BYU @ Gonzaga - Pregame Media Thread

[RenoZag]

BYU comes to K2 with a modest 2 game winning streak, tied with Pacific for second place in conference at 3-1 following their demolition of San Diego at Marriott Center yesterday, 93-70.
Yoeli Childs was sidelined again. Cougars forward Kolby Lee picked up the slack, scoring a career high 21 points and collecting 5 rebounds.

For the second straight game, six Cougars scored in double figures, including Lee, TJ Haws (19), Jake Toolson (14), Dalton Nixon (12), Alex Barcello (11) and Connor Harding (11).

Game Story: https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/...k-pope-tj-haws

BYU's YTD Stats: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb...oung/2020.html

[ZagNative]

From KSLsports.com: "BYU In ‘Familiar Territory’ As They Prepare For Big Road Test At No. 1 Gonzaga"

PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball is one of the only teams in the West Coast Conference that has a track record of success in Gonzaga’s hostile McCarthey Athletic Center, more commonly known as The Kennel. But those three consecutive years of wins in Spokane have since been followed up by a pair of Zag victories where the outcome was never in doubt.

Facing the No. 1 team in the country who has won 32 consecutive regular-season WCC games would make you think that this is by far the biggest and toughest challenge BYU will swing at this season. For head Mark Pope it’s just business as usual.

“It’s the greatest thing. This Gonzaga team is a gift to our league. They just are,” Pope said. “I mean, the fact that we get to go on the road and play the No. 1 team on the country and we get to do that because they are in our league, it’s awesome.

“They are that good. They are so good. They’re so good they can play bad and still win big. You could talk endlessly about how great that program is. So we’re excited to go up and fight. We’re excited to fight and our guys believe we can win, we believe we can win. I think our guys have a sense of how hard this is. But this is what you love as an athlete and coaches are to have a chance.”

The last time Gonzaga lost a regular-season WCC game was two years ago to the day of Saturday’s game. January 18th, 2018 when the Zags lost to Saint Mary’s 74-71 in The Kennel.

[ZagNative]

From the Salt Lake Tribune: "BYU basketball faces No. 1 Gonzaga Saturday. Do the Cougs have a chance?"

Along with the distributed scoring, in the last two games, the Cougars have also dished out 46 assists while only committing 15 turnovers. Toolson handed out 15 assists in the last two games without turning over the ball at all.

So far in conference play, BYU is averaging 10 made 3-pointers per game and has made 11+ 3-pointers in each of the last two games. In comparison, last season the Cougars only made double-digit 3-pointers twice in league games.

“I think it gives us a lot of momentum going into the Kennel, but we’re playing a whole different beast on Saturday,” sophomore guard Connor Harding said. “But, you know, step by step — it’s a journey. Now we focus in on Gonzaga. Hadn’t really thought about them, but we love playing up there so it’s going to be fun.”

[ZagNative]

Jim Meehan, Spokesman-Review: "Gonzaga, BYU renew entertaining series at the Kennel"

It’s rarely boring when BYU makes its annual visit to the McCarthey Athletic Center.

The Cougars ended Gonzaga’s bid for a perfect regular season and spoiled two Senior Nights during a three-game winning streak from 2015-17. They pushed the Zags to the closing seconds in 2018 and absorbed a 34-point beatdown last season.

The teams collide again Saturday with No. 1 Gonzaga (19-1, 5-0 WCC) trying to distance itself from the Cougars (14-5, 3-1), who share second place with upstart Pacific (15-5, 3-1).

“It’s always a tough team to play,” said senior forward Killian Tillie, a contributor on GU’s 2017 squad that was 29-0 before falling to BYU 79-71 at the Kennel. “They’re really scrappy and play with a lot of toughness. They always come here and have intensity and they’re really motivated.”

The Cougars are No. 33 in the NET rankings, second in the WCC behind Gonzaga at No. 4. Saint Mary’s is No. 42. Santa Clara dropped nine spots to No. 89 after losing to the Zags 104-54 on Thursday.

In its last two games, BYU has buried at least 10 3-pointers and had six players reach double digits in routs over Portland and San Diego.

[ZagNative]

I enjoyed this piece fromThe Slipper Still Fits: "Gonzaga vs. BYU: Game Preview"

What to watch out for

How does Gonzaga’s defense hold up?

The defense has been the question throughout this season, and BYU is going to provide the hardest test since the Arizona Wildcats. The Cougars’ offense is ranked No. 14 by KenPom, the highest mark since Arizona’s No. 13 by a large gulf. In between these two teams, the next best offense the Zags have faced was Pepperdine’s, ranked No. 68. BYU has plenty of experience winning in Spokane, and they have a potent offense to keep it close.

Gonzaga has to own the defensive glass.

BYU is one of the worse offensive rebounding teams in the country, so that matches up quite nicely as Gonzaga is one of the better defensive rebounding teams in the country. BYU’s offense is good, their three-point shooting is probably the best the Zags have seen since Oregon. The one difference is that BYU likes to shoot the three ball, a lot. If BYU is scoring three points in multiple trips down the court, Gonzaga has to ensure that it corrals every single rebound. Any extra possessions here and BYU has the personnel to burn Gonzaga.

[caduceus]

ZN, thanks so much for the articles!!! Saved me so much time searching! You're awesome, awesome, awesome, as always.