Mid-Major Madness: All Posts by Will Maupin"So what are they going to call it? NonPower5Madness.com?"https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50397/midmajor-fav.png2019-12-11T15:39:47-08:00https://www.midmajormadness.com/authors/william-maupin/rss2019-12-11T15:39:47-08:002019-12-11T15:39:47-08:00WCC Week in Review: How good are the middle-tier teams, anyway?
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<img alt="COLLEGE BASKETBALL: NOV 19 Pepperdine at USC" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wSkHd2TOvRXfjcIcUfgFEwKtMY4=/0x0:4099x2733/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65880543/1187023394.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Elsewhere, San Francisco has gotten off to a great start, Portland takes baby steps and Colbey Ross is proof the Waves’ record doesn’t reflect the team’s ability.</p> <h1 id="KMaUn7">The Big Picture</h1>
<p id="DWBHRu">Are these guys actually good?</p>
<p id="jrShqs">Take a look at the middle of the WCC and you’ll see a handful of teams with surprisingly good records. Santa Clara sits in third place with a 9-2 record. San Francisco is close behind at 8-2. Pacific and Portland, at 9-3 and 6-3 respectively, are both off to their best starts in years and sit ahead of BYU in the standings.</p>
<p id="ATpvOd">Those four teams have combined for 32 wins so far. Only one of those 32 wins came against a top-100 KenPom team (No. 85 Yale). </p>
<p id="jcedVb">Of those 32 wins, 27 have come against sub-200 KenPom or non-Division I opposition. Santa Clara, Portland and Pacific have three wins a piece against sub-300 KenPom teams. These gaudy records don’t prove much.</p>
<p id="pDDgm6">Only one of the four teams looks like a sure-fire “actually good” team going forward: San Francisco.</p>
<p id="1ixvgK">The Dons are tenth nationally with a scoring average of 84 points per game. And the Dons’ resume is by far the best of the bunch. They have the best win (Yale) and haven’t played a single sub-300 team. Their losses, at Hawaii and versus Arizona State, are both reasonable. </p>
<h1 id="bfTVo8">The Big Player</h1>
<p id="Lq8MH6">Imagine having a player who is averaging 17.1 points per game for his career, who this season is averaging 14.5 shots per game and 18.9 points per game. And now imagine he’s a guard. You’d probably think he’s shoot-first kind of player.</p>
<p id="8CIS8O">But, what if I told you this player was three assists shy of breaking his school’s career assist record and he’s only a junior?</p>
<p id="Uh8Quj">Yes, we’re talking about Pepperdine’s <span>Colbey Ross</span> — also known as the most overlooked point guard in college basketball.</p>
<p id="Z2neKX">Ross is averaging 18.9 points and 7.4 assists per game this season. He’s been a starter since day one in Malibu. The dude can flat out ball. He’s 10 games into his junior season and is three assists shy of setting the program career record, currently held by <span>Jeremy Major</span> with 494, set just three years ago. </p>
<p id="oh45kT">Colbey Ross is the most under-appreciated guard in college basketball. He’s arguably the best point guard this side of the Mississippi. He plays for Pepperdine, which is not an excuse for not knowing about him.</p>
<h1 id="1OGGVj">Power Rankings</h1>
<h2 id="gbhMbj">1. <a href="https://www.slipperstillfits.com/">Gonzaga Bulldogs</a> (10-1)</h2>
<p id="bCPXQb"><strong>Last week:</strong> W 101-62 vs. Texas Southern, W 83-76 at No. 22 Washington<br><strong>This week:</strong> Dec. 14 at No. 15 Arizona</p>
<p id="a20IhU">With a win over Washington on Sunday, the Zags have now defeated its in-state rival 13 of the past 14 meetings. That win gave Gonzaga a seven game winning streak against the Pac-12, and was their second win of the season against a ranked team from the conference. They’ll look to make that streak eight in a row this weekend against Arizona. </p>
<h2 id="uX9CDL">2. Saint Mary’s Gaels (9-2)</h2>
<p id="DxI2qf"><strong>Last week:</strong> W 61-49 vs. Northern Illinois, L 78-68 vs. No. 19 Dayton<br><strong>This week: </strong>Dec. 14 at California</p>
<p id="OOWSV9">Saint Mary’s gave up a season worst 1.212 points per possession to Dayton. That is slightly below the Flyers’ season average of 1.226, though, which is best in the nation. It’s a silver lining in loss to a really good team.</p>
<h2 id="okgqL7">3. <a href="https://www.vanquishthefoe.com/">BYU Cougars</a> (8-4)</h2>
<p id="4bWfK4"><strong>Last week: </strong>L 102-95 (OT) at Utah, W 83-50 vs. UNLV, W 75-42 vs. Nevada<br><strong>This week:</strong> Dec. 14 vs. Utah State (Salt Lake City)</p>
