A Grip on Sports: Don’t let the ending spoil your thoughts about how Gonzaga played last night
A GRIP ON SPORTS • How often is the last thing you see or hear what remains in your head going forward? Often, right? Which is why the ending of last night’s Gonzaga win at Arizona might just have given you unsettled dreams.
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• We’re here to help, GU fans. And we have one little stat that should. With 7 minutes, 10 seconds remaining, the Zags led 69-55. They were in control. Arizona’s pressure and heat, while palatable, was not sweat inducing. Your Bulldogs were going to cruise to a double-digit win.
Then Killian Tillie jumped up to contest an inbounds pass. And, as gravity would have it, he had to come down. Not good. His left ankle didn’t land right, it rolled under him and that was it for his night in the desert.
A rolled ankle for a key player late in a game with a lead. That probably didn’t give you Zag fans flashbacks, did it? Ha. Sure it did. But this time it turned out better, albeit not without some heartburn.
After Tillie’s injury, everything changed. Without their release valve – at nearly 7-feet with the ball-handling skills of many guards, Tillie is almost impossible to speed up and is the perfect antidote to pressure – Gonzaga’s press break finally broke apart. As did the Zags’ decision-making. And don’t forget their free throw shooting.
The combination led to Arizona’s late run and the not-true-to-the-real-story final score.
See, don’t you feel better?
No? What’s that? You are worried Tillie won’t be available for Wednesday’s home game with North Carolina? It’s a legitimate concern. As is the thought freshman Anton Watson may have to miss time as well, what with his shoulder popping out again last night.
Both have been dealing with way too many aches and pains this season (and, in Tillie’s case, his entire Gonzaga tenure). It’s too bad. When the Zags are at full strength, they are a load for anyone this season – as Washington found out the other night.
And in a year without a dominant team – thus far – Gonzaga has as good a chance as anyone to hoist the trophy in April. A full-strength Gonzaga.
Hopefully for you Zag fans out there, the Tar Heels will have to deal with that beast.
• What impressed me most about last night’s 84-80 victory? How workmanlike it was. The Wildcats came as the aggressor on both ends. The Zags didn’t handle it well. Poor shots, poor rebounding and poor close outs led to a nine-point UA lead.
McKale was loud. The whistles were only going one way. Mr. Momentum was wearing Arizona colors.
And everything changed. Not in an instant. Not with some magic formula. Nope. It was about settling in, getting back to their basics and taking control one possession at a time.
That’s what the Gonzaga did. Slowly, surely, like a python, not a Bulldog. They squeezed the life out of the Wildcats. In their building.
That was impressive.
• Remember when the Seahawks never seemed to win a 10 a.m. game on the East Coast? That better not reappear today in Charlotte or their playoff hopes may turn to mush.
The Panthers have struggled lately. They aren’t in the playoff picture. The season is a slow slog to the end. But they are at home, it is early for Seattle – biological clock speaking – and a win is a must for the Hawks.
If that adds up to anything but a Seattle victory … well, you get the picture.
• I checked. Charlotte is 170 or so miles from the Atlantic Ocean. That’s close enough to call it an East Coast city. I have spoken.
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WSU: Would a commitment by any other name smell as sour? With the early signing period just around the corner, Theo Lawson examines 10 recent ones in football that have turned sour for the Cougars. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Washington will head to its bowl game without a couple of key players. There is a difference in thought about that. … Utah is going to be missing a handful of key players in the Alamo Bowl. … Oregon will have a Heisman candidate next season. On outlier, sure, but a candidate. … A former USC quarterback is headed to San Diego State. … It’s official. Zac Hill is Arizona State’s offensive coordinator. … On the basketball court, Oregon had to go overtime but the Ducks subdued Michigan on the road. … Oregon State’s win wasn’t that close. … Unless the turnovers decrease, Colorado’s season won’t reach its potential. … Utah handled Weber State in the last Beehive Classic. … Stanford got past San Jose State. … UCLA’s loss to Notre Dame was ugly. … Arizona State’s win over Georgia wasn’t.
Gonzaga: We have our usual report from a road game, with Jim Meehan in Tucson last night. He has the game analysis as well as the three keys to the win. … I watched at home and put together a TV Take. … The folks in the office updated the highlights and paired them with a quick recap. … We linked this above as well, but Jim has already added the UNC game to his all-time best home games list. … There is plenty of coverage from Tucson, including photos from the game. … The women were finally back in McCarthey yesterday afternoon and handled Texas Southern with ease. Jim Allen was there and has this game story. … Elsewhere in the WCC, it was a thriller, but BYU’s win over Utah State is big for the Cougars – and the conference. … Saint Mary’s handled California. … San Diego defeated UC Davis. … San Francisco routed Cal State Fullerton. … Santa Clara stopped Sacramento State.
Idaho: The Vandals got some separation late and held off Cal State Bakersfield in Moscow. James Harriman was there and has this story. … We mentioned this earlier in the week, but John Friez leads a contingent of local folks headed to the Big Sky Conference’s inaugural Hall of Fame class. I wonder if the Vandals hadn’t returned to the conference if he would have been included. … Around the Big Sky, Northern Colorado’s new football coach has a familiar name – and a plan. … In basketball, Northern Colorado picked up a win at Wyoming. … Southern Utah edged UC Santa Barbara.
CCS: The Sasquatch picked up couple wins on Saturday.
Preps: There were a lot of high school basketball games yesterday and we have roundups. Four in fact. GSL boys, GSL girls, area girls and area boys.
Chiefs: The homestand is over but the winning continues. Spokane traveled to Kent and defeated the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-2 behind Adam Beckman’s three goals and two assists.
Seahawks: This one is important. In more ways than one.
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• Ten days until Christmas. That is all. Enjoy your Sunday. Until later …