Courtesy of NCAA photos
After watching USC beat Oregon on Sunday night to advance to the Elite Eight, I figured the Trojans would make Gonzaga earn its win and trip to the Final Four on Tuesday night. I even dared to think just maybe USC can deny Gonzaga perfection, championship and Final Four.
I was way off-base. The game was not even competitive. The Gonzaga Bulldogs blew out USC to the score of 85-66 in the West Final at Lucas Oil Stadium. This recent win turned out to be Gonzaga’s 27th straight double-digit win and its 34th straight win going back to last season.
This was Gonzaga’s best performance in the tournament, and it should make anyone wonder who’s beating the No. 1 overall team in basketball. The other Final Four participants such as Houston, UCLA and Baylor will try to make a case this weekend. It won’t matter if Gonzaga played like the way it did. In other words, things have to go way bad for the Bulldogs for that to happen.
Gonzaga can beat anyone in so many different ways. Yes, the Bulldogs are known for their shooting, but it’s more than just that. They can score in the paint. They know how to create shots for people. They create offense by their defense. They pass the ball well. They make basketball an art, which is the best compliment anyone can say about them.
They are not 30-0 for nothing. They were not favored to win the national championship for nothing when the season started.
How good is Gonzaga? Put it this way. The Bulldogs’ wins against Oklahoma and Creighton appeared like it was effortless. It wasn’t even their best game, and they won by double digits.
Gonzaga knew it could be better than it showed, and in their win against USC, the team made a statement to UCLA, who is the Bulldogs’ opponent Saturday night.
Just who are teams going to stop? The Bulldogs feature Jalen Suggs, Drew Timme and Corey Kispert. Andrew Nembhard and Joel Ayayi can cause matchup problems, and Aaron Cook can score off the bench as he did in scoring eight points against USC.
Gonzaga’s stars rarely have a bad game whatsoever. With two more games to go, it’s fair to wonder if they ever will.
What does it tell you that Suggs scored 18 points against USC? He could have scored 25 if he wanted to, but he didn’t because he wanted to dish the ball to his teammates and put them in a position to succeed. It speaks about him as a player and a person, and it describes well the culture that Gonzaga head coach Mark Few created with his program.
When guys focus on passing and rather than gets theirs in points, it shows right there these guys get it. It’s about winning, not personal stats. It’s about doing what best for the team than worrying about their draft stock. For Suggs to play for Gonzaga rather than bide his time in the G-League and wait to be drafted, that tells you right there what that team is all about and why recruits want to play for a winner.
Teams tried to slow Gonzaga down. Teams try to force the team into half-court offense. It hasn’t worked.
Maybe UCLA, Houston or Baylor may have an answer, but I have to believe it to see it. I thought USC had the size and agility to frustrate Gonzaga, and it didn’t matter in the end.
It could just be Gonzaga’s year at this point. There comes a time when people are going to have to say no mas.
The Bulldogs certainly play like a team that wants to reach perfection. They know they can join the greats that have an undefeated record, which was last accomplished by the 1976 Indiana team. They are two wins away from a national championship.
Gonzaga accomplished so much in the last two decades. This will be its second Final Four appearance ever. All that is missing is a national championship and perfection.
If Gonzaga can’t win it all, one wonders if it will ever happen ever.
Gonzaga players know the pressure. They understand the sense of urgency. They realize the opportunity right there. They don’t want to remember what could have been if they get it done. That itself serves as a motivation for them to get it done.
Add motivation to talent, and you should expect an unbeaten team in the making.
Gonzaga certainly is playing like it won’t be denied.
