Game Preview: Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Oakland Golden Grizzlies

It is official!  The Gonzaga basketball is in full swing as the Bulldogs welcome the Oakland Golden Griz to the McCarthey Athletic Center today at 5pm PST.  This will be the third of a four game homestand for the Bulldogs to open their 2013-14 season.  The first two games gave us some valuable insight into how the Zags will go about their business in an effort to build upon last seasons success as well as replace the scoring, rebounding and over all hustle lost with the departure of Olynyk, Harris and Hart.  Granted, it is a small sample size but it appears that GU will need to and has turned  to their backcourt players to carry the scoring load as well as dictate the tempo of the game.  As we saw in the most previous game vs Colorado ST, if you are going to pinch down or duck under screens to pack the middle, the experienced guards will make you pay by taking and hitting open jumpers from beyond the arc.  In addition, when the Zags come down with the rebound you better get back on defense as these same guards are looking to push the ball in transition and to get out in the open court to create scoring opportunities.  Gonzaga has done well in sharing the ball, spreading the floor and taking advantage of scoring opportunities thus far.  Look for this to continue against a game, but overmatched opponent in the Golden Grizzlies. 

Two Big Names to Know in 2013-2014

With the losses of two NBA caliber players and energy guy Mike Hart, it is only natural that Gonzaga finds players to fill the void left on the court. While most of the gap will be filled by Dower and Karnowski, along with the increased focus on GU's excellent back court play, there will be a significant amount of minutes and impact that will need to come from new players if the Zags are going to continue to dominate the WCC.

While Gonzaga doesn't have a high impact freshman like Wiggins, it does have some new faces who will make significant contributions to the team this year.