Gonzaga vs BYU Post Game thoughts and analysis

[Reborn]

Gonzaga 86
BYU 69

Zags totally dominated the game the first half, and especially the opening ten minutes. GU scored 52 first half points and it seems like they kind of let up the second half. Let up means they stopped running which is a big part of their offensive game. Their defense was much better than the final score as BYU must have scored ten points in the last 3 minutes after Few took the starters out.

Kispert led the team in scoring with 23, Suggs had 16, five rebounds, five assists and 4 steals. That's a real good game. Timme and Nembhard both had 12 and Ayayi and Watson both had 8. The Zags ran BYU off the court in the first half, and had their full-court attacking offense in high gear. The passing was as beautiful as ever, and Suggs had a 3/4 court pass and hit Ayayi in full stride. The analyst said it was the best pass he had EVER seen, and then they talked about Suggs the rest of the night being a very high level quarter back in HS. It was a nice pass as he hit Ayayi in full stride just as if Ayayi was a wide receiver with a man right on him. I really like his defense and he he 4 steals.

I thought Gonzaga's defense was fantastic for most of the game. They held BYU to 29 first half points. It wasn't bad in the second half either until the subs came in. This was the worst game I have seen the subs play. I don't think they scored in the last 3 minutes. None of them looked good. Makes me wonder a little about next year.

In the end it was a very good game, and not even close/

Go Zags!

[zagsfanforlife]

I am not worried about next year because I think AN is back and Watson will be okay and Sallis and Holmgrem are the real deals.. I still am waiting to see some glimmer of hope from Harris, Ballo or Strawther.

First half was awesome. First 5 minutes of the second half was awesome. The defense was very good until the end. Once Few started bringing in the bench though it was very tough to watch.

[White lightning]

I'm i being picky or was that the worst 2nd half played by Gonzaga . Starters were in and they just sucked on "O" and especially "D" . Timme disappeared and needs to man up on D. Everyone is talking about going undefeated. They play like this and they could join Virginia as a 1 beat by a 16.

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[zagsfanforlife]

I'm i being picky or was that the worst 2nd half played by Gonzaga . Starters were in and they just sucked on "O" and especially "D" . Timme disappeared and needs to man up on D. Everyone is talking about going undefeated. They play like this and they could join Virginia as a 1 beat by a 16.

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Come on man. Agreed the second half was awful, but quit that crazy talk. Zags go up 30 and then coast...a 16 seed most likely will be down by 20 or 30 and cut it to 18 by the end of the game.

[zagamatic]

I realize that game management kinda reared it's ugly head in the 2nd half.....trying not to get hurt, etc. But it was also the fact that BYU played with more heart for most of the 2nd half.
Overall, I was pretty happy with the game, particularly Suggs playing hard on both ends.

[Malastein]

Harris would be playing major minutes on a lot of previous Gonzaga teams. He’ll improve between now and next year, and I don’t think the posts doubting him will age all that well. He is quick and bouncy but he needs to refine his shot. I think he is on the Ayayi sort of development path.

[23dpg]

I'm i being picky or was that the worst 2nd half played by Gonzaga . Starters were in and they just sucked on "O" and especially "D" . Timme disappeared and needs to man up on D. Everyone is talking about going undefeated. They play like this and they could join Virginia as a 1 beat by a 16.

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Did you forget about giving up 61 points in the second half against Northwestern State?

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...meId=401271433

[BayAreaZagFan]

I have thought and still think that the only way the Zags lose a game in conference is if they check out too early in the second half. Once they build up a big lead, it's not like they're taking their foot off they gas, they just seem to get bored and start missing shots or playing sloppy. I like seeing the bench get minutes because any experience they get now will help out later in the year. Maybe bring them in for a few spot minutes earlier, before pulling all of the starters and try to keep the momentum going?

I also thought that towards the end of the game, some of the "old" BYU started to come out. Nothing outright dirty, but I thought I saw some chippy play on their part.

[bartruff1]

Is Cook injured ??? I googled around but didn't find anything.....thanks in advance for any info...

[MickMick]

I compared this team to 1990 LMU a week ago (just check my post history). Some of you probably thought I was reaching.

Well here is some statistical reinforcement for that argument......

https://twitter.com/jeffborzello/sta...85633539567619

Mark Few has evolved into Paul Westhead. Guess what? There is nothing, and I mean nothing, that could have more impact to lure top talent in the future.

Kids dream of playing in this type of offense.

[ZagNative]

I liked this tweet from Bud Withers: https://twitter.com/bud_withers/stat...75030661890050

Bud Withers @bud_withers

Switching the TV from @ZagMBB to @UW_MBB is like trading in your Maserati for a ‘73 Pinto ...

[Reborn]

I liked this tweet from Bud Withers: https://twitter.com/bud_withers/stat...75030661890050

Withers is the best, imo. That is one heck of a quote, ZN.

Go Zags!

[TacomaZAG]

Yawn................nobody got hurt.

Get used to it, it's conference play. Plus BYU and SMC are down this year.

Go ZAGS

[MickMick]

Yawn................nobody got hurt.

Get used to it, it's conference play. Plus BYU and SMC are down this year.

Go ZAGS

Yawn...First team to average 95 points per game in first dozen since 1990 LMU. You know. Hank Gathers.? Bo Kimble? (see link in my post above)

I mean yawn....just something any old team could do.....about once every 30 years.

Yawn.

