Scouting Report: Portland Part II

W-L: 15-7
RPI: 103
SOS: 135
Best Wins:
(14) Washington W, 80-74
(41) St. Mary's W, 84-66
(107) Nevada W, 63-61

Current Rankings:
N/A

Team Leaders:
Points: Nik Raivio 16.5
Assists: T.J. Campbell 4.9
Rebounds: Nik Raivio 6.7

Best Player:

Nik Raivio PG 6-4 200 JR
Dereks little brother has matured quite nicely this season, definitely the team leader and quite possibly the best rebounding guard ive seen this season. He also shoots a nice 45% from the field.

My Take:
The Pilots are growing up and making huge strides with every passing game. This team is already leaps and bounds more confident than the same pilots team that came to spokane a few weeks ago. Nik Raivio has been leading this team to new heights with big wins over UW and St. Mary's so far this year. I expect home court advantage to help level the playing field with the Zags, although in the end the Zags are a far more talented ball club.

Final Score: Gonzaga 77 Portland 65

Recap: San Diego @ Gonzaga

Final Score:Gonzaga 64 San Diego 47

Box Score Snapshot
Scorer: Austin Daye 17 Points
Rebounder: Josh Heytvelt 9 Boards
Passer: Jeremy Pargo 3 Assists
Swatter: Austin Daye 2 Blocks
Theif: Jeremy Pargo 4 Steals

Game MVP:Austin Daye
17 Points, 8 Boards, and 2 Blocks
Daye has been much improved over the last month. 17 Points per, 8.8 Boards per, and 2.7 Blocks per. Nice clip for a Sophomore. Either way, he needs at least another season at Gonzaga to add some more muscle to his wafer thin frame.


Team Comparison: Zags/Toreros
Points: 64/47
assist to turnover ratio: 0.62/0.69
Rebounds: 39/22
Shooting Percentage: 42%/33%
3pt Percentage: 36%/36%

Notes from the sideline:
-Sloppy! The Zags looked ugly out there, lots of turnovers, not enough people distributing the ball. Lots of bad jumpers and threes.
-Pargo looked better, but still nowhere near the level i expect out of a supposed 1st round NBA prospect.
-Heytvelt looks like hes lost. At times he shows that passion and energy that made him so good a couple seasons back, but really its only in bursts.

What it means for the future (Analysis):
I think we are in a holding pattern. I hope for the Zags sake this is just the team building and growing and trying to improve. But seriously its starting to look like the Zags are another 1 and done team. Sure we dominate the WCC, but seriously we need to make much deeper runs come march. I might be nitpicking, but i guess im just a little frustrated watching a team with this much talent look that lost on the court. God help us vs. Memphis on saturday.

Scouting Report: San Diego

W-L: 12-9
RPI: 155
SOS: 52
Best Wins:
(86) Mississippi St. W, 64-61
(118) Nevada W, 65-51
(137) Santa Clara W, 55-50
(139) Oregon W, 64-57
(145) Marshall W, 80-70

Current Rankings:
N/A

Team Leaders:
Points: Gyno Pomare 14.5
Assists: Brandon Johnson 3.6
Rebounds: Gyno Pomare 6.9

Best Player:

Gyno Pomare PG 6-8 240 SR
The Southern Cal big man is just that, quite big. He definitely is among the top 5 big men in the WCC. He is shooting 55% from the field and almost 80% from the line...

My Take:
Billy Grier always makes sure his club is playing to the best of their abilities when facing the Zags. This one is sure to be a slug match. I expect the Zags to win, but continue to struggle against the higher comp of the top tier WCC teams.

Final Score: Gonzaga 70 San Diego 62

Recap: St. Mary's @ Gonzaga

Final Score:Gonzaga 69 St. Mary's 62

Box Score Snapshot
Scorer: Matt Bouldin 17 Points
Rebounder: Austin Daye 9 Boards
Passer: Jeremy Pargo 3 Assists
Swatter: Austin Daye 4 Blocks
Theif: Jeremy Pargo/Steven Gray 2 Steals

Game MVP:Matt Bouldin
17 Points, 4 Boards, and 2 Assists
Bouldin came out again, and led the offense. without his effort, this would have been a very different game. He also was 7-8 from the line.


