WCC schedule will be no easy task...

[HenneZag]

Now that we have successfully fought our way through a tough OOC schedule (exluding the Butler game) it is time to get back what is ours...a WCC championship! To me this is the toughest part of the year, a bunch of teams that define success solely by beating the ZAGS and always give us everything they have. Not only that, most will agree that the talent level and overall strength of the conference is starting to level out for the most part.

The teams that will give us fits this year:SM/BYU/SC/SF/LMU...if we dont show up to play on any night let alone vs the teams mentioned above, we will suffer a few unexpected losses. Santa Clara is a team that really intrigues me, fantastic guard play in Roquemore and Foster, Trasolini is back and they have some nice role players...we will see this game Sat night and I am expecting a very tight game.

Although I don't really like predictions, who do you think will be the biggest test for the ZAGS this year, and what will our record be when conference play is done?

My picks:

Santa Clara provides the biggest test

Record:13-3

[Goshzagit]

+1

and possibly losing Gary Bell for a good chunk of time won't help matters...

[maynard g krebs]

14-2. BYU and Santa Clara.

[bartruff1]

It never is easy...

But this team has really really improved during the non conference schedule. They are playing with great confidence and you cannot over estimate how important that is in sports.

I haven't drank it yet, but there is a whole jug of kool aid in the frig....

These first two games will be difficult to prepare for but by the Mary's game on the 10th Few will have them ready for WCC play.

[GonzaGAW]

with our best ooc results ever, its easy to let that koolaid go to the head.

sure at first blush i'd say if we can go 13-1 with our ooc schedulde we can breeze thru the conference schedule, but its not 2005 or 2009 anymore. the wcc really has improved in the past few years.

i agree that there are any of about 5 teams that can jump up and bite us in the butt this year. i figure with a 16 game schedule any team is going to lay an egg once. in past 3 yrs that has been san fran for us. so that is one loss.
byu's hays alone can beat any team on his own if he gets just a little hot. then there is st mary's, santa clara and the rest.

so i think 13-3 is realistic, and i'd be happy with that actually.

if we can beat butler and win the conference that brings us to 28-4 come march, and a 4 seed in my estimation.

[rijman]

The Zags could go undefeated in conf this season, but it's tough to bring it every game especially against good teams on the road. I think the Zags will drop no more than 2 conf games this season.

[ZagLawGrad]

After the performance we saw from the Zags in December, and the lack of quality play we have seen from our WCC brethren to date, I see a high probability that the Zags will run the table.

The only real obstacle is if they beat themselves with the TO's and dumb mistakes.

[jazzdelmar]

schedule sets up well. there will be a letdown after two magnificent wins agst BCS teams and Pep is the perfect antidote. then Keating but then Randy at home.....progression......they wont go undefeated...thats hard.....one loss....could even be a quirky one, such as USF, rather than the so called better teams. i still find it embarrassing (for randy) that Smc played Hale and Yarvard and we played two upper 30 or so BCS squads.

[Virginia Zags Fan]

Some teams you just have to beat because you are better. That is Pepp this week. SCU on Saturday will be a true test. I am not sure if their students are back yet, so that may be in our favor. We have had a tough time in the Bay area the last few years.

I thought at the beginning of this five game stretch (Baylor-SMC), it would tell us so much about this group of guys. We have already learned much. The guys still have much to improve upon and I hope that continues!

So, at the beginning of the stretch, would people have been happy if we go 4-1? I would have said yes. Realistically, I think 13-3 assures a tie for 1st in the WCC. Again, we will learn an awful lot about these guys in the next 8 days!

[john montana]

I am with jazz re embarrassing. Rhode Island and Yale? As for us, I would take 13-3 right now. Santa Clara is for real and will be extremely physical, lmu and usf are dangerous and despite smc's romar like scheduling philosophy...they still have Dellevedova. He is going to torch us, we have never handled their pick and roll game well.

[CDC84]

I think the game at SCU on Saturday night is going to be the toughest league game of the season. At this point, I think the Broncos could be GU's biggest challenger in the WCC, although SMC and BYU will be right there as well.

Something to remember....It seems like Gonzaga has lost a gazillion years in a row at USF. That has got to end this year. The Zags need to prove they can beat them in that gym. LMU has also proven to be a tough place to play at in recent times.

[Reborn]

I think the game at SCU on Saturday night is going to be the toughest league game of the season. At this point, I think the Broncos could be GU's biggest challenger in the WCC, although SMC and BYU will be right there as well.

Something to remember....It seems like Gonzaga has lost a gazillion years in a row at USF. That has got to end this year. The Zags need to prove they can beat them in that gym. LMU has also proven to be a tough place to play at in recent times.

I pretty much agree. The games this weekend will be tough,especially Santa Clara. However, I say our toughest game in conference will be @ BYU. I'm glad we had a road game @ OKState because I think it will prepare us for another very difficult place to play in. The WSU game in Pullman also helps us.

[Hoopaholic]

How is Santa Clara going to stop our bigs( assuming they show up with intensity).....duke went to their bigs finally in second half and ran away from them

[bballbeachbum]

Agree with jazz too re. embarrassing; they do it every year basically seems to me. All eggs into the Beat Gonzaga basket. whatever, I give Bennett credit for riding coattails well I guess

on SCU, the whistles are always weird at Leavey. That is how SCU could compete vs. the Zags dominant front line. Also would expect the Zags to get many opportunities from the FT line to have to earn the 2, so an off night at the line on the road is another way things could turn bad.

but I think the Zags will win in a good game

[Mantua]

and possibly losing Gary Bell for a good chunk of time won't help matters...

I think this is our biggest problem.

I hope someone can step up their game and surprise us since there will no doubt be an opportunity.