A Grip on Sports: While the rest of us wondered what just happened, Kelvin Sampson saw a worrisome future Gonzaga made come true, though the Zags fell just a bit short of their ultimate goal
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Early on in Houston’s 81-76 win over Gonzaga on Saturday, Cougar coach Kelvin Sampson did his obligatory interview with TNT sideline reporter AJ Ross. The subject he picked to address seemed a little out of place.
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• All Ross wanted was a sound bite about the Coogs’ hot start. Their intense defense. LJ Cryer’s shooting. The offensive glass success. Something like that.
Sampson had other plans. He wanted to address what would play out over the next couple hours. And what he expected. More precisely, how he felt Gonzaga would react to the early deficit.
Sampson was sure of one thing. Despite the Zags’ being knocked back on their heels, they would fight back. Get into the game. Have a shot at the end.
I guess you can trust a guy with 765 college basketball victories to get it right. Though it took almost every one of the ensuing 32 minutes of game time.
With 21 ticks of the clock remaining, the Zags, down by 14 at one point (and 10 two minutes earlier), were within a measly point.
All they had to do was get a stop. Then execute the offensive formula they had discovered late and grab the most-unlikely of wins in a season bereft of signature ones.
The first assignment was impossible, what with Cryer on the other side. The Bulldogs tried to trap before halfcourt but couldn’t get a turnover. They had to foul. Appropriately, for Houston anyway, Ben Gregg fouled Cryer.
Appropriate because Cryer, who stepped to the line with 28 points, had carried the Cougars all night. If any Zag gave him an inch, he took either two or three points. Now, with two shots and a dozen seconds left, he could make Gonzaga’s comeback train have to climb an almost insurmountable hill.
He made both free throws.
The Bulldogs had one last chance. Would they be able to execute and get the game to overtime?
Nope. Houston, like it did most of the night, made it difficult and for one of the few times in the final minutes, Gonzaga couldn’t get the look it wanted. The spacing broke down, Khalif Battle fumbled the ball just enough and the last shot turned out to be the Coogs’ fifth block.
With two seconds left, Ryan Nembhard had to foul, Milos Uzan hit both free throws and Gonzaga’s streak of nine consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearances ended.
• That wasn’t the only thing that ended Saturday night in Kansas. So did senior guard Nolan Hickman’s Gonzaga career. And it ended poorly. Not just for him, but, in a way, for everyone who had to watch.
The TNT broadcast seemed to have identified Hickman, who missed the only two shots he took all night, as the scapegoat. The reason why Gonzaga was trailing throughout the game. As his time on the bench grew in the second half – he played just five minutes after intermission – his face became the poster boy for the Zags’ struggles, as well as a discussion point among the announcing crew.
But the Zags were struggling to get stops. And while Hickman has become a more-than-competent on-ball defender, his ability to execute a defensive game plan has always been up and down. It was down in this one, as the Houston guards exploited any communication issues the first 30 minutes to get open looks.
The trapping, flying-around zones Mark Few decided to employ down the stretch were better with Emmanuel Innocenti – as well as the almost forgotten Michael Ajayi – on the court.
Thus the TNT shots of Hickman sitting forlornly on the bench. And a line in the box score that hasn’t appeared next to his name much in the past four years.
• For some folks, the end of the Gonzaga game meant a lot. Especially the final two free throws.
As soon as their matchup with Houston was announced, the Zags were installed as a 5.5-point underdog. If you pounced early, you were rewarded by their rally.
If you waited until just before tip? Too bad. By then the spread had dropped to 4.5 points. As my father used to say about 10:30 on Saturday mornings, “if you snooze, you lose.”
For once, dad was actually right.
