We underestimated Gonzaga. Looks like Mark Few has another team with Final Four DNA
LAS VEGAS — Gonzaga entered the season ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll and was viewed as a quality team but a team that, if it has aspirations of being a good Final Four, might be a little too high.
The thinking was: With standout point guard Ryan Nembhard coming off a team that had its worst season in more than a decade, how good could it be now? Its nine losses last season were the program’s most in 14 years, and it failed to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
Gonzaga will likely settle for Division II status. Good, but not very good.
Everyone who thinks so – including me, L She also ranked Gonzaga at No. 21 in October – Misreading the situation. Badly.
The Zags are still good. Damn good.
Mark Few’s program earned its best win of the season with a 95-85 win over No. 8 Alabama on Monday night in the first round of the Players Era Tournament. The match between two dynamic attacking teams was expected to be a race until 90 minutes, and that is exactly what happened.
By the way, four of Gonzaga’s six wins so far have come against power conference competition. That pushed Gonzaga from No. 21 three weeks ago to No. 12 as of Monday’s poll update.
The Bulldogs dropped an impressive 1.23 points per possession on top of Alabama, led by 21 points each from a pair of players who are a combined 48 years old. Graham Icke, 23, and Teon Grant-Foster, 25, pushed the pace and hit Alabama’s unparalleled frontcourt. Gonzaga’s other senior, Braden Huff, scored 18 points, and then there were 12 more off the bench from Steele Venters.
“We started 3/4/5, he had 16 points, they had 60 points,” an upset Nate Oats said after the game. Oats has been at the helm of an operation at Alabama that has qualified as one of the top 10 programs in the sport for the past five years. He knows what it’s like to compete at the deep end.
Looks like Gonzaga.
“They’re big, they’re physical, and every time we made a run they had an answer,” Oats said. “Giving up 25 second chance points, it’s hard to win doing that.”
The scary part with Gonzaga: He had 95 points and was just 6 of 22 from 3. Mark Few has a proud, old team that certainly looks a lot tougher than some of his previous teams that had a glimmer of prowess.
Oates tried to warn his players about the physical aspect, but sometimes you can’t learn without first-hand experience.
“We showed them video of Tyon Grant-Foster smashing people into the glass, and the multiple boards keep coming up,” Oates said.
25-year-old Grant Foster accomplished that in key positions in the second half. In all, more than 50% of Gonzaga’s points came in the paint.
“This matchup is about post-sets, possessions, break-up plays and things like that, and that’s where Ty really shines,” Few said.
LaBaron Philon Jr. could be an irresistible talent for the Tide. He’s one of the best guards in the country – and perhaps the most talented. Villon finished with 29 points in 30 minutes, as he was unable to score in the final 10 minutes.
“He cooked us well,” Few said.
Gonzaga completely shut down Philon by throwing a variety of defenses at him to run Alabama out of options.
“We knew what we had to do when we locked the locks,” Grant Foster said.
I love this quote. This team has real vitality.
After seeing Gonzaga up close, it’s clear there’s enough versatility in the Bulldogs’ lineup that it should be able to fit in with almost anyone in college basketball. Freshman guard Mario Saint-Soupry got all 10 of his points from the offensive line against the Tide, but he is the most talented of the group.
“He plays with great spirit and it’s contagious,” Few said. “We’re still working on getting things sorted out with crazy jump passes.”
With a 6-0 mark and a matchup against a still-developing Maryland team awaiting Tuesday night, Gonzaga is poised to be in good position to play for the championship on Wednesday.
But its goals seem much bigger than that. Few are giving signs that he believes this team can get there with some of their best.
“Our wings are bigger than we are, and we’re a bigger team, almost like a 17 team,” Few said.
He’s talking about the 2016-17 team, the team that included Nigel Williams-Goss, Przemek Karnowski and Jonathan Williams that went 37-2 but lost the NCAA Tournament. Few also called out the 2020-21 team, a team featuring Drew Timme, Corey Kispert and Jalen Suggs that went 31-1 but also had to settle for second place.
These were the two best teams in Gonzaga history.
“Blue blood level difference,” Little said.
This guy isn’t close to joining that group yet, but it’s only fair to say about everyone who has sniffed Gonzaga’s roof this year. Few have a bona fide team, one that has a chance to come out of this week with a big statement and a better record as one of the best teams in college basketball.