Gonzaga vs Tarleton Your thoughts and Analyses of the game

[zaguarxj]

So even though we won last night, it still felt like kind of a loss. We were favored by 30. And yet Tarleton came into one of the most hostile BB arenas in the nation, and they didn't fold until the very end. Gotta give props to them. I'm just glad our next game isn't until Saturday, looks like we need some rest. 4 games in 8 days is a lot, this isn't the NBA.

As to those in Washington who are having issues with ROOT, my only advice is just pretend you are out of market and stream the game. Looks like they are giving priority to the Blazers and Kraken, which makes no sense.

I have DirecTV Stream here in Gig Harbor. Root had the Zags game on last night for me. Where are you that it was pre-empted? Not cheap but DirecTV Stream is month-to-month with no contract, so you can cancel after the season is over and it finally has Root. Out of market folks might be able to spoof their location with a VPN to pretend they are in the PNW but I can't vouch for that. I've only used a VPN to pretend I'm out of market so I can get the spinning wheel of death stream, which I've finally given up on.

[jim77]

I feel the exact opposite.

There are MANY years where this game would have resulted in a loss. I love the fact that the guys dug down deep and pulled it out. Sure, the Zags were favored by a lot ... but they gutted it out and won.

As for Tarleton State, there's a reason there game in Ann Arbor was a "one-possession" game with 3 minutes left. They are scrappy and they can play (4 of their losses are to Stanford, Kansas, Michigan and Gonzaga ... with a 5th loss being a 1 point loss at NDSU ... oftentimes an NCAA team).

I cherish every win ... including unexpected gut wrenchers like last night.

WELL SAID.

Tstate CONTESTED every shot....sometimes "bad" games have a direct correlation to the way the other team plays. Hats off to the players/coaches of Tstate I haven't seen many teams that play as hard as they do...hope they make the tourney.

[katman50]

I have DirecTV Stream here in Gig Harbor. Root had the Zags game on last night for me. Where are you that it was pre-empted? Not cheap but DirecTV Stream is month-to-month with no contract, so you can cancel after the season is over and it finally has Root. Out of market folks might be able to spoof their location with a VPN to pretend they are in the PNW but I can't vouch for that. I've only used a VPN to pretend I'm out of market so I can get the spinning wheel of death stream, which I've finally given up on.

I have DirectTv streaming here in the Seattle area. Sure, it's about 80 dollars a month. Month to month contract. Cancel when the season ends. Best of all, it has Root, among others.

[RenoZag]

If you use the average ncaa team as your baseline. If your baseline is the number 3 ranked team it’s a solid F

I gave them a C minus. Had they lost, the grade would have been an "F."

[SorenTodd45]

I have DirecTV Stream here in Gig Harbor. Root had the Zags game on last night for me. Where are you that it was pre-empted? Not cheap but DirecTV Stream is month-to-month with no contract, so you can cancel after the season is over and it finally has Root. Out of market folks might be able to spoof their location with a VPN to pretend they are in the PNW but I can't vouch for that. I've only used a VPN to pretend I'm out of market so I can get the spinning wheel of death stream, which I've finally given up on.

Game wasn't pre-empted for me, it was someone else who does have ROOT, but didn't get the Zags game. I have Charter Spectrum (internet and cable) so no ROOT for me on my sports lineup (I'm not in-market for that channel). I thought about going with Direct TV stream, but I don't think they carry the Pac-12 Networks (the satt dish service doesn't, I know that for sure).

As to the game, we can learn from this. Coach Mark won't take Alabama lightly, not that he was going to in the first place. Then comes Merrimack, and you can be sure that we will scout them intensely, so as to avoid a repeat of last night's debacle.

[GoZags]

” ….last night's debacle”.

You know the Zags won last night don’t you?

I know, I know. Everybody has a right to their opinion … but I have the right to say the opinion of some Johnny Come Lately’s really bug me.

[ZagsGoZags]