<p id="jiYW0f">The Cougars have put together a solid resume with wins over Houston, UCLA, Virginia Tech and now Nevada. Yoeli Childs returned from suspension last week and the team looks better than ever. All that said, there’s little room for error for the squad if it wants to make the NCAA Tournament.</p>
<h2 id="s2PQDQ">4. <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/teams/san-francisco-dons">San Francisco Dons</a> (8-2)</h2>
<p id="ESf6qe"><strong>Last week:</strong> W 76-64 vs. California<br><strong>This week:</strong> Dec. 14 at Cal State Fullerton</p>
<p id="q5JysM">Seven foot senior <span>Jimbo Lull</span> is playing the best basketball of his life. Averaging nearly ten minutes more per game than he did last season, with averages of 12.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, <span>Lull</span>’s usage has gone way up but his efficiency hasn’t really dropped. Plus, he’s shooting threes now.</p>
<h2 id="TXPsg5">5. <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/teams/santa-clara-broncos">Santa Clara Broncos</a> (9-2)</h2>
<p id="Oqw5IU"><strong>Last week:</strong> L 98-67 at Nevada, W 71-52 vs. California<br><strong>This week:</strong> Dec. 14 vs. Sacramento State</p>
<p id="a2OjSv">Santa Clara’s best wins this year are Pac-12 bottom dwellers Washington State and Cal, both of which came at home. Not exactly marquee games, but still. The Broncos are now 2-1 versus the Pac-12 this season and 4-3 over the past two years.</p>
<h2 id="ZktfVH">6. <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/teams/pacific-tigers">Pacific Tigers</a> (9-3)</h2>
<p id="yVLj2a"><strong>Last week:</strong> W 62-59 vs. Cal State Fullerton, W 65-46 at Long Beach State<br><strong>This week:</strong> Dec. 15 vs. Cal State Northridge</p>
<p id="C8jBa6">Pacific still doesn’t have a signature win. The Tigers don’t even have a good win. But they’ve got a road win now after taking care of business, easily, at The Beach. The Tigers are off to their best start since 2013-14, their first season in the WCC.</p>
<h2 id="BvkD9m">7. <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/teams/pepperdine-waves">Pepperdine Waves</a> (4-6)</h2>
<p id="dg1eH1"><strong>Last week:</strong> W 77-65 vs. Idaho State<br><strong>This week:</strong> Dec. 14 vs. Central Arkansas</p>
<p id="Q5XnWa">Three of Pepperdine’s six losses have come to top-100 KenPom teams, with one more coming to No. 103 UCF. The Waves looked great in a two-point loss to Arizona last month. They’ve also lost to California and at home to Sacramento State. </p>
<h2 id="v3lfcI">8. <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/teams/loyola-marymount-lions">Loyola Marymount Lions</a> (4-5)</h2>
<p id="q6lywx"><strong>Last week:</strong> L 76-64 at Colorado, W 83-67 vs. Grambling State<br><strong>This week:</strong> Dec. 13 vs. Prairie View A&M, Dec. 16 at UC Davis</p>
<p id="q2DvwO">Last week junior forward <span>Eli Scott</span> put up a career high with 31 points against then No. 20 Colorado on the road. Scott’s follow up performance? A 21 point, 11 rebound and 13 assist triple-double. </p>
<h2 id="Z5RlzU">9. <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/teams/portland-pilots">Portland Pilots</a> (6-3)</h2>
<p id="NNiqEV"><strong>Last week:</strong> L 71-64 vs. Cal State Northridge, L 73-71 vs. Seattle (Kent, WA)<br><strong>This week:</strong> Dec. 13 vs. Evergreen (non-D1), Dec. 16 vs. Florida A&M</p>
<p id="ARwWgd">The Pilots are the only sub-200 KenPom team in the West Coast Conference right now. Last year they were one of two such WCC teams, except they weren’t just sub-200, they were sub-300. Baby steps in the Rose City.</p>
<h2 id="vh8XOe">10. <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/teams/san-diego-toreros">San Diego Toreros</a> (4-7)</h2>
<p id="gsB20U"><strong>Last week:</strong> W 68-51 vs. Holy Cross<br><strong>This week:</strong> Dec. 11 at Cal State Fullerton, Dec. 14 vs. UC Davis</p>
<p id="iJj4kZ"><span>Yauhen Massalski</span> is back! The Toreros’ lone returning starter from last season underwent surgery after the season opener. In his return against Holy Cross, the junior big man came off the bench but led the team in points (12) and rebounds (8).</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/12/11/21003893/wcc-west-coast-conference-power-rankings-gonzaga-bulldogs-zags-saint-marys-gaels-byu-pepperdineWill Maupin2019-12-03T07:16:20-08:002019-12-03T07:16:20-08:00BYU’s missing piece is finally free to play