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Gonzaga: We start where we should always start when there is so much to share about an NCAA tournament contest. With the game story. This one is courtesy of Jim Meehan, who pulled the last wacky minutes together into a coherent examination of just how close the Zags came to an epic comeback. Alas, once again this season, they fell short. … Jim also helped the folks in the office with the recap with highlights. Those same folks put together the difference makers. … Theo Lawson was give the assignment of examining Graham Ike’s most well-round offensive game of the season – Ike actually connected on two second-half 3-point shots – and asking the questions about Ike’s future. … Theo also has the buzzer beater notebook. … Dave Boling took on the challenge of explaining the Zags’ resilience and how it showed up throughout. … We had a greater challenge. Watch the game on TNT, make some sense of what was said and have something in the office moments after it ended. This TV Take was the result, though “moments” in this case is stretching the word’s definition. … As an aside, the game played out pretty much as I thought, though the comeback surprised me a bit. … Tyler Tjomsland has the photo gallery, giving us the great photos we’ve scattered around this column. … Lost in the hubbub a little, the Gonzaga women are still playing in the WBIT. As Greg Lee shares, the Zags are in Boulder today to take on JR Payne’s Colorado Buffaloes. Payne was once a Gonzaga assistant. You can watch the game on ESPN+ starting at noon. … Back to the men, it’s the NCAA tournament. Houston is one of the favorites. So of course there is national coverage to pass along. … Betting advice as well, though some is outdated. … Elsewhere in the WCC, Saint Mary’s is back in the second round. Facing one of the nation’s most challenging teams – on both sides of the court. Alabama is also led by one of the nation’s best point guards, Mark Sears.
WSU: While most of us had our eyes glued to March Madness, the Cougars were on the footbal practice field once more, trying to will new coach Jimmy Rogers’ vision into reality. Greg Woods was there to document their efforts and to share some scholarship news. … But it’s hard to get away from basketball this time of year and Greg could not. But his story is about the professional variety, a contract and Washington State alum Isaac Jones (fixed from earlier). … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, the best game today, West Coast edition? That would be Arizona and Oregon meeting in Seattle. Old Pac-12 rivals. The matchup between the Wildcats and Ducks in the second round is so big, even Jon Wilner weighs in. … John Canzano too, but that’s to be expected. … UCLA not only was overpowered by Tennessee in its second-round defeat but the Bruins might be looking at a portal loss that really hurts. … Colorado State excited its alums and fans Friday. Can the Rams do it again today against Maryland, a dark-horse title contender? … A CSU star was a recruiting miss for Colorado. … Around the women’s game, Oregon State was up against it Saturday. On the road at North Carolina. The Beavers’ special season ended in defeat. … California’s stay in the NCAAs was short-lived. The Bears fell 59-46 to Mississippi State. … USC won handily despite a JuJu Watkins injury scare. … Oregon matches up with Duke today. Expect the game to be physical and, at times, kind of ugly. … UCLA has a mantra it lives by. … In football news, Arizona is trying to be more connected everywhere, including special teams. … Utah has to rebuild its defensive line. … Arizona State is focused on its receivers as spring practice begins. … San Diego State was having a great scrimmage Saturday until a running back got hurt.
EWU: Hey, football news from Cheney. The Eagles are deep into spring practice. Dan Thompson checks in. He finds the energy has been good and Jared Taylor has emerged as the starting quarterback, as well as a team leader.
Preps: Dave Nichols has a roundup of Saturday’s packed schedule.
Chiefs: Dave also watched the regular-season finale last night, as Spokane traveled to Kennewick and edged Tri-City 4-3. The third-seeded Chiefs will start the postseason Friday or Saturday in Vancouver.
Velocity: Spokane was at home on the blustery Saturday. The Velocity yielded a late goal to FC Naples and fell 1-0 in USL action. John Allison has the story.
Zephyr: The road wasn’t unkind to Spokane, as the Zephyr held Fort Lauderdale scoreless. OK, so they didn’t score either but a scoreless road draw is never awful.
Sounders: Scoreless draws seemed to be all the rage Saturday. The Sounders finished with one against visiting Houston.
Mariners: Victor Robles is going to be a big part of the M’s offense this season. That’s why his leaving Saturday’s win after suffering an injury of undetermined severity is a big deal.
Reign: A road win is a good thing.
Kraken: The Oilers have Seattle’s number. And that number was 5-4, as in a 5-4 defeat, on Saturday in Edmonton.
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• Barbecued burgers before the Gonzaga game last night. Then headed to the TV room to work. After finishing the assignment, took some time to give the dog the attention he needed. Then got ready for bed. You know what I forgot? To cover the barbecue. Realized that a few minutes ago as the Sunday morning rain intensified. Now I have another assignment. Clean up the mess. Not what I needed on a crowded Sunday. Until later …