OOC schedule and early predictions

[BobZag]

This is very preliminary as the entire ooc schedule is not known yet and we can only speculate on the 2007-08 Zags, but here goes...

Idaho - W
GAS #1 - W
GAS #2 - w
GAS #3 - W
PSU - W
Georgia - W
UConn - W
St. Joe's - W
Utah - W
Montana - W
WSU - W
Battle-Seattle team - W
Okie State - W
Memphis - L

Can the Zags go undefeated? GU always starts strong so I feel good about winning the Great Alaska Shootout. I think there will be payback for Georgia in the Spokane Arena. UConn will still be a bit down and St. Joe's is a mid-A10 team. I don't think we'll lose a game in K2 (revenge factor vs Wazzu) and Okie State lost some real nice players who carried them in games. That leaves Memphis, loaded with studs, and a good opponent in Seattle but it will be extremely pro-Zags there.

Your thoughts and early predictions?

[Akzag]

I don't think it is out of the question to go undefeated, but taking off the glasses ... I don't see it happening.

I do expect this team to start reaching their potential later in the season, but there are a lot of early season question marks, and I think the combination of them end up in a loss or two.

? Which Josh shows up
? How quickly will the newcomers gel
? How do Theo and LG contribute coming off of injuries
? How much will we miss Derek - both throughout the game controlling pace, and at the FT line at the end, icing the game
? How consistent will Micah be
? How will a perhaps, new defensive scheme mesh with a team that has always been offensive first, second, and third

This is not exactly an '05 or '06 OOC lineup - so far - and on paper we should win most of them with OkSU and Memphis being the major hurdles IMO (WSU is on our court. If we can't win that game, we might as well hand over the keys to the Palouse).

But - they must gel. I think the biggest unexpected pitfall might very well be the GAS, which despite the "weaker" field, offers those "other" little guys a mighty big limelight. Three games in a best case scenario of four days. Will the focus be there that early? Or does a disciplined Texas Tech or Butler team take them out of their gameplan?

I'll be there to try to help prove myself wrong, but I see an early L.

[PFzag]

Wsu

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the Cougars. That is a very talented and experienced group that they will have coming back.

They have played together for quite awhile now, and going into a hostile environment is nothing new to them.

I think we'll be able to pull it off, but I know that WSU will give us one of our toughest games of the season, and I would not be surprised at all if they walked out of K2 with a win.

[roxdoc]

Next to Memphis, WSU will be our toughest opponent. Preseason they are rated 5th to 8th. It will be a tough game because over the years we just don't seem to be able to play well in slow down situations. Maybe the Zags will prevail in "our house".

[Zagdawg]

I can see the Cougs having a good chance at our house this year-- they will be our biggest challenge at home--- but I think the guys will have plenty assistance from the home crowd this time around and from the incoming guys--

The Cougs had the biggest home crowd at the game for a very long time last year -with the same team and they were able to pull away in the last 1:44 of the game--

At our house-- with the team we have (including all of the incoming guys)---- I expect us to play a bit different and I also expect a bit of a different ending this time around--

The cougs did play plenty of big road games in hostile environments-- of their losses last year-- 6 were on the road with 2 at home-- I think we should have a good shot.

Go Zags---

[mendiant]

Is the St Joe's game in NY?

Last time we met it was in the Kennel, so I figure it will be one of those cross country games.

I love Coach Martelli and that HAWK...flap, flap, flap...

We will miss Derek, but only emotionally...Pargo will have gained even more poise and controll. Bouldin will continue to develop exponentially.

Good Josh and Theo will show up, work ethic solid and growing. The key here is Pargo's insistence that they both stay far, far away from ingesting any form of vegetation (since that is what got them in trouble) they would have subsisted on a solid diet of bunless cheeseburgers per the Pargo perscription.

For those winnies out there...it's a JOKE. In my life, humor leads to healing...

GO ZAGS!!!

[Outraged]

If this then that

Too many "If this then that"'s which leads me to believe that this team has a lot to learn. So I will label this a concensus "learning team". Learning teams play like a red headed stepchild that lost his Ritlin. Which means big wins and stupid losses early in the season. If they fall to a mid season stupor and gain the status "educated team"(teams that can to do what is told to them but just don't execute" they will get schooled in their most important game at the end of the season.

So I will take my 100 to 1 odds and say they beat memphis by 15 and loose to a flu ridden Montana team by 18.

Oh lord where is the fire of Frahm and Santangelo?

