Scouting Report: San Francisco

W-L: 8-10
RPI: 220
SOS: 48
Best Wins:
(123) Long Beach St. W, 78-74 2OT
(151) Boise St. W, 79-76

The real story is in the losses:
(20) California L, 87-74
(33) USC L, 74-69
(62) St. Mary's L, 66-54
(81) Boston College L, 84-62

Current Rankings:
N/A

Team Leaders:
Points: Dior Lowhorn 20.4
Assists: Manny Quezada 3.1
Rebounds: Dior Lowhorn 6.2

Best Player:
Dior Lowhorn PF 6-7 230 JR
This Guy is a first team All-WCC player and has the talent to be listed as maybe top 3 in the league, but hes on a team with no one else around him. He might as well be playing on a intramural team. He is shooting 49% on the year from the Field as well as from Three. Nice clip from outside, they better watch him closely on the perimeter.

My Take:
The Dons are in a transition period, and it shows in their consistency. One night they are hanging with The USC and Cals of the world, the next they are getting blown out by the Cal Polys and Portlands. Dior Lowhorn leads this young team and is far and away their most talented player. I expect a thrashing.

Final Score: Gonzaga 92 San Francisco 55

Recap: Santa Clara @ Gonzaga

Final Score:Gonzaga 95 Santa Clara 53

Box Score Snapshot
Scorer: Austin Daye 20 Points
Rebounder: Austin Daye 7 Boards
Passer: Jeremy Pargo 8 Assists
Swatter: Micah Downs 3 Blocks
Theif: Ira Brown 3 Steals

Game MVP:Matt Bouldin
16 Points, 5 Boards, 4 Assists and 2 Steals, 67% from the floor and three...
He Continues to quietly have his best season, he is one of the best all around 2 Guards in the country.


Team Comparison: Zags/Broncos
Points: 95/53
assist to turnover ratio: 2.00/0.44
Rebounds: 38/25
Shooting Percentage: 55%/36%
3pt Percentage: 40%/33%

Notes from the sideline:
Game was not televised

What it means for the future (Analysis):
This was a blowout. Pure and Simple. The Zags trounced the Broncs by 42. There really was no point in this game where Santa Clara remotely looked like they had a chance. Steven Gray and Matt Bouldin had another couple of great games, both filled out the stat sheet very nicely. Austin Daye looks like hes finally broken out of that funk, he shot 8-10 from the floor and hit his only 3, he finished with 20 and 7. I expect this to be a nice building block to help the Zags see how far above the WCC they really are, this is a Final Four caliber club and they really do have a chance to run the table despite playing St. Marys twice.

Scouting Report: Santa Clara

W-L: 7-11
RPI: 138
SOS: 91
Best Wins:
(70) Belmont W, 83-80
(72) UTEP W, 89-88

The real story is in the losses:
(60) UAB L, 64-61
(48) Arizona L, 69-66
(41) Stanford L, 77-69
(61) St. Mary's L, 63-62

Current Rankings:
N/A

Team Leaders:
Points: John Bryant 17.4
Assists: Perry Petty 3.8
Rebounds: John Bryant 12.1

Best Player:
John Bryant C 6-10 305 SR
Say Hello to the BEAST...Bryant is quite possibly the most massive monster in college basketball today...He is leading the team in rebounds and points as well as shooting 58%.

My Take:
This is not going to be an easy game, Santa Clara has hung in there with a lot of tough teams all year long. I expect them to give us some trouble, but ultimately the Zags will prevail.

Final Score: Gonzaga 79 Santa Clara 70

Recap: Portland @ Gonzaga

Final Score:Gonzaga 67 Portland 50

Box score snapshot
Scorer: Matt Bouldin/Josh Heytvelt 14 Points
Rebounder: Austin Daye 10 Boards
Passer: Matt Bouldin 6 Assists
Swatter: Austin Daye 2 Blocks
Theif: Steven Gray 5 Steals

Game MVP:Steven Gray
13 Points, 5 Steals, 3 Boards, 2 Assists, 1 Block, 3 Big threes
Talk about filling up the stat sheet. Gray was an all around force...


Team Comparison: Zags/Pilots
Points: 67/50
assist to turnover ratio: 0.92/0.50
Rebounds: 31/27
Shooting Percentage: 43%/33%
3pt Percentage: 30%/31%

Notes from the sideline:
Game was not televised

What it means for the future (Analysis):
This may not be the Zags best preformance of the season, but it is a good stepping stone as they try to rebuild their confidence. If they can beat the Gaels at home, the zags may run the table in conference this season. with two out of conference games left against Memphis and USC upstate, this could be a very long winning streak. Keep an eye out for the return of Robert Sacre, as he may be the key to having the necessary inside depth to make a nice run to end the season.

Scouting Report: Portland

W-L:9-6
RPI:135
SOS:137
Best Wins:
Portland 80, (16) Washington 74

Current Rankings:
N/A

Team Leaders:
Points: Nik Raivio 16.2
Assists: T.J. Campbell 5.2
Rebounds: Luke Sikma 6.4

Best Player:
Nik Raivio SG 6-7 215 JR
The Brother of former Zag Derek Raivio, Leads this team in scoring at 16 per and also shoots a nice 47% clip from the field.

My Take:
You gotta love the start of Conference play. This will be a nice warm up game for the likes of San Diego and St. Mary's later this season. I expect a solid win for the zags, despite the fact that Portland is much improved over last season.