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<img alt="COLLEGE BASKETBALL: DEC 08 Beehive Classic - Utah v BYU" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2m8Q6f8g9FDM6fE-qT-EIE01DEA=/0x0:3239x2159/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65815203/1070222874.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Yoeli Childs during his 31 point performance in a win over Utah last season. | Photo by Boyd Ivey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>One of the best players in college basketball will make his season debut on Wednesday in a big-time rivalry game.</p> <p id="b9w1mx">For the first nine games of the season, BYU was an undersized team just trying to survive. At the start of December, the Cougars are 6-3 with wins over Houston, UCLA and Virginia Tech. Oh yeah, and they’re about to bring an All-American-level player back into the fold, just in time for their annual game against arch-rival Utah.</p>
<p id="nkz1QV"><span>Yoeli Childs</span> is finally free and you should really know about this guy.</p>
<h2 id="5XKZJE">Who is <span>Yoeli Childs</span>?</h2>
<p id="L7xyhZ">A 6’8, 225-pound senior forward, Childs has been the Cougars’ best player for the past two seasons and a big-time player since he first stepped onto campus.</p>
<p id="sz6h4X">Childs was a complimentary piece as a freshman on a team with stud big man <span>Eric Mika</span> leading the way. Still, Childs averaged nearly a double-double for the season. When <span>Mika</span> left early to pursue a professional career after that season, Childs became the Cougars’ go-to interior presence. Playing alongside dynamic guard <span>Elijah Bryant,</span> the Cougars had one of the best duos in the country in 2017-18. <span>Bryant</span> and Childs each averaged 18 points per game apiece that season.</p>
<p id="FYG64G">As was the case the year prior with Mika, Bryant left BYU early to go pro. That left Childs as the Cougars’ No. 1 option last season. The junior averaged 21.2 points and 9.7 rebounds, earning first team all-WCC honors for the second straight season. His scoring average last season was the highest for a BYU player since Tyler Haws, the school’s all-time leading scorer, averaged 22.2 per game in 2015.</p>
<p id="MEPVjF">After the Cougars’ season ended with a thud in the WCC Tournament, Childs did what he had the year prior and put his name into the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-draft">NBA Draft</a>. For the second year in a row, Childs wound up pulling out of the NBA Draft after going through the workout process, as the NCAA now allows players to do. His decision to return to school ultimately got him into trouble.</p>
<h2 id="70qN4f">Why was he suspended?</h2>
<p id="9PCJ6T">When Childs was going through the pre-draft process this past spring, the <a href="https://www.vanquishthefoe.com/">BYU Cougars</a> were going through a period of upheaval. Longtime head coach Dave Rose had retired and former Utah Valley head coach Mark Pope was in the process of bringing in his new administration. As the staff turned over, Childs was trying to navigate the NBA and NCAA simultaneously.</p>
<p id="nqQwEL">Childs signed with an agent — something allowed under specific circumstances — before filling out the proper documentation, which is not allowed because it’s the NCAA. </p>
<p id="bEzcrL">The BYU athletic department was open with the NCAA and admitted that the staff, and Childs, had made an error in following the new rules surrounding the draft process. The Cougars were fully cooperative with the NCAA investigation as well.</p>
<p id="Nt4kUE">Admitting that you’ve made a mistake, especially one so minor, and cooperating fully with the investigation was the best thing for BYU to do. Unfortunately, the NCAA doesn’t understand what’s best. It understands how to make an ass out of itself, which is exactly what it did here.</p>
<p id="wGbleR">Childs was suspended for the first nine games of this season for what amounts to<a href="https://twitter.com/gregwrubell/status/1159950909377404928"> a mishandling of paperwork</a>. </p>
<h2 id="pNJzH5">What does he bring to BYU?</h2>
<p id="UeoV7P">Childs’ return to the court is a big deal for this BYU team not only because of what he’s shown in prior seasons, but also because there is nobody on the roster capable of doing anything close to what he does.</p>
