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View Full Version : Gonzaga taking the next step?



The1Bluedevil
12-11-2008, 12:01 AM
I have to say I'm extremely impressed with Gonzaga's performance tonight. I know Washington State is down from last year but they still are a top-notch defensive team and keep games at the pace they want. Washington State just lost a tough game to Baylor and I fully anticipated a tight game tonight, but obviously that was not the case. Be hard pressed to find a starting five more talented offensively outside of Chapel Hill then Mark Few’s team. I know it is early but their defensive is much improved. Eager to see them play UCONN.

micah75
12-11-2008, 01:26 AM
I have to say I'm extremely impressed with Gonzaga's performance tonight. I know Washington State is down from last year but they still are a top-notch defensive team and keep games at the pace they want. Washington State just lost a tough game to Baylor and I fully anticipated a tight game tonight, but obviously that was not the case. Be hard pressed to find a starting five more talented offensively outside of Chapel Hill then Mark Few’s team. I know it is early but their defensive is much improved. Eager to see them play UCONN.

It's good to see that Micah Downs is enjoying a solid senior season as a starter for the Zags after leaving Kansas a couple of years ago. I believe he was recruited by Duke if I'm not mistaken. 11.5 ppg along with 6.2 rpg. Doesn't appear to have put on much weight since he was in HS; still around 180 lbs as
a 6'8" shooting guard.

riverside6
12-11-2008, 07:50 AM
Check out this points game flow compared to TO% from the Live Stats for the Gonzaga/Washington State (http://www.scacchoops.com/viewhdgame.asp?hschedule=2104) game...

That's how turnovers (TO% graphed below) can kill you.

http://www.scacchoops.com/files/gametrend.jpg

gw67
12-11-2008, 08:08 AM
This may be Few’s best team. The starting five of Heytvelt, Daye, Bouldin, Downs and Pargo is excellent. They have size and experience, and Gray, Brown and Goodson are good players off the bench. Their strength appears to be a willingness to share the ball and make the extra pass. They are also a good rebounding team and a decent, not great, shooting team. Heytvelt and Daye block shots and the perimeter players are decent defenders. Some feel that a team has to have some future NBA types to have the potential to make the Final Four. I am not good at predicting NBA success, but I expect all five of their starters to be drafted and Daye, Heytvelt and Pargo to make the roster of a team.

gw67

SMO
12-11-2008, 08:40 AM
This may be Few’s best team. The starting five of Heytvelt, Daye, Bouldin, Downs and Pargo is excellent. They have size and experience, and Gray, Brown and Goodson are good players off the bench. Their strength appears to be a willingness to share the ball and make the extra pass. They are also a good rebounding team and a decent, not great, shooting team. Heytvelt and Daye block shots and the perimeter players are decent defenders. Some feel that a team has to have some future NBA types to have the potential to make the Final Four. I am not good at predicting NBA success, but I expect all five of their starters to be drafted and Daye, Heytvelt and Pargo to make the roster of a team.

gw67

I thought they might be overrated coming into the season but after watching them against Tennessee, they look for real. I would put them right there with UCONN as a potential contender.

JasonEvans
12-11-2008, 02:03 PM
You have to really respect Gonzaga's non-conference schedule. They play in a mediocre conference but they challenge themselves out of conference enough so that we have a good idea how good they actually are.

This year, they will play--

Oklahoma St (n)
Maryland (n)
Tennessee x2 (n & a)
Indiana (a)
Wash St (a)
Arizona (a)
UConn (h)
Utah (a)
and Memphis (h)

Folks, that is a real test! Lots of highly regarded teams in there including a few who will be expected to go deep into the NCAA tourney.

If, as many expect, Gonzana ends up as the #1 or #2 seed in the West (Glendale, AZ) region this year, they will have earned it and we will certainly know how good a team they are.