Final Score: Gonzaga 95 Portland 82

Recap: Gonzaga @ Tennessee

Final Score:Gonzaga 89 Tennessee 79 OT

Box score snapshot
Scorer: Matt Bouldin 26 Points
Rebounder: Josh Heytvelt 12 Boards
Passer: Jeremy Pargo/Steven Gray 6 Assists
Swatter: Austin Daye 2 Blocks
Theif: Five with 1 Steal

Game MVP:Matt Bouldin
26 Points, 5 Assists, 4 Boards
Without Bouldin taking over the scoring load in this game, this would not be a Gonzaga Victory. Very nice game from Matt. Top Scoring game of this season for him as well...

Team Comparison: Zags/Vols
Points: 89/79
assist to turnover ratio: 1.25/1.27
Rebounds: 43/47
Shooting Percentage: 53%/36%
3pt Percentage: 48%/21%

Notes from the sideline:
-Austin Daye looked like he finally broke out of his slump towards the middle of the 2nd half.
-Matt Bouldin was amazing, slashing, cutting, posting up guards down low. He did a little bit of everything.
-Will Foster showed some nice flashes on the offensive and defensive end, with a little better conditioning, he could be a nice sub next season.
-Pargo looked lost towards the beginning of the game, he seems like hes lost some swagger, i hope he turns it around.

What it means for the future (Analysis):
It means that the Zags finally shot well as a team for the first time in a couple weeks. It also means that we beat the Vols twice this season, both wins will be nice on the Tounanment resume. We go into conference play with the ammunition we need to make a nice run and finish the season on a tear. Hopefully this team will not regress.

Scouting Report: Tennessee (Round 2)

W-L:9-3
RPI:23
SOS:20
Best Wins:
Tennessee 90, (5) Georgetown 78
Tennessee 80, (26) Marquette 68
Tennessee 78, (67) Siena 64

Current Rankings:
RPI: 23
AP: 15
Coaches: 25

Team Leaders:
Points: Tyler Smith 17.2
Assists: Bobby Maze 4.1
Rebounds: Wayne Chism 9.3

Best Player:
Tyler Smith SF 6-7 215 JR
Tyler Smith is the consumate team leader. He is tough, athletic, gritty, and he knows how to win. Bruce Pearl will rely heavily on Mr. Smith to take this team back to the tourney and to try and beat Gonzaga tonight.

My Take:
This game is definitely going to be difficult, traveling into Summit Court and trying to dethrone the 37 game winning streak at home for Coach Pearls team. I expect a battle. Gonzaga knows how to beat Tennessee, they know their strengths and weaknesses, this is after all their second time playing them this season and third time in the last year. When the dust settles, if Mark Few can get his teams confidence back, there will be a big upset in Knoxville.

Final Score: Gonzaga 82 Tennessee 79

Recap: Gonzaga @ Utah

Final Score:Utah 66 Gonzaga 65

Box score snapshot
Scorer: Jeremy Pargo 14 Points
Rebounder: Josh Heytvelt 10 Boards
Passer: Jeremy Pargo 4 Assists
Swatter: Steven Gray 1 Blocks
Theif: Steven Gray 4 Steals

Game MVP:Steven Gray
14 Points, 7 Boards, 3 Assists, 4 Steals, 1 Block
Nice all around game from Mr. Gray...Hes looking more and more like the future team leader...

Team Comparison: Zags/Utes
Points: 65/66
assist to turnover ratio: 1.25/0.88
Rebounds: 31/38
Shooting Percentage: 36%/42%
3pt Percentage: 15%/38%

Notes from the sideline:
game not televised

What it means for the future (Analysis):
What an ugly shooting night for the Zags, 15% from three and 36% from the floor. If they dont get their shots right soon, we might be looking at at least 4 or 5 more losses this season. This could get ugly...

Scouting Report: Utah

W-L:7-5
RPI:54
SOS:38
Best Wins:
Utah 83, (81) Mississippi 72
Utah 95, (99) Oregon 81

Current Rankings:
RPI: 54

Team Leaders:
Points: Luke Nevill 16.9
Assists: Luka Drca 3.7
Rebounds: Luke Nevill 8.3

Best Player:
Luke Nevill C 7-2 265 SR
This Aussie continues the long line of good big men at Utah. He is shooting 62% from the field.

My Take:
This is a good bounce back game for Gonzaga, we need the win badly. I hope for our sake that Mark Few has got his players heads right.

Final Score: Gonzaga 85 Utah 70

Recap: Portland St. @ Gonzaga

Final Score:Portland State 77 Gonzaga 70

Box score snapshot
Scorer: Matt Bouldin 18 Points
Rebounder: Austin Daye 9 Boards
Passer: Jeremy Pargo 7 Assists
Swatter: Austin Daye 2 Blocks
Theif: Matt Bouldin 4 Steals

Game MVP:Matt Bouldin
18 Points, 4 Steals, 2 Assists, 2 Boards, 2 Big Threes...
As ugly this was a game for the Zags, Bouldin was as scrappy a player on the floor as anyone...

Team Comparison: Zags/Vikings
Points: 70/77
assist to turnover ratio: 1.18/1.08
Rebounds: 28/34
Shooting Percentage: 43%/46%
3pt Percentage: 37%/39%

Notes from the sideline:
- This is starting to get ugly, the zags have lost 3 of 4 games...
- Matt Bouldin was pretty much the lone spotlight...he is very underrated for his defensive prowess...
- Mark Few MUST rally the troops and get their minds back on track after having such an ugly couple of weeks

What it means for the future (Analysis):
It means that the Zags have a lot of season left, 3 losses is not the end of the world, although if they don't stop the bleeding now, it will be 5 losses before they know it with Utah and Tennessee looming on the horizon. I expect Coach Few to get his players minds right and to continue to stress team play and hard defense, as he knows it wins championships.