GETTING INSIDE
When Gonzaga nearly beat Michigan State on the road in its second game and followed that with victories over Wisconsin and Cincinnati, speculation that the Bulldogs might be vulnerable seemed unfounded.
Then came a Dec. 19 game against Duke, and no one knows exactly what to think about Gonzaga now. Duke trounced the Bulldogs 76-41 at Madison Square Garden, handing Gonzaga its most lopsided defeat in 20 years.
Certainly, the Blue Devils are an elite team, and losing to Duke is no disgrace. But Gonzaga prides itself on playing well against the nation’s best teams, and the Bulldogs simply were not competitive against Duke.
“Their physical play bothered us as far as finishing around the rim,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few told the Spokane Spokesman-Review. “It was an old-fashioned take you out to the woodshed and beat you down.”
Was it an aberration, or are the Bulldogs vulnerable?
Gonzaga did lose four topflight starters from last season’s team, and the Bulldogs definitely feel the pain of those personnel losses. The results over the first few weeks of a season are less indicative of a team’s ability than what it does in December and January.
Maybe the early-season success was the fluke.
In any case, the game against Duke defied explanation. The Bulldogs had only one field goal in the first seven minutes, and they had seven field goals and 13 turnovers in the first half.
Robert Sacre was Gonzaga’s leading scorer, and he had only nine points on 2-for-11 shooting.
The Bulldogs’ three-man backcourt of Matt Bouldin, Steven Gray and Demetri Goodson combined for only 12 points, while Duke’s two-man backcourt of Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith combined for 44, more than Gonzaga’s entire team.
Gonzaga shot 27.8 percent from the field, 10 percent (1-for-10) on 3-pointers and 47.6 percent (10-for-21) on free throws.
The odd part is that Gonzaga scored 103 points in its previous game against Davidson on Dec. 12.
Gonzaga has time to straighten itself out before conference play begins, playing two games between now and then, and the contests against Oklahoma and Illinois might show whether the Bulldogs really are in trouble.
NOTES, QUOTES
• The 35-point margin in the loss to Duke represented Gonzaga’s biggest margin of defeat since a 121-84 loss to Loyola Marymount in the 1990 West Coast Conference tournament. That was the last game before Hank Gathers died on the court during the semifinal game against Portland.
• The 41 points against Duke represent Gonzaga’s lowest total since a 62-40 loss to Iowa in the second game of the 1984-85 season.
• Gonzaga seemed to have solved its free-throw shooting problems when it hit 41 of 54 in the Dec. 12 game against Davidson, but the Bulldogs made only 10 of 21 against Duke. Gonzaga hit just 15 of 29 on Dec. 28 against Eastern Washington.
January At A Glance: Gonzaga’s final two games before conference play starts will be telling. A Dec. 31 game at Spokane Arena against Oklahoma and a Jan. 2 game at the United Center in Chicago against Illinois should show if Gonzaga has recovered from the beating administered by Duke. If the Bulldogs lose one or both of the games or if they play poorly, they will begin conference play questioning themselves. That will be particularly troublesome since Gonzaga’s first two conference games are on the road against Portland and St. Mary’s. The Illinois game will be an important test for the Gonzaga offense, which was horrible against Duke. The Illini is holding opponents under 40 percent shooting from the floor and under 30 percent on 3-pointers.
Quote To Note: “We have to put this one out of our minds. This was an aberration.”—Gonzaga coach Mark Few, to the Spokane Spokesman-Review, regarding the 76-41 loss to Duke.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Season Recap: It would seem that the close road loss to Michigan State and the neutral-court victory over Wisconsin and Cincinnati would be more indicative of Gonzaga’s ability than the 35-point defeat to Duke. But the question is whether the pounding by Duke will affect the Bulldogs’ self-esteem. Typically, Gonzaga has shown the mental toughness to bounce back from such devastating games, but there are a number of new pieces this season.
Player Rotation: Usual Starters—G Matt Bouldin, G Steven Gray, F Elias Harris, C Robert Sacre, G Demetri Goodson. Key Subs—G Kelly Olynyk, F Bol Kong, G Grant Gibbs.
Game Review:
Gonzaga 103, Davidson 91
Duke 76, Gonzaga 41
Gonzaga 94, Eastern Washington 52
Game Preview:
vs. Oklahoma, Thursday, Dec. 31
vs. Illinois, Saturday, Jan. 2, in Chicago
at Portland, Saturday, Jan. 9
at St. Mary’s, Thursday, Jan. 14
In Focus: Oklahoma will be coming off a layoff and a disappointing, lopsided loss when the teams meet in Spokane Area on Dec. 31. This is a game the Bulldogs should win, since the Sooners, who lost to Texas-El Paso by 15 points in Oklahoma City, rely on three freshmen and the Bulldogs will have the support of the crowd. But the Sooners have talent, particularly G Willie Warren, who will be a challenge for whichever Gonzaga player guards him, and if the Bulldogs’ confidence is shaken from the Duke loss, this game will reflect it.
Roster Report:
• G Matt Bouldin was questionable for the Dec. 19 Duke game after missing the Dec. 12 game against Davidson because of a concussion. Bouldin ended up playing against Duke, but he scored only four points on 1-for-7 shooting. He scored 11 on Dec. 28 against Eastern Washington.
• F Bol Kong hit Gonzaga’s only 3-pointer against Duke with 10 seconds left in the game. It extended Gonzaga’s streak of games with at least one 3-pointer to 537, dating to Jan. 27, 19993.
• Freshman F Elias Harris had only five points against Duke, one game after collecting a career-high 27 against Davidson. He bounced back to score 22 against Eastern Washington.
