Gonzaga vs WVU Post game thoughts.

[Saxon_zag]

Honestly the WVU ref complaining is bizarre. We had more team fouls called on us.... They were in the double bonus with like 10 minutes left... And we go inside more.... That one block/charge call that Bilas made a huge deal of I think really gave the fans a mandate to complain lol

[zagzilla]

I am afraid they will not face a test other than boredom following Baylor.

Iowa? Luke Garza is not going to be boring to watch.

ZZ

[zagzilla]

How do you blame refs? We had 2 bigs foul out too. WVU shot more FT’s and hit over 80% of them. Zags had more fouls called on them including several phantom fouls that put key players on the bench-Kispert in particular.

Overall I thought the officiating crew was whistle happy and marred the game and slowed it down. That ultimately favors Baylor who didn’t want to get into an up and down game with us.

Per ESPN.com:
GU vs WVU: 48 fouls called with 25 going against GU
GU vs AUB: 34 fouls. 17 against GU
GU vs KU: 34 total fouls. 15 vs GU

Data shows that these refs called nearly 50% more fouls than the crews in our games vs other high level teams creating more foul trouble than normal for us too. WVU fans are reacting to Huggins antics on the floor and couple of comments by the announcers who weren’t in the same building as the action.

ZZ

[zag buddy]

We are number one in the nation and many find faults in our players because they are not perfect! Name one player ever pro or not that was perfect. When you put together a team the challenge is to take advantage of each members strengths and minimize their weaknesses. The guys are young give them a break. When you pick on your perceived weaknesses in a player offer constructive criticism on how they could work to get better, because they will.

[Spike#1]

From KREM2:

No. 1 Gonzaga rallies to beat No. 11 West Virginia 87-82

Joel Ayayi matched his career high with 21 points and No. 1 Gonzaga rallied to beat No. 11 West Virginia 87-82 on Wednesday night in the Jimmy V Classic.

https://www.krem.com/article/sports/ncaa/ncaab/no-1-gonzaga-rallies-to-beat-no-11-west-virginia-87-82/281-b73c66c2-cbf4-4de2-b929-cbe48a6213be?fbclid=IwAR0v2AckKExrmgzPyMCctaTvYlpfBvM3CiK1VdSiMdLz9Mv36u6qKl_2B_A

Video clip of Few in post game media included.

[TacomaZAG]

Honestly the WVU ref complaining is bizarre. We had more team fouls called on us.... They were in the double bonus with like 10 minutes left... And we go inside more.... That one block/charge call that Bilas made a huge deal of I think really gave the fans a mandate to complain lol

Not so much.............that kind of complaining has been coming at the ZAGS out of the Power 5 conferences for decades. Got to love the P5 breaking out the greatest hits when they get spanked by a "mid-major". National ranking, stats, reality, etc. is irrelevant, the P5 want every other program to bow down and accept their superiority without proof.

Anyone, anytime, anywhere.

Go ZAGS

[MDABE80]

Joel Ayayi is quiet and we've seen him for a while. Fanfare isn't there like for Suggs or even Andrew Nem. He is a star for us right now. SO much improved in ball handling and scoring. Seems to me he's become an important cog. Still has blazing speed. Good defense. There's a reason he looked at the NBA in the offseason. For whatever reason, Joel is back with us and doing a superior job. He is a BIG deal

[zag buddy]

Joel the most consist player on the team at a high level.

[Birddog]

Joel has consistently been clutch in the last 8 to 10 mins of the game

[JPtheBeasta]

I am so tired of reading from Huggins and his players that "we had them" , "we were the better team", "we lost it', "we played 8 on 5", "refs gave gonzaga that game"... gimme a break. Their fans feel the same way.

You got lucky and had Suggs on half an ankle for most of the game. Healthy Suggs and I truly believe we beat them 10/10 times. I PRAY we see them in the elite 8. I dont think any part of their squad can score with us. Give credit to the team who beat you and take your L and go home.

The Zags were also in foul trouble this game. Kispert was out for a long time with foul trouble. Watson was shaking his head after at least one foul. Huggybear got 3 cheapies called on the Zags after he barked at the refs toward the end of the game. There were a few cheapies on their guys, but it went both ways in my opinion.

[bdmiller7]

Not sure if this has been posted yet but I saw a crazy stat on Sportscenter last night. The most points in the paint scored against a Big 12 team in the last 10 years was GU's 62 against Kansas, 2nd most was GU's 60 against WVU last night. GU has always gone inside with 2 bigs, but this year it's mostly guards attacking.

[Birddog]

Amazing stat!

[Reborn]

One thing about this year's team, in regards to points in the paint, is the number of baskets they are making on transition basketball or fast breaks. Timme is so good at running the court. And our guards can really run and pass in transition. This is the best set of passing guards that GU has had in my opinion. Suggs was a high caliber QB in high school, and man can he ever pass in transition. And last night we saw the same from Nembhard. Our pick and roll has never been better and it's because of the excellent passing by our guards. It's also a result of unselfish play. The Zags are always looking for that "one more pass" that OTHER coaches are trying to get their players to buy into. It's really fun to watch the passing. To me it's as beautiful as making baskets.

Go Zags!

[Reborn]

What Bob Huggins had to say after the loss to Gonzaga:

No. 11 West Virginia couldn't quite hold on in Indianapolis on Wednesday evening, falling to No. 1 Gonzaga, 87-82. The Mountaineers held a lead at halftime, but struggled with the officiating in the second half as Oscar Tshiebwe and Gabe Osabuohien both fouled out and Derek Culver and Taz Sherman were both saddled with foul trouble. Given the fact the Mountaineers jumped into the game - and actually requested it - on such short notice should mean that Bob Huggins' team will hold their heads high after this one. The Mountaineer Head Coach and his team addressed that and more in their postgame press conferences.

https://247sports.com/college/west-v...7/#155881427_1

Regarding the poor officiating, did they mention that West Virginia shot 23 foul shots in the second half to Gonzaga's 12, and WV scored 17 points from the line the second half. But in the end it was WV's missed free throws that might have cost them the game

Go Zags!

[Reborn]

I thought the announcers were fair, and good. Bilas especially is going to call 'em like he sees them. Yes he did think the refs missed the one call on the charge where he thought Timme flopped. But he also stated that he thought the refs a couple when the Zags actually stole the ball a couple times there in the latter part of the game and the refs called reaching in on our guys. The Zags really picked jp the intensity on D in the last part of the game. They needed to get stops and got 'em, and actually got a couple steals for lay ups I think. Our guards played some good D last night. One thing that hasn't been mentioned about the game, and it's regarding D. Their top scorer, McBride, the point guard, had 10 at half time and hit two threes. He was held scoreless the second half, and he ended up with just those ten points. tHAT'S A HUGE STAT.

Go Zags!