<p id="fADZh1">The Cougars have been reliant on the three-pointer this season, in part due to the capability of the shooters on their roster and also because they haven’t had an inside presence. Obviously they’ve been playing without <span>Childs</span>, but the Cougars have also been without sophomore forward Gavin Baxter. Last season, Baxter developed into a solid option in the frontcourt and was expected to be a big contributor as a sophomore. Baxter injured his shoulder during a preseason practice and is out for the season.</p>
<p id="qceQGN">The lack of big men has led to some rather odd looks for BYU on offense this season. Specifically, 6’5 sharpshooter <span>Jake Toolson</span> posting up defenders on the low block way more often than is ideal.</p>
<p id="85w8CL">It’s also resulted in BYU being hapless on the glass. The Cougars grab just one out of every five of their own misses, which ranks bottom-20 nationally, <a href="https://kenpom.com/">according to KenPom</a>. </p>
<p id="rXMCxj">Childs’ skill set is the perfect match for BYU’s needs right now. This should come as no surprise. BYU’s roster was put together to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015; this plan was devised with Childs in mind.</p>
<p id="p1on1J">The Cougars survived nine games without Childs. Now he’s back and it’s time for BYU to live up to its potential.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/12/3/20989777/yoeli-childs-byu-cougars-brigham-young-utah-utes-west-coast-conference-ncaa-suspensionWill Maupin2019-11-04T12:12:00-08:002019-11-04T12:12:00-08:00The Other Top 25 Preseason Rankings: No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs
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<img alt="Florida State v Gonzaga" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9xUgriKp88hCJX_nMdUBGU9aFm8=/0x0:3775x2517/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65623152/936740738.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Corey Kispert drives during Gonzaga’s Sweet Sixteen win over Florida State | Photo by Harry How/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>New dudes, same expectations in Spokane.</p> <p id="lnUzZL"><strong>2018-19 Record:</strong> 33-4 (16-0 WCC); NCAA Tournament Elite Eight (1 seed)<br><strong>Key Losses:</strong> <span>Rui Hachimura</span>, <span>Brandon Clarke</span>, <span>Zach Norvell Jr.</span>, <span>Josh Perkins</span>, <span>Geno Crandall</span>, <span>Jeremy Jones</span><br><strong>Key Returners:</strong> <span>Corey Kispert</span> (Jr. F), <span>Killian Tillie</span> (Sr. F), <span>Filip Petrusev</span> (So. F), <span>Joel Ayayi</span> (So. G)<br><strong>Key Newcomers:</strong> <span>Admon Gilder</span> and <span>Ryan Woolridge</span> (grad transfers via Texas A&M and North Texas, respectively), <span>Anton Watson</span> and <span>Drew Timme</span> (freshmen)</p>
<p id="WuWTtn">Gonzaga lost four starters — including the program’s all-time assist leader (<span>Josh Perkins</span>) and, for my money, the best player in the sport last season (Brandon Clarke). Three guys left early for the NBA, two of whom went as first round picks. <a href="http://www.barttorvik.com/returningmins.php">According to Bart Torvik</a>, only 13 teams in the country bring back fewer minutes than the Zags.</p>
<p id="8T06lg">And yet here sits Gonzaga, at number one in the preseason.</p>
<p id="psgMA9">It’s astounding, but not surprising.</p>
<p id="fjH0yU">The Zags have made 21 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, 11 consecutive trips to the round of 32 and five consecutive trips to the Sweet 16. No other program in the country can say the latter. Over the past decade the Zags are averaging 30.4 wins per season. Gonzaga is a juggernaut and it’s only getting stronger.</p>
<h3 id="DxKaSQ">Key Non-Conference Games</h3>
<p id="XcKgLN">For the past two decades, Mark Few and his staff have put together non-conference schedules better than just about anybody. In the early days of the Zags’ run, the program operated with an anyone, anywhere, anytime philosophy. Out of necessity, because nobody of note would willingly walk into the Kennel back then.</p>
<p id="XNHBxc">This year, though, North Carolina’s coming to town. I don’t care what you think about Gonzaga and the term “mid-major” the fact is that a West Coast Conference team landed a home-and-home series with the <a href="https://www.tarheelblog.com/">North Carolina Tar Heels</a>. How unbelievably cool is that?</p>
<p id="wfNjR5">So, maybe that philosophy isn’t quite as necessary as it once was. The “anywhere” part, at least. They’re still scheduling like it is, though.