--Jason "everyone loves to toss Mark Few's name around for big name jobs, but he ain't going anywhere" Evans

Diddy
12-11-2008, 02:19 PM
You have to really respect Gonzaga's non-conference schedule. They play in a mediocre conference but they challenge themselves out of conference enough so that we have a good idea how good they actually are.

This year, they will play--

Oklahoma St (n)
Maryland (n)
Tennessee x2 (n & a)
Indiana (a)
Wash St (a)
Arizona (a)
UConn (h)
Utah (a)
and Memphis (h)

Folks, that is a real test! Lots of highly regarded teams in there including a few who will be expected to go deep into the NCAA tourney.

If, as many expect, Gonzana ends up as the #1 or #2 seed in the West (Glendale, AZ) region this year, they will have earned it and we will certainly know how good a team they are.

--Jason "everyone loves to toss Mark Few's name around for big name jobs, but he ain't going anywhere" Evans

I agree about Few not going anywhere with one tiny caveat. Arizona. If few were to leave, this might be the one opportunity that would entice him. He would stay out west where all his contacts are, and his team at Gonzaga is Sr. laden. I agree that he very probably won't leave, but neither would I be shocked if he took the Az job.

Just saying.

JasonEvans
12-11-2008, 02:46 PM
I agree about Few not going anywhere with one tiny caveat. Arizona. If few were to leave, this might be the one opportunity that would entice him. He would stay out west where all his contacts are, and his team at Gonzaga is Sr. laden. I agree that he very probably won't leave, but neither would I be shocked if he took the Az job.

Just saying.

I agree that it could be a tempting job, but you are talking about moving 1486 miles. Yeah, he stays on the "West coast" but he goes from about as far as you can go in the North to about as far as you can go in the South. There would be a huge climate difference.

It is like moving from Boston, MA to Little Rock, Arkansas.

--Jason "just saying ;) " Evans

dukebluelemur
12-11-2008, 04:22 PM
There would be a huge climate improvement.



As someone who has been in Spokane during the winter....


That said, I think hes become so tied to the program there that it is his in the way Duke's program is K's, I don't think he will go anywhere. As long as they can pay him remotely competitively, I think he stays.

roywhite
12-11-2008, 04:36 PM
It's been more than 2 years ago now, but Heytvelt definitely out-played Hansbrough when the 'Zags beat UNC. He can score, rebound, and defend.

Glad to hear Josh has overcome some off-court problems, and is playing well. Yeah, Gonzaga may be a Final Four team.

ACCBBallFan
12-12-2008, 12:33 PM
Yes, Zaga are for real and I currently have them as one of top 4 just a smidge ahead of Duke:

1 UNC ACC
2 UCONN BE
3 Pittsburgh BE
4 Gonzaga WCC
5 Oklahoma B12
6 Duke split w Mich ACC
7 Texas lost to Notre Dame & beat UCLA& Nova B12
8 Tennessee lost to Gonzaga SEC
9 Xavier A10
10 Louisville lost to W Ky BE
11 Wake Forest ACC
12 Syracuse BE
13 Villanova lost to TX BE
14 Memphis CUSA
15 UCLA lost to Mich & TX P10
16 Georgetown BE
17 Purdue lost to OKL, Duke B10
18 Ohio St. beat Notre Dame & Miami-FL B10
19 Notre Dame beat TX, lost to Ohio St & UNC BE
20 Michigan St lost to MD B10
21 Baylor beat AZ St & Wash St lost to WF, B12
22 Arizona St lost to Baylor P10
23 Davidson Southern
24 Clemson ACC
25 Kansas U lost to Syr B12
26 Dayton lost to Creighton beat Marq & Akron A10
27 Miami-Fl lost to tOSU, beat UK ACC
28 Marquette beat Wisc lost to Dayton BE
29 West Virginia lost to UK,& Davidson beat MS BE
30 BYU beat Utah St MWC
31 Missouri B12
32 Butler beat Bradley HOR