top of their game against us. That said, if we play our best, limit turnovers and rebound, we can stay close and if we are hot from the three point line could win the game. Really hope the crowd is good and full of Bronco fans that can drown out the Zag fans. The team is deserving of support. GO Broncos!!!
I spoke to the AD about the dorms opening awhile ago when I noticed they were closed - so the school did open them early and have let the student body know this. The QUESTION is - will they come out and support our guys?
Bediako is returning for a 5th yr as is Parker. Not gonna lie - this really puts Cam in a predicament.
Herb is NOT going to allow our bench to pick up fouls and play aggressive. Does not seem to be his style of game - which honestly perplexes me as the NUMBER ONE thing they liked about Cam when recruiting him is that he plays with a chip on his shoulder.
Would LOVE a victory tomorrow night! But I have a feeling Gonzaga is gonna tighten up things after their bout with USF.
Interesting news about Bediako and Parker. However most important for Cam may be that the Broncos need to replace Justice (excellent 3 point shooter, rugged versatile defender, good rebounder, nice touch in the post). Kosy also has potential there, but as pointed out, he can be undisciplined offensively and has been inconsistent from behind the arc.
So the WCC network will not be showing the game in SoCal because of “Territorial Restrictions?” Could someone explain the logic behind this f****ing “restriction” to me?
It’s likely a local affiliate has picked up the game, which blacks out streaming. I don’t know Los Angeles television, but in the Bay Area it’s on CSN, and root sports in the northwest.
Bediako will need the game of his life against Timme. I expect to see quite a bit of Tilly and Holt in this one as well to try to keep a fresh big on defense.
I’ll be present for this one. This is the closest GU and SCU have been in a long time. There’s still a gap but now it’s the gap where a bad game from GU and a great game from SCU can get an upset.
77-74 Santa Clara. Stewart catches fire and gets 21 points in the second half to seal a huge victory.
I’m feeling it too PMac. If we can get efficient production rather than empty possessions from our bigs and a little heat from Justice, I like our chances.
Going to have to play Podz all 20 minutes in the second half. Too unorganized with him off the court. Will have to strategically use timeouts to get any rest.
Need Justice and Stewart to hit some 3s in the second half.
All that being said, Great job playing physical and tough for most of the first half by our Broncos.