sorry to say, I found this game an amazing game to watch. One of the best basketball exhibitions of creativity and imagination I have seen. These 'cupcakes' of Bellarmine and Tarleton allow me to see the vast styles of play that imaginative teams and coaches can produce. They played quick and smart. Short and speedy. Looked like a 6'4" guy could stand next to Holmgren with his hands barely reaching Chet's head, all legally. Unlike Beard's Texas Tech game which to me was dirty, Tarleton did a lot of fouling as a calculated tactic. They were so quick, and stole the ball from us, stole our passes so often, we got rattled for 3/4 of the game. We were afraid to pass at all they were so successful at anticipating our passing lanes. We got out shots off too fast, and thus missed them a lot, cuz they were that good. Some of Boltons hurried shots were near blocked shots. Many of our freshmen as well as Anton and Julian were simply unable to react as quickly as Tarleton. I respect and admire a game that allows a little 'ol underdog like Tarleton to study our weaknesses, and exploit their small size for the advantage it can have in quickness of hands and feet. I enjoyed this game because I felt our guys would pull out a win, but above all, nothing is better for our players than to get conditioned by the pressure of close games. TWO CLOSE GAMES IN A ROW. nothing will be better for us. Before Duke and Tarleton our bigs would get the rebound, hold on to it, open their arms to receive a pass (instead of reaching for it) and watch a quick defender grab it first. Our bigs have learned a lot about not needing to dribble wen they get a pass deep in the paint; both Timme and Chet still do this. Our guys are experiencing the problem with bringing the ball low before driving or shooting. Somewhere long ago when search engines were just beginning, I found an old black and white footage of a female lion in a ferocious fight with a leopard. The quickness of the leopard kept the whole thing a draw till they both backed off, exhausted. The rules allow Tarleton's style of play, just very few teams have the imagination to be that different for a whole game plan. I am glad basketball is so big that the Bellarmines and Tarletons can frustrate, or even threaten elite teams who play with a more traditional tool kit.
I would feel a whole lot different if we had lost, though. It felt close with about 10 minutes (??) remaining and I started wondering if we might lose. It is then that Nembhard took the team on his back and made two or three drives that succeeded against their quickness and gave us some 2 pointers that allowed us to start pulling away.
In crunch time it was Andrew and Chet and Hickman that adjusted to their style of play, so I went with Nembhard as MVP.

[bigblahla]

You know the Zags won last night don’t you?

I know, I know. Everybody has a right to their opinion … but I have the right to say the opinion of some Johnny Come Lately’s really bug me.

I enjoyed the game last night... it reminded me of the old days when we hoped for a win... I thought about Portland State.... then Danny "Frickin" Pariseau and the Broncos... back even further to the days when Pepperdine was the TEAM to beat... I thought on Friday we would pull the Duke game out with a close win... last night it felt more like a close loss to a TEAM that showed as much heart and focus you could ask from them going up against the more talented offensive juggernaut that is Gonzaga...

Kudos... Texans... you did yourselves proud...

just my opinion...

Go!! Zags!!!

[ZagsObserver]

You know the Zags won last night don’t you?

I know, I know. Everybody has a right to their opinion … but I have the right to say the opinion of some Johnny Come Lately’s really bug me.

Few looks at a lot more than wins and losses. I know for a fact that he’s viewed certain losses as wins and certain a wins as disasters (debacles? Maybe).

The Duke loss was maybe a “win,” whereas this might fit in the latter category.

My .02

[BayAreaZagFan]

I have DirectTv streaming here in the Seattle area. Sure, it's about 80 dollars a month. Month to month contract. Cancel when the season ends. Best of all, it has Root, among others.

I thought you could only get DirectTV streaming if you were in a location where satellite service wasn't available.

I watched the game on the Stadium app last night and the video was great. My only complaint was that the audio was just a little bit ahead of the video, so I could hear all those threes clank off the rim before I could see them. Or hear Heister say when the shot went in before it was actually on the video. Just enough to be annoying, but not enough to mute the sound.

[Hoopaholic]

I thought you could only get DirectTV streaming if you were in a location where satellite service wasn't available.

I watched the game on the Stadium app last night and the video was great. My only complaint was that the audio was just a little bit ahead of the video, so I could hear all those threes clank off the rim before I could see them. Or hear Heister say when the shot went in before it was actually on the video. Just enough to be annoying, but not enough to mute the sound.

nope opened the platform up about 5 months ago to anyone now....I have it and got rid of sattelite and use it while travelling and love it...........

[HenneZag]

As I said, it’s Holmgren’s team for the asking. Few has to endorse that.

Yep. How does Timme handle that?

[billyberu]

As I said, it’s Holmgren’s team for the asking. Few has to endorse that.

I just don't see that happening, Jazz. Irregardless of how much I disagree with your take.

[GoZags]

Few looks at a lot more than wins and losses. I know for a fact that he’s viewed certain losses as wins and certain a wins as disasters (debacles? Maybe).

The Duke loss was maybe a “win,” whereas this might fit in the latter category.

My .02

Could be. Dickau and Fox didn’t seem to think Few viewed it that way … instead it was more of a learning experience for some very young members of the team.

[bballbeachbum]

on the turnovers, imo the misses from deep when they are mostly open looks affect the subsequent decision making, right? the hesitancy and drives into the D's teeth, the post play forcing it at times, etc. When you execute well enough to get a good look, like vs. Duke in the 1st half, but can't convert the dagger from deep and go only 4-13, it's often a long rebound and off to the races the other way, and that's after executing on O. It happens sometimes, sure to all teams, but pretty tough in today's game without the 3 weapon being relatively consistent while opponents play you to prove it from deep before they even consider anything else. just makes everything much harder