‘Gotta get it done’: Finals week games typically present additional tests for Gonzaga

Gonzaga standout forward Drew Timme doesn’t take it easy on himself when it comes to critiquing his play.

Apparently, he applies the same approach to the classroom.

“Let’s just say a lot of stuff that’s on my plate is self-inflicted right now,” said Timme, after a closer-than-expected win over Northern Illinois on Monday, with final exams set to begin the next morning. “We were on the road a lot and I was not the most proactive. Yeah, I’ve been doing a lot of schoolwork lately, more than I’d like.

“But gotta get it done, it’s a bottom-line industry.”

Added sophomore forward Ben Gregg, seated next to Timme: “It’s going to be a hectic week for sure.”

There’s no escaping that fact when final exams arrive every December. These are student-athletes, after all, and Gonzaga’s athletic programs have traditionally earned high marks for strong graduation rates and in NCAA Academic Progress Rate statistics.

Games played immediately before and after finals week can be a bit of a crapshoot as players juggle studying around rearranged practices that fit with their test schedules.

Finals week closes the semester and a lengthy, grinding span, from monotonous preseason drills to roughly the first dozen regular-season contests – enough time for players’ bodies to feel the wear and tear from games and frequent travel.

The 15th-ranked Zags (8-3) have logged plenty of air miles with separate Texas trips to Frisco and Austin, to San Diego, to Portland, to South Dakota. Later this week, Gonzaga takes on No. 4 Alabama in Birmingham.

GU coach Mark Few gave full credit to Northern Illinois for playing the Zags tough, but acknowledged, “We’ve been through a lot here.”

Home games sandwiched around finals usually bring out smaller student crowds and quieter decibel levels inside the McCarthey Athletic Center. That was the case Monday as Gonzaga led by just six at halftime before pulling away for an 88-67 win.

“We’re used to having a big student section,” Gregg said, “but obviously, kids were studying and doing that kind of stuff. It was different feel for us having to bring own energy, which was important and a big step we needed to take.”

GU has experienced mixed results entering and exiting finals week over the past decade. The Zags often mix in a trip around finals because it’s one of the last opportunities to play a marquee nonconference game prior to the Christmas holiday and West Coast Conference season.

In the 2019-20 season, the Zags edged No. 22 Washington 83-76 in Seattle and, following finals, took down No. 15 Arizona 84-80 in Tucson.

The year before that, top-ranked Gonzaga lost a 76-73 thriller to No. 7 Tennessee in Phoenix and six days later dropped a road game to No. 12 North Carolina 103-90.

The 2017-18 Zags hit both ends of the spectrum. They clobbered Washington 97-70 on the road. After taking finals, the Zags barely outlasted North Dakota 89-83 in overtime in the Kennel.

“I’d rather play bad and get a win,” summarized senior forward Johnathan Williams at the time, “than play good and lose.”

North Dakota’s Geno Crandall, who transferred to Gonzaga after the season, put on a show with 28 points. GU’s Josh Perkins, battling a shoulder issue, had 20 points. Corey Kispert was limited to 7 minutes with an ankle injury.

Depending on where it falls on the December calendar, Gonzaga has had several Battle in Seattle games on either side of finals week. The Battle in Seattle outcomes went Gonzaga’s way, but two were hard-fought against underdog opponents. Cal Poly gave GU fits in the Zags’ 63-50 win in 2014.

GU defeated South Alabama 68-59 in 2013, thanks to Seattle-area native Gary Bell Jr.’s 20 points.

After finals, the Zags lost to Kansas State 72-62 in Wichita before several players departed from the Wichita airport for their hometowns for a short holiday break.

Gonzaga suffered its first loss, falling at home to Illinois a few days before finals in 2012. The Zags responded a week later with a solid 68-52 win over Kansas State at the Battle in Seattle. Kelly Olynyk, soon to be named a first-team All-American and Academic All-American, scored 20 points in 19 minutes before fouling out.

The 2017 team, which eventually played in the national championship game, defeated visiting Akron 61-43 before finals and Tennessee 86-76 in Nashville after finals. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds. GU led Akron 42-40 midway through the second half before finishing with a 19-3 run. Gonzaga’s 16-point lead dwindled to four in the final 3 minutes before the Zags closed out the Vols.

“Usually, when you come out of finals like this, you’re a little concerned about losing rhythm,” Few said at the time. “We gave them several days off, I was a little worried about that. They responded.”