Game Preview South Dakota

Opponent: South Dakota

Location: Gonzaga (McCarthey Athletic Center)

Date: November 18 @ 1pm PST/4pmEST

 

Gonzaga had no trouble dispatching a West Virginia team last week and should not be bothered again by a young South Dakota Team. Like many of the other teams the Zags have faced and will face this year, the Coyotes are a brand new team. Four of the five starters from last years team are gone, but Coach Dave Boots remains a constant as he has been the head Coach for a quarter Century.

Coach Boots had 23 consecutive winning seasons before last year and his teams introduction to the Summit League and D1 basketball. "This roster has a little bit more than it did a year ago," said Boots. "Our team is deeper and more athletic and that's the direction we are trying to move in terms of recruiting. We have become a fully-eligible Division I program and it is expected that we add to our roster talent wise to be competitive."

Few believe the Coyotes will have the fire power or athleticism to challenge Gonzaga especially in the Kennel where Gonzaga is almost unbeatable. This will prove to be another warm up game before the Zags take on currently undefeated Clemson.

According to BlueGoldNews.com (a WVU blog site), who has an entire thread devoted to Gonzaga motivation, Bob Huggins has been playing last year’s game 24/7 in the Practice Facility.  Yes, they are hungry indeed.

While there shouldn't be much of a challenge, South Dakota does have some athletic players who should make for some interesting match ups for the Zags.

2011-2012 Season Recap:

5-13 Conference Record

10-18 Overall

Notable Changes:

-       This will be the first year that South Dakota can qualify for the post season due to their transition into D1.

Key Losses:

-        Charlie Westbrook (18.7 ppg/4.0 rpg)

-        Louie Krogman (16.8 ppg/ 3.1 rpg)

      Westbrook and Krogman accounted for exactly half of last years points, a trend Coach Boots is trying to move away from this year.

      "A well-balanced offense has always been a trademark of our success," said Boots. "We need to get back to that and not just with our starters, but with the players who come off the bench. That was a serious weakness a year ago. We need to have 5-7 players on a given night - if they all play well - score in double figures.

What Gonzaga Fans like about this match up:

• An Easy Win- Gonzaga should have no trouble getting the win here. This will serve as the final game without Kelly Olynyk, and the Zags haven't missed him. This will also be another game where the Zags can continue to bond and build team rapport.
• Another opportunity for PK- The Polish Cannon should continue to grow and mature and the match up with South Dakota Foward Trevor Gruis should help him do so. Gruis averaged 11 points while serving as the team's leading rebounder a season ago. 6'10 Gruis isn't going to wow anyone with his athleticism, but is a crafty center who finds a way to score. He currently leads the team in points and rebounds. It will be a fun match up to watch.
• An elite scoring guard to guard-The back court is headed by Myles who averaged 12 points as a freshman at Tallahassee Community College before spending his sophomore season at Kansas State where he appeared in 19 games. Myles has the athleticism to compete at any level ans should prove to be the biggest difficulty for the Gonzaga defense. "Juevol is a competitor who wants to win," said Boots. "He shoots well, has a nice pull-up jumper and can get to the basket. He has great strength. He's been a terrific leader for a player who has only been with our program for one year."
• Gonzaga's Height advantage- The Coyotes only have 4 players on their Roster over 6'7 and will struggle with Gonzaga's height. Look for Coach boots to take a non-traditional approach to his line-up.
  "We are not very conventional when we say you're a forward, you're a center, you're a guard," says Boots. "We try to move our athletes all around."

What Gonzaga Fans don't like about this match up:

• SOS: This season Mark Few doesn't believe he needs to schedule as many killer games for his veteran squad. With Final Four talk already buzzing, the Zags may need a high seed. The Coyotes won't help the SOS down the road.
• Coach Boots ability to win: Coach Boots has had an incredible successful career at the D2 level and there is no reason to believe he won't get South Dakota up to that same level. Coach boots finds a way to win.
• The potential for the Coyotes to shoot the 3: What has always been an Achilles heal in the past, didn't seem to be an issue with West Virginia shooting 3 of 26. South Dakota has the ability to shoot from downrange and get hot, but shouldn't prove to be an issue

Expectations:

This will be a big win for the Zags against a team that is still coming together. Look for the Zags to play a frenzied defense and force the young Coyotes into a heap of turnovers. Zags will dominate in almost every aspect of the game and should win by over 40.

Fearless Prediction: 104-53 Gonzaga