1 week Ago By macsmith0620
The Zags have climbed to #4 in the nation, and with Purdue’s upset win over #2-ranked Alabama, there’s reason to think they could rise even higher in the rankings come next week. But before we go counting unhatched chickens and putting carts before horses, it’s worth spotlighting the Zags’ absolute drubbing of the UMass Lowell River Hawks—a performance that deserves attention in its own right. In their second home game of the season, the Zags put on a textbook display of how to handle an outmatched opponent in a “tune-up” game at the Kennel.
The starters and key rotation players got valuable minutes before heading to the bench to rest and cheer on their teammates. The coaches got to experiment with lineups and new offensive/defensive schemes against fresh competition. The bench players got to take full advantage of their Garbage Time celebrity status to whip the faithful crowd into a frenzy, and—most importantly—fans everywhere got to speculate about Khalif Battle’s fictional banana bread recipe ( with or without nuts? A debate for the ages! ).
By the final whistle, Gonzaga had dominated UMass Lowell 113-54, a score that fails to really give credit to the River Hawks’ quality as a D1 team. This now 2-1 squad, likely to finish first or second in the AEC, and have a legitimate shot at making their first NCAA Tournament appearance this year. Ranked 120th in KenPom offensive efficiency and boasting one of the most veteran rosters in college basketball, UMass Lowell is exceptionally well-coached and showed grit under pressure.
Credit where credit is due. Unfortunately for them, they ran headfirst into the buzzsaw that is this year’s Gonzaga team. Here’s the thing: casual fans will look at Gonzaga beating UMass Lowell by 59 as an expected result.
But UML ranks top-125 KenPom and is among the 50 most experienced teams in CBB. That is an insane result. Final: No.
4 #Gonzaga 113, #UML 54 Bulldogs led by as many as 62 points against a team that came in at No. 124 in KenPom. Khalif Battle had 21 pts.
to lead all scorers. Ryan Nembhard with 13 pts. and 8 ast.
GU finishes with 48 bench points, forces 25 turnovers. pic.twitter.
com/MNUWBeFgOQ The biggest storyline from the opening half was Michael Ajayi starting at the 4 over Ben Gregg. After sluggish starts against Baylor and ASU, some felt the frontcourt was in need of a facelift. Neither Gregg nor Ajayi made a particularly convincing case for themselves, but Ajayi’s length and athleticism stood out defensively, while Gregg’s familiarity with Mark Few’s offense resulted in some easy buckets and good looks from outside.
Few emphasized postgame that early-season lineups are fluid, and that we could see even more experimentation moving forward. Hickman ➡️ Gregg pic.twitter.
com/CsVuF1C5Q7 By halftime, Gonzaga led 49-27. Nolan Hickman was on fire, putting up 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from deep. Khalif Battle added 10 points, en route to a team-high 21, and went 3-for-3 at the line.
Ryan Nembhard dished out five assists, continuing his pace for averaging double digit assists on the season. If the metric we use to judge the greatness of a college point guard is their ability to make great things happen at key moments, then it’s going to take a lot to convince me that Ryan Nembhard is not easily the best in the nation. Entering the game with an 11-assist average, Nembhard has yet to finish a game without a handful of eye-popping highlight reel assists or huge dagger buckets from way outside.
The dude is on a mission this year and we’re just lucky to be along for the ride. Gonzaga's Ryan Nembhard finds Michael Ajayi for two-hand dunk https://t.co/9Gp8zmtZbR pic.
twitter.com/tx3m6z0QEL Braden Huff also showcased his offensive versatility and improved rim protection. While the Zags lose some interior defensive power when Ike is on the bench, Huff’s efficient scoring (66.
7% FG vs. Ike’s 55.6%) is making it tough to justify the amount of shot clock the Zags spend methodically working the ball inside for Ike to get down to his own methodical inside business.
Ike’s rebounding (6 RPG to Huff’s 2.5 RPG) remains superior, but if the game plan relies on getting quick buckets inside quickly, Huff is unquestionably the guy for the time being. Defensively, the Zags forced 14 first-half turnovers, 12 of which came in the final 12 minutes.
Emmanuel Innocenti also earned some surprise first half minutes off the bench and displayed his characteristically impressive one-on-one stopping power. Because perimeter defense still showed room for improvement against UMass Lowell, Innocenti’s intensity could lead to more opportunities if his offensive game develops in the interim. Though UMass Lowell was never truly in the game, the second half is when things unraveled entirely.
As the broadcast crew debated what recipes a hypothetical Khalif Battle cookbook might feature (yes, really), Gonzaga’s bench players went berserk against a dispirited and dazed UMass Lowell squad. In the Garbage Time Game-Within-the-Game, Jun Seok-Yeo stood out with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting in just eight minutes of action. He hit tonight’s Taco Shot (10th 3-pointer of the game) and made sure the home crowd left with their coupons for Doritos Locos Tacos.
He left a couple easy points at the free throw line and could have easily finished in double figures but the thrill of the moment may have gotten the best of him. KENNEL GOES KRAZY FOR THIS 3️⃣ pic.twitter.
com/0M7DQlniRk Ismaila Diagne added five points and two blocks in five minutes, while walk-on Joaquim Arauz-Moore looked like Allen Iverson on the offensive one side of the ball and Charles Woodson on the other. I think his head-fake spin move scoop layup bested Khalif Battle’s breakaway windmill dunk for the night’s Play of the Game. KB IS ON pic.
twitter.com/uJoZoK3sCY There were a couple chest-clutching moments when Ryan Nembhard exited early in the second half cradling an already-bandaged left thumb. Dusty Stromer also went down clutching his knee after a midair collision with Battle.
Fortunately, Stromer returned to finish with 11 points on perfect free-throw shooting (5-of-5), while Nembhard remained on the bench and didn’t seem to require any further medical attention. Always a good sign. Ryan Nembhard has 23 assists and 70 minutes played since his last turnover.
Next up, the Zags face a tough San Diego State team known for its defensive prowess. Tonight’s performance gives plenty of reasons for optimism. Hickman and Battle combined to shoot 8-of-9 from three, while the defense of the Bulldog backcourt held UMass Lowell’s star Quinton Mincey to 10 points and forced six turnovers from him alone.
On the night, the Bulldogs tallied 16 steals, seven blocks, and 32 points off 25 forced turnovers. Gonzaga had a 65.3 Defensive Efficiency against UMass Lowell.
Their best Defensive Efficiency since having a 62.0 against Mississippi Valley State last December. Gonzaga’s defense looked sharper, and their offense more fluid and opportunistic.
While it’s tempting to attribute this to playing weaker competition, the game also suggested lineups may be solidifying, bench rotations are becoming more predictable, chemistry between players is improving, and dudes are finding their right moments to shine on a team that is absolutely loaded with talent. For now, I choose to believe that while the Zags left little more on the hardwood than the viscera and teeth of a woefully overmatched opponent, the game still showed some genuine progress, especially defensively. I’ll be approaching Monday’s clash with the Aztecs with high hopes.
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