Battle in Seattle: Gonzaga vs Kansas State

Kansas State Wilcads vs Gonzaga Bulldogs
Saturday, Dec. 15th @ 6:00PM, Key Arena- Seattle

Gonzaga Men’s Basketball is coming off a frustrating defeat against Illinois last Saturday, but has an opportunity this weekend to erase that memory in the 10^th annual Battle in Seattle.  Gonzaga is looking to regain their momentum by knocking off a 7-1 Kansas State team at 6:00pm this Saturday night in the Key Arena, downtown Seattle. 

Kansas State will be visiting the Emerald City under first year head coach Bruce Weber, however, Bruce is no stranger to the Battle in Seattle.  In fact, he headed a 73-61 Victory over the Zags in the same venue two years ago with the same Fighting Illini team that beat Gonzaga in Spokane last week.  In a way, beating a Bruce Weber coached team can serve as revenge from two years ago, and a way to feel better about last week’s struggle at home.

Similar to the Illinois team we faced last week, Kansas State’s top three scorers coming into the game are guards.  Senior Rodney McGruder leads the team with 12.9 ppg while the only other double-digit scorer for the Wildcats is Sophomore Angel Rodriguez with 10.5 ppg.  Angel also leads the team in assists with 4.5 apg, and sophomore forward Thomas Gibson leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per contest.

What I didn’t like about last weeks loss to Illinois was how we fell out of the game.  In the beginning, the Zags took it inside and looked unstoppable.  This approach feathered off throughout the game until it was apparent that Gonzaga didn’t know how to score.  Gonzaga needs to bring the ball inside.   We have a considerate size advantage even against most of the elite teams we will play this year.  This must be utilized throughout the rest of the season.

    Kansas State Head Coach Bruce Weber

What frustrated me even more is that Sam Dower only played 3 minutes.  WHY?  I understand he may not be our best defensive player, but his offensive potential is tremendous and he could have been a second half spark in the Illinois game.  I don’t know what he did to be in Mark Few’s doghouse, but I think Few should consider unleashing some ‘Dower Power’ back into the lineup before Sam begins to lose confidence in his game.  Hopefully Sam will come out in the Kansas State game with a chip on his shoulder after being limited in last week’s loss, and prove to the coaching staff that he belongs on the floor.

Another frustrating aspect of last game was the under utilization of Guy Landry Edi. After GBJ, and possibly Mike Hart, he is our best perimeter defender.  Why would he not get more playing time against a team who’s top three scorers are guards who play from the perimeter?  We are facing a Kansas State team who also runs a guard heavy offense, and for defensive reasons, I hope to see Landry on the court more in this game.

To open it up, lets ask some questions.  What does Gonzaga need to do to regain its momentum and compete against higher level of competition? And why are players such as Dower and Guy Landry Edi seeing limited minutes?