Team Comparison: Zags/Gaels
Points: 69/62
assist to turnover ratio: 1.00/0.85
Rebounds: 27/34
Shooting Percentage: 46%/41%
3pt Percentage: 33%/33%

Notes from the sideline:
- Jeremy Pargo seemed to finally come out of his shell in the 2nd half.
- Josh Heytvelt looked lost on the floor, where is his athleticism?
- Matt Bouldin continued to show he is trying to be the team leader.
- Austin Daye continued to flaunt big time rebounding and shot blocking skills.

What it means for the future (Analysis):
Honestly, the Zags would have lost if Patty Mills had not been injured. He was beyond hot in the first half prior to his injury. I think the Zags could have been blown out. The Zags continually tried to settle for Jumper afer Jumper instead of predicating their offense on the inside game. This really boils down to Josh Heytvelt, if he does not start to assert himself more, he will be the reason we cannot get out of the first round of the NCAA tournament this year.

Scouting Report: St. Mary's

W-L: 18-1
RPI: 34
SOS: 92
Best Wins:
(35) San Diego St. W, 67-64
(66) Providence W, 81-75
(115) Pacific W, 74-65
(116) Southern Illinois W, 65-52
(138) Oregon W, 78-73
(140) Kent St. W, 75-69

Current Rankings:
AP:#22
Coaches: #18

Team Leaders:
Points: Patrick Mills 18.7
Assists: Patrick Mills 4.0
Rebounds: Diamon Simpson 10.9

Best Player:

Patrick Mills PG 6-0 180 SO
Good Ole' Patty. Mr. Mills is quite the player, probably the most gifted point guard in the WCC(Sorry Pargo). Patty will probably be a top 10 pick in the NBA draft in the next couple years and i wouldnt be surprised to see him become a top NBA player in the next 5 years. He's only a soph, but shows great composure. He seems to always take over in the big games and can score at will when his shot is on.

My Take:
This has got to be the Zags toughest in conference game thus far. The Gaels are on a 15 game winning streak, the longest in the nation. I think if we can come out with a defensive tensity that matches out games against UT, we can and will prevail. Dont underestimate Coach Randy Bennett or pointman Patty Mills. This is going to be a good old fashioned slug fest.

Final Score: Gonzaga 85 Saint Mary's 83 OT

Recap: Gonzaga @ Loyola Marymount

Final Score:Gonzaga 93 Loyola Marymount 60

Box Score Snapshot
Scorer: Matt Bouldin 18 Points
Rebounder: Austin Daye 10 Boards
Passer: Jeremy Pargo 4 Assists
Swatter: Josh Heytvelt 4 Blocks
Theif: Jeremy Pargo 2 Steals

Game MVP:Matt Bouldin
18 Points, 6 Boards, 1 Assist, 1 Steal and 5 Big threes...
What a game for Bouldin...He continues to be the unsung hero for the Zags this year. All i have to say is this guy is mature as they come...


Team Comparison: Zags/Lions
Points: 93/60
assist to turnover ratio: 1.00/0.62
Rebounds: 52/33
Shooting Percentage: 49%/25%
3pt Percentage: 44%/28%

Notes from the sideline:
Game was not televised

What it means for the future (Analysis):
The zags came into this game focused. Ready to dominate in all aspects of the game. Just look at the Lions FG pct. 25%...thats just nuts...not to mention the 52-33 rebounding difference. Now its time for the biggest test of the conference season so far, and probably the biggest until we go to Moraga. Lets Go Zags! Lets Go!

Scouting Report: Loyola Marymount

W-L: 1-19
RPI: 328
SOS: 99
Best Wins:
Only 1 to talk about
(281) Cal St. Bakersfield W, 72-69

Current Rankings:
Are You Serious?

Team Leaders:
Points: Vernon Teel 14.8
Assists: Jarred DuBois 3.0
Rebounds: Kevin Young 6.8

Best Player:
Vernon Teel SG 6-4 190 SO
Vernon is man amongst boys, only a sophomore, but definitely the teams best all around player. He's a Guard but plays like a forward. Averaging 6 Boards and 1.5 Steals per game. He did not play in his frosh season and he has injured for 15 of LMU's 20 Games this year, but when he plays he is very good.

