Dave Boling: Refueled Khalif Battle could keep Gonzaga marching in NCAA Tournament

Consistent excellence lands teams in the NCAA Tournament.

But sometimes it is the hot hands in key moments that power teams up through the brackets.

As Gonzaga’s men await their March-ing orders for their 26th consecutive NCAA appearance, we must consider the increasing warming trend of guard Khalif Battle: human isotope.

Battle could be the Zags’ most dangerous wild card this week as the player most capable of getting on a heater and elevating GU further than their seed might suggest.

He’s had memorable moments in his only season as a Zag, but his 12.9-point average at the end of the regular season left the West Coast Conference coaches so unimpressed that, of the 22 players honored on the all-conference first- and second-team (plus honorable mention), Battle was not included.

In the past four crucial games, though, Battle has averaged 17.5 points as the Zags wrapped up the season with two important road wins and two more in the conference tournament to capture the automatic-qualifying NCAA berth.

On a roster of predictably productive players, Battle has the greatest upside.

The use of the word “up” is intentional, as his game is maximally vertical.

His appeal is not just the dramatic dunks, although the 6-foot-5 flier has put together a highlight reel this season.

Equally important is his capacity to get on a shooting streak from distance, and, especially in recent games, employing his outrageous athleticism on the defensive end. Aside from that, he’s second in the country in free-throw accuracy, hitting just under 93%.

Game-changing? What else could you call five steals in the second half of the conference title game against Saint Mary’s?

His fifth steal came with 36 seconds left in the game, when he elevated to intercept a pass and volleyball it to guard Nolan Hickman. As Hickman drove upcourt, Battle motored down the left side and accepted Hickman’s alley-oop – his head within an inch or two of the rim – and jammed it spectacularly.

The crowd raised in ecstatic convulsions at the dunk, of course, but the steal might have been more encouraging to the Zags’ coaching staff.

When Battle’s quick-twitch athleticism and anticipation are employed over 94 feet, it adds another competitive dimension, making him a matchup headache for opponents on both ends.

Is this too much external pressure to put on Battle?

Well, he’s 24 years old, with his fourth team in six years (one a medical redshirt). And he plays with the kind of confidence (OK, swagger) that suggests he loves the challenge.

Although this will be the first NCAA experience for Battle, in five conference tournament games at Temple, Arkansas and Gonzaga, he’s averaged 19.4 points a game.

So, yes, he’s accustomed to elevating his game in March. And it doesn’t take him much time to shake things up.

In the Bahamas, in the opener of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, he pumped in eight points in 90 seconds against West Virginia.

The next game, against Indiana, the stats showed him with a robust plus-31 differential in a game the Zags won by 16.

In his final seven games at Arkansas last season, he averaged nearly 30 points a game.

Getting 42 points on just 15 field-goal attempts against Missouri left his Razorbacks coach, Eric Musselman, to assess: “That’s about as great an offensive performance as a player could have.”

Included in that output were six 3-pointers (in 10 attempts), and a 14-for-14 masterclass at the free-throw line. In one four-minute span, Battle outscored Missouri 17-8. Seventeen points in four minutes.

The caveat? His numbers this season haven’t been bankable on a nightly basis. This season, he’s scored 20 or more in nine games, while also netting five or fewer points eight times.

He had 24 against Pepperdine, and then two the next game at Washington State.

It’s fairly easy to view the variable output as a common complication of transitory nature college athletics. It takes time for transfers to assimilate, and to mesh with holdover players into everyone’s most productive roles.

The Zags don’t need Battle to try to score in the 40s, which might be disruptive to the offense’s flow and function. But stretching the floor, getting to the rim and to the line, and coming up with steals and stops will go a long way toward their advancement.

Khalif (KAY-lif) Battle didn’t need much time to become a Zags fan favorite, playing with great emotion, a showman’s flair, and a huge smile.

And when he goes up for one of those anti-gravity, booster-rocket alley-oops, his teammates appear even more energized than the gasping fans.

Perhaps the all-conference snub will serve as additional motivation for Battle heading into the NCAAs.

After all, high-flying things need sufficient fuel.