[GonzaGAW]

- a pattern is taking shape, early leads of around 14-2, that balloon to 20 plus by halftime. then human nature kicks in and lead is down into the teens, more gas and up by 25 or more, then the subs whittle the lead back to below 20.
- gotta agree subs looked bad tonight, byu made their last 6 shots, all easy layin's.

- i do not believe there is a team that can beat gonzaga, except for gonzaga. by that i mean if on one night all the wheels fall off, nobody can make a shot, they get tight and turn the ball over. even then to lose they may need an assist from the referees.

[jsnider]

Gonzaga 86
BYU 69

Zags totally dominated the game the first half, and especially the opening ten minutes. GU scored 52 first half points and it seems like they kind of let up the second half. Let up means they stopped running which is a big part of their offensive game. Their defense was much better than the final score as BYU must have scored ten points in the last 3 minutes after Few took the starters out.

Kispert led the team in scoring with 23, Suggs had 16, five rebounds, five assists and 4 steals. That's a real good game. Timme and Nembhard both had 12 and Ayayi and Watson both had 8. The Zags ran BYU off the court in the first half, and had their full-court attacking offense in high gear. The passing was as beautiful as ever, and Suggs had a 3/4 court pass and hit Ayayi in full stride. The analyst said it was the best pass he had EVER seen, and then they talked about Suggs the rest of the night being a very high level quarter back in HS. It was a nice pass as he hit Ayayi in full stride just as if Ayayi was a wide receiver with a man right on him. I really like his defense and he he 4 steals.

I thought Gonzaga's defense was fantastic for most of the game. They held BYU to 29 first half points. It wasn't bad in the second half either until the subs came in. This was the worst game I have seen the subs play. I don't think they scored in the last 3 minutes. None of them looked good. Makes me wonder a little about next year.

In the end it was a very good game, and not even close/

Go Zags!

Reborn - that is why I asked the question and posted the thread a couple of days ago regarding - "is anyone just a little worried about next year". I am not at all impressed with the subs yet. The 1st team is 2nd to none. But we will be losing a lot from this current team. From what I have seen so far - until and unless the subs begin to show a bit more I am a bit concerned for next year. But I sure am enjoying this year.

[Zags11]

Enjoy this. I really mean this. One of the best teams we have ever had.

Go zags

[jsnider]

Enjoy this. I really mean this. One of the best teams we have ever had.

Go zags

Thank you very much. I am more than you will ever know. This team is special.

[zagzilla]

Where was Cook? Anybody know what’s up? Injury? Covid? Few’s doghouse?

ZZ

[sittingon50]

Where was Cook? Anybody know what’s up? Injury? Covid? Few’s doghouse?

ZZ

Injured leg vs Virginia(?). Went thru warmups but apparently not quite there yet.

They didn't need him.

[FloridaZagFan]

I'm i being picky or was that the worst 2nd half played by Gonzaga . Starters were in and they just sucked on "O" and especially "D" . Timme disappeared and needs to man up on D. Everyone is talking about going undefeated. They play like this and they could join Virginia as a 1 beat by a 16.

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Agree. However I really don't see any of this happening with the starting 5 plus rotation of Nembhard (joke) + Cook (excellent). Ballo has to get some minutes in so that is what it is. It seems to me that the offensive and defensive lapses in second half against BYU & Little Bobby Sura's team only happen after game is out of reach and Coach Few starts experimenting with different lineups. Harris and Strawther haven't figured out how to score or pass YET within the offense so that changes everything.

[Martin Centre Mad Man]

One encouraging sign for me is that Ballo and Watson played well against a big BYU front line. They combined for twelve points, twelve rebounds and just one turnover. They both seemed to catch the ball more cleanly. Ballo is starting to understand the spacing of the game.

[GonzagasaurusFlex]

Great game by Zags until they invariably lost focus and intensity after burying the Cougs early. Nice to see Zags respond emphatically after BYU cut the lead down to 13 but agree with so many other comments re bench minutes are hard to watch.

Zags need Aaron Cook healthy and back in the swing of things to accomplish their goals; huge drop off in impactful bench minutes after Nembhard, Cook, Ballo. Pretty clear this team is 8 deep max in terms of postseason games vs high quality opponents. Ballo looks to be steadily improving: moving better, switching defensively without fouling, converting buckets. Guards need to keep looking for him once and a while when he establishes post position.

[jazzdelmar]

Agree. However I really don't see any of this happening with the starting 5 plus rotation of Nembhard (joke) + Cook (excellent). Ballo has to get some minutes in so that is what it is. It seems to me that the offensive and defensive lapses in second half against BYU & Little Bobby Sura's team only happen after game is out of reach and Coach Few starts experimenting with different lineups. Harris and Strawther haven't figured out how to score or pass YET within the offense so that changes everything.

Harris, less so Straw, would look a whole lot more like they understand the offense if they weren’t so obviously looking to chuck it up first chance they get. Harris continues to be humorous, like a talented 8th grader playing in the school yard with varsity high schoolers.

[gueastcoast]

Harris, less so Straw, would look a whole lot more like they understand the offense if they weren’t so obviously looking to chuck it up first chance they get. Harris continues to be humorous, like a talented 8th grader playing in the school yard with varsity high schoolers.

LOL, great description. I really like the kid and his motor, and I think he'll mature into a great all-around player. But the sense of urgency he has when he comes in is getting a little tiresome. He needs to watch some Ayayi game film and take it to heart.

I do trust Few that if he thought it was a problem, it would be addressed. But I do worry about our depth come spring unless Cook is available.