[MickMick]

Last year Texas and UNC were very young. How did they do? They started out slow, finished on fire, then had their youth catch up to them in the tournament. Can't tell you how that translates to Zag wins, but typically the tough part of the schedule is before conference play begins. I'm willing to bet they repeat as WCC champs for both regular season and tournament. I believe there record at home will be better as well

I'll go with that.

[zzzjag]

After the OOC schedule....

I have not heard anything really exciting about other WCC schools in the conference. Has anyone improved that much?

Put it this way, (according to predictions on the board) so far it appears that this upcoming GU squad would run the table in last years 06-07 WCC league play. So far, I dont see any teams returning enough to make a run at GU in 07-08.

This being the case, does the OOC schedule do enough to handicap the poor RPI rating that the WCC brings? I thought last years OOC schedule was the most difficult to date but the overall RPI comes down during conference play.

[GonzagaLove]

The key here is Pargo's insistence that they both stay far, far away from ingesting any form of vegetation (since that is what got them in trouble) they would have subsisted on a solid diet of bunless cheeseburgers per the Pargo perscription.GO ZAGS!!!

Aren't mushrooms a fungus?

[Rangerzag]

The talent will be there. The coaches should be there. Zag teams need to learn how to live with ice water in their veins. They need to be able to keep big leads on the teams they should. They need to be able to play lockdown "D" for entire possessions not just most of a possession. They need to know how to come from behind without blinking an eye.

I want them to be cold hearted assassins for the final six games of the season. I would be very nervous if they came to the second portion of march without a single loss to temper them. Too many of the teams that get to the second and third weekend of the NCAA tourney are cold blooded for the zags to finally learn needed lessons in that time frame.

If the Zags get to the NCAA dace without a loss I don't think they will be as ready as they should be. They will have missed some valuable lessons. It will not make it impossible, but that much less likely they will win those final 6 games. If nothing else the publicity nuisance would be remarkable and an unimaginable distraction.

[UberZagFan]

Uber predicts 3 OOC losses. But then again, that was Uber's prediction last year, I believe.

[SteeleMan]

"Can the Zags go undefeated?"

ok, where's bob and what have you done with him?

[BobZag]

"Can the Zags go undefeated?"

ok, where's bob and what have you done with him?

The body snatchers haven't got me yet.

I think WSU, Georgia, Memphis and Okie State are the biggest challenges in ooc (the schedule as we know it now). WSU is in K2 and I look for GU to come out much like they did against UW. Georgia has good talent but lost Stukes and the Spokane Arena will be rocking. These two also will have revenge factors working in our favor: added motivation.

Memphis will be tough, tough, tough... Could be ranked #1 in nation. Super frosh PG Derrick Rose joins all the guys from last year, except one. This will be the ultimate test @ FedEx Forum.

Okie State lost Mario Boggan and could lose JamesOn Curry to the draft, their two big guns.

St. Joe's is always tough on Hawk Hill in Philly but our talent is better. UConn has a ways to go before returning to old form; they didn't even make the NIT last season.

Imo, I think all are winnable but Memphis poses the biggest obstacle. That game is mid-January; could the Zags be unbeaten leading up to that game?

It's doable.

[MickMick]

The body snatchers haven't got me yet.

I think WSU, Georgia, Memphis and Okie State are the biggest challenges in ooc (the schedule as we know it now). WSU is in K2 and I look for GU to come out much like they did against UW. Georgia has good talent but lost Stukes and the Spokane Arena will be rocking. These two also will have revenge factors working in our favor: added motivation.

Memphis will be tough, tough, tough... Could be ranked #1 in nation. Super frosh PG Derrick Rose joins all the guys from last year, except one. This will be the ultimate test @ FedEx Forum.

Okie State lost Mario Boggan and could lose JamesOn Curry to the draft, their two big guns.

St. Joe's is always tough on Hawk Hill in Philly but our talent is better. UConn has a ways to go before returning to old form; they didn't even make the NIT last season.

Imo, I think all are winnable but Memphis poses the biggest obstacle. That game is mid-January; could the Zags be unbeaten leading up to that game?

It's doable.

Imagine the Hoopla surrounding the Memphis game if both teams are undefeated and Memphis is ranked in the top 3. In that circumstance, a Zag victory could possibly launch them into the top 5. Further, it would set the team up for a lofty pre-season ranking the following year.

Right back in the neighborhood that keeps those recruiting doors open.