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I watched the game against Duke again last night, (I usually a game again the day after the game) and I was kind of surprised by how great the game was. In many ways, I believe that this was Duke's toughest game. The Zags played really well, and you could say great, until the 4:00 minute mark of the game. That was when Wiltjer missed a free throw, when we were down by one, followed by that missed layup. It turned out to be a five point swing, and Gonzaga never recovered. And not surprisingly, Duke shot free throws the rest of the way. You see, when a team reaches the 4 minute mark, it's so important to be ahead so you can be the team that shoots free-throws down the stretch. Had Wiljer made those 4 minutes Gonzaga would have had that lead.
I was just so proud of our guys how they kept fighting back. The first time was in the first half after they had gotten behind by 11 points. And at some point late in the first half, I believe our Zags actually took the lead, I also think that the announcer said that it was the first time in the tournament that Duke had been behind. Eventully, Duke took a five point lead into half-time. However, the Zags came out on fire, attacking Duke from the inside. Karnowski was terrific, and after 4 minutes Gonzaga took the lead. Coach K called a time-out, and Duke soon recovered the lead. They built that lead up to 11 points again, and then GU made their comeback and final drive. It was just awesome to see their confidence and toughness. They team really did play their best game of the year, imo. Sabonis was also just awesome in that second half comeback. Had Wiltjer made those points, or had Pangos made the two open shots he could have made (one a floater in the lane and a second in the left corner where he missed a pretty wide open 3 point shot, the Zags could have won that game. We all saw throughout the tournament, and especially in their last few games, just how tough and awesome Duke's defense was. It was by far the toughest D Gonzaga had played against all year. And I thought they handled it pretty well really. Pangos really did do a pretty darn good job. And I could clearly see, that once again, our Bigs dominated in the paint. Duke, like Iowa and UCLA, could not handle our post players.
What I really noticed about the game was how good Gonzaga's defense was. They gave Duke fits after the opening few minutes of the game. Gary Bell, one more time, was a total stud. He shut down Cook completely in the first half, but Tyus Jones was hurting us. So Few switched Gary onto Jones, and Gary totally shut him down. No one, in the whole tournament shut Tyus Jones down accept Mr Bell. It was so neat to watch him last night when I was able to watch the game in a relaxed state of mind. The Zags also pretty much shut down Okafer. It was just awesome. In the final analysis, it was a role player, another Jones boy, who did the Zags in. He hit four 3's. In the two games that followed in the Final Four, I don't remember seeing him hit even one.
This was a GREAT team. And the game was so much closer then the final score would suggest. Gonzaga played Duke pretty even for most of the game. It was a beautiful game to watch because it was a fast paced, up and down the court game. I really enjoyed it. And after watching it again, I was glad that we played Duke. Duke is the symbol of excellence in basketball imo, and it was easy to see how close this GU team came to reaching the final 4. Maybe we would have made it if we had been in the mid-west region. But it just wasn't meant to be this year. The game almost makes me feel that Mark Few is right when he calls the tournament a crap shoot, and that a part of it is just the way the ball bounces. I must say that Wiltjer's missed shot was certainly one freaky play.
A lot this year has been said and written about the refs. There were two very big, and important down the stretch that definitely favored Duke. One was a tipped ball that went out of bounds that the replay clearly showed that the ball went off of Winslow. And yet the officials gave the ball to Duke. That was a huge call. The other was on a play where Bell was running up the court (or dribbling) and after he passes the ball Winslow clearly gives him a shoulder and knocks him 3 feet out of bounds. Winslow clearly helps Bell keep from falling down, and what looks like an apology from Winslow as they continue to run up the court. Had the Zags been awarded the two free throws, and had Bell made them, it would have brought a 3 point deficit bake to one after Wiltjer's missed shot. I suppose that a part of the crap shoot theory is how the referee's call the game..
One more time I want to say, Thank You Zags for the memories of a great year, and especially for the memories of the NCAA Tournament. And thanks for leading us back to the Elite 8. Just as we did in '99, we came so close, and lost in a close, hard fought battle to the eventual champions.
I was just so proud of our guys how they kept fighting back. The first time was in the first half after they had gotten behind by 11 points. And at some point late in the first half, I believe our Zags actually took the lead, I also think that the announcer said that it was the first time in the tournament that Duke had been behind. Eventully, Duke took a five point lead into half-time. However, the Zags came out on fire, attacking Duke from the inside. Karnowski was terrific, and after 4 minutes Gonzaga took the lead. Coach K called a time-out, and Duke soon recovered the lead. They built that lead up to 11 points again, and then GU made their comeback and final drive. It was just awesome to see their confidence and toughness. They team really did play their best game of the year, imo. Sabonis was also just awesome in that second half comeback. Had Wiltjer made those points, or had Pangos made the two open shots he could have made (one a floater in the lane and a second in the left corner where he missed a pretty wide open 3 point shot, the Zags could have won that game. We all saw throughout the tournament, and especially in their last few games, just how tough and awesome Duke's defense was. It was by far the toughest D Gonzaga had played against all year. And I thought they handled it pretty well really. Pangos really did do a pretty darn good job. And I could clearly see, that once again, our Bigs dominated in the paint. Duke, like Iowa and UCLA, could not handle our post players.
What I really noticed about the game was how good Gonzaga's defense was. They gave Duke fits after the opening few minutes of the game. Gary Bell, one more time, was a total stud. He shut down Cook completely in the first half, but Tyus Jones was hurting us. So Few switched Gary onto Jones, and Gary totally shut him down. No one, in the whole tournament shut Tyus Jones down accept Mr Bell. It was so neat to watch him last night when I was able to watch the game in a relaxed state of mind. The Zags also pretty much shut down Okafer. It was just awesome. In the final analysis, it was a role player, another Jones boy, who did the Zags in. He hit four 3's. In the two games that followed in the Final Four, I don't remember seeing him hit even one.
This was a GREAT team. And the game was so much closer then the final score would suggest. Gonzaga played Duke pretty even for most of the game. It was a beautiful game to watch because it was a fast paced, up and down the court game. I really enjoyed it. And after watching it again, I was glad that we played Duke. Duke is the symbol of excellence in basketball imo, and it was easy to see how close this GU team came to reaching the final 4. Maybe we would have made it if we had been in the mid-west region. But it just wasn't meant to be this year. The game almost makes me feel that Mark Few is right when he calls the tournament a crap shoot, and that a part of it is just the way the ball bounces. I must say that Wiltjer's missed shot was certainly one freaky play.
A lot this year has been said and written about the refs. There were two very big, and important down the stretch that definitely favored Duke. One was a tipped ball that went out of bounds that the replay clearly showed that the ball went off of Winslow. And yet the officials gave the ball to Duke. That was a huge call. The other was on a play where Bell was running up the court (or dribbling) and after he passes the ball Winslow clearly gives him a shoulder and knocks him 3 feet out of bounds. Winslow clearly helps Bell keep from falling down, and what looks like an apology from Winslow as they continue to run up the court. Had the Zags been awarded the two free throws, and had Bell made them, it would have brought a 3 point deficit bake to one after Wiltjer's missed shot. I suppose that a part of the crap shoot theory is how the referee's call the game..
One more time I want to say, Thank You Zags for the memories of a great year, and especially for the memories of the NCAA Tournament. And thanks for leading us back to the Elite 8. Just as we did in '99, we came so close, and lost in a close, hard fought battle to the eventual champions.
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