My Take:
Loyola Marymount is probably the 2nd worst if not the worst team in conference. I expect another blowout in preparation for the Saint Mary's game. Expect the Zags to own the Lions.

Final Score: Gonzaga 96 Loyola Marymount 57

Recap: Gonzaga @ Pepperdine

Final Score:Gonzaga 83 Pepperdine 69

Box Score Snapshot
Scorer: Josh Heytvelt 25 Points
Rebounder: Austin Daye 10 Boards
Passer: Matt Bouldin 10 Assists
Swatter: Austin Daye 5 Blocks
Theif: Matt Bouldin 1 Steals

Game MVP:Josh Heytvelt
25 Points, 9 Boards, 3 Assists, 1 Block, 1 Steal, 60% from the floor...
Heytvelt had another big game in Firestone Fieldhouse. He had a monsterous game...hopefully he can channel this energy for the rest of the year, we need his inside presence.


Team Comparison: Zags/Waves
Points: 83/69
assist to turnover ratio: 2.00/1.22
Rebounds: 38/39
Shooting Percentage: 48%/37%
3pt Percentage: 42%/32%

Notes from the sideline:
Game was not televised

What it means for the future (Analysis):
The Zags never trailed,they opened the game up 17-0 and at times seemed to struggle on the road against the Waves, but it really never was a game. I expect this to be a nice learning experience to teach the Zags what kind of competion they will experience on the road in conference this season. Its not like they were going to win every game in conference by a 35 point margin, but Pepperdine should not have made the game even that close. We now head to LA to play another cellar dweller in Loyola Marymount...Can you say win #5 in conference?

Scouting Report: Pepperdine

W-L: 4-15
RPI: 319
SOS: 85
Best Wins:
(274) Coppin St. W, 58-56
(329) Loyola Marymount W, 59-57

The real story is in the fact that they could barely hang with non D1 schools
(NR) Cal St. Monterey Bay W, 91-82
(NR) Western Oregon W, 77-67

Current Rankings:
Are You Serious?

Team Leaders:
Points: Mychel Thompson 11.3
Assists: Rico Tucker 2.3
Rebounds: Taylor Darby 7.2

Best Player:
Mychel Thompson SF 6-7 200 SO
Mr. Thompson is only a Sophomore, but he is legitimately the team leader. That shows how youthful this team really is. He is averaging 11.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG although he is only shooting 39% from the field and 36% from the perimeter.

My Take:
Pepperdine is the worst team in the WCC. They have been through a lot over the last few years with the firing of Paul Westphal and then the sudden resignation of Vance Wahlberg, and as such this is a young team with a lot of holes. Don't expect anything short of Demolition Derby. I fully expect the Zags to cause some sort of Explosion within the confines of Malibu.

Final Score: Gonzaga 101 Pepperdine 47

Recap: San Francisco @ Gonzaga

Final Score:Gonzaga 85 San Francisco 51

Box Score Snapshot
Scorer: Austin Daye 25 Points
Rebounder: Austin Daye 9 Boards
Passer: Demetri Goodson 4 Assists
Swatter: Austin Daye 3 Blocks
Theif: Jeremy Pargo 2 Steals

Game MVP:Austin Daye
25 Points, 9 Boards, 3 Blocks, 2 Assists and 3 Big threes...
Daye has awoken. Over the last 4 Games Daye is averaging 17 points(21.7 if you dont count the 3 points he had against Portland), 8.5 Boards, and 1.8 Blocks. Not to mention 59% from the floor and 64% from three. SIZZLE!


Team Comparison: Zags/Dons
Points: 85/51
assist to turnover ratio: 2.00/0.85
Rebounds: 43/22
Shooting Percentage: 52%/32%
3pt Percentage: 36%/28%

Notes from the sideline:
Game was not televised

What it means for the future (Analysis):
Another Daye(LOL), another big win in conference. The Zags continue to roll through the conference season unscathed, and untouched. With two more easy wins on the horizon, it wont be until January 29th until we know how good St. Mary's really is. On to Pepperdine, possibly the worst team in the conference.