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Gonzaga
Third place (Def. Washington, 80–64; Lost to Texas A&M, 62–61; Def. UConn, 73–70)
The good: We already knew had the Zags had a terrific frontcourt, maybe the best in the country, but the guards were a big question. Mark Few used a rotation of four guards, varying their minutes and roles according to how each game was flowing. Individually, he does not have any superstars, but he learned that the group ain’t bad.
Each of the four came away with a better understanding of what he needs to improve upon. Redshirt freshman Josh Perkins, the team’s starting point guard, was terrific against Texas A&M (15 points, five rebounds, four assists), but he only scored five points in 17 minutes against UConn because of foul trouble. Eric McClellan, a 6’4” senior, only played 15 minutes against the Aggies, but instead of pouting he showed up ready to compete against UConn, scoring 15 points in 29 minutes.
Elsewhere, it was impressive to watch senior forward Kyle Wiltjer average 19.7 points on 50% shooting. It was equally impressive to watch the Zags rebound from the disappointment of their semifinal loss to dispatch a plucky UConn team in the third-place game. With a minute gone in the second half, the Bulldogs led by 21 points before hanging on for dear life down the stretch. “Showing up on Day 3, that’s a hard thing to do down here for everybody,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “We were coming off a disappointing loss where we felt like we were in position to win. That really tests who you are and what you’re all about, and we showed some fight. That’s probably the best thing we learned.”
The bad: Wiltjer was terrific for most of the game against Texas A&M (18 points, seven rebounds, 4-for-8 from three), but on the game’s decisive possession, Few ran a play for Wiltjer but he elected to pass. The result was a forced shot by Perkins (actually, Melson = CDC) and a one-point Aggies victory. Few dismissed the idea that Wiltjer was “too nice” to be a superstar, but I can’t help but wonder whether Wiltjer has enough of a killer instinct. If he doesn’t have it, he better acquire it between now and March.
The same problem is hampering 6’5” senior Kyle Dranginis, the team’s starting two guard. Few lamented after the win over UConn that the coaching staff and the players have more confidence than Dranginis has in himself. He had 12 assists to just five turnovers, so he’s capable of running the offense, but he averaged just 6.3 per game. That’s not gonna cut it.
I didn’t like that Gonzaga blew a 21-point lead to UConn, and neither did Few. “I’m disappointed in the way we finished that game,” he said. “We’ve got to have guys step up and make shots at the end of these games, and we can’t be afraid to defend because we’re worried about fouling. We were fantastic on the defensive end, but then we just got really out of sorts and tentative.”
Otherwise, I noted two other areas of concern. The first is that this team is not very adept at stopping dribble penetration, which is why UConn was able to outscore the Zags in the paint, 48–34. Moreover, it is clear that the three best players on this team are Wiltjer, 7’1” senior center Przemek Karnowski and 6’11” sophomore center Domantas Sabonis, but Few rarely plays those three together because they get in each other’s way. How often do you see a situation where only two of the team’s best three players can be on the court at the same time?
Third place (Def. Washington, 80–64; Lost to Texas A&M, 62–61; Def. UConn, 73–70)
The good: We already knew had the Zags had a terrific frontcourt, maybe the best in the country, but the guards were a big question. Mark Few used a rotation of four guards, varying their minutes and roles according to how each game was flowing. Individually, he does not have any superstars, but he learned that the group ain’t bad.
Each of the four came away with a better understanding of what he needs to improve upon. Redshirt freshman Josh Perkins, the team’s starting point guard, was terrific against Texas A&M (15 points, five rebounds, four assists), but he only scored five points in 17 minutes against UConn because of foul trouble. Eric McClellan, a 6’4” senior, only played 15 minutes against the Aggies, but instead of pouting he showed up ready to compete against UConn, scoring 15 points in 29 minutes.
Elsewhere, it was impressive to watch senior forward Kyle Wiltjer average 19.7 points on 50% shooting. It was equally impressive to watch the Zags rebound from the disappointment of their semifinal loss to dispatch a plucky UConn team in the third-place game. With a minute gone in the second half, the Bulldogs led by 21 points before hanging on for dear life down the stretch. “Showing up on Day 3, that’s a hard thing to do down here for everybody,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “We were coming off a disappointing loss where we felt like we were in position to win. That really tests who you are and what you’re all about, and we showed some fight. That’s probably the best thing we learned.”
The bad: Wiltjer was terrific for most of the game against Texas A&M (18 points, seven rebounds, 4-for-8 from three), but on the game’s decisive possession, Few ran a play for Wiltjer but he elected to pass. The result was a forced shot by Perkins (actually, Melson = CDC) and a one-point Aggies victory. Few dismissed the idea that Wiltjer was “too nice” to be a superstar, but I can’t help but wonder whether Wiltjer has enough of a killer instinct. If he doesn’t have it, he better acquire it between now and March.
The same problem is hampering 6’5” senior Kyle Dranginis, the team’s starting two guard. Few lamented after the win over UConn that the coaching staff and the players have more confidence than Dranginis has in himself. He had 12 assists to just five turnovers, so he’s capable of running the offense, but he averaged just 6.3 per game. That’s not gonna cut it.
I didn’t like that Gonzaga blew a 21-point lead to UConn, and neither did Few. “I’m disappointed in the way we finished that game,” he said. “We’ve got to have guys step up and make shots at the end of these games, and we can’t be afraid to defend because we’re worried about fouling. We were fantastic on the defensive end, but then we just got really out of sorts and tentative.”
Otherwise, I noted two other areas of concern. The first is that this team is not very adept at stopping dribble penetration, which is why UConn was able to outscore the Zags in the paint, 48–34. Moreover, it is clear that the three best players on this team are Wiltjer, 7’1” senior center Przemek Karnowski and 6’11” sophomore center Domantas Sabonis, but Few rarely plays those three together because they get in each other’s way. How often do you see a situation where only two of the team’s best three players can be on the court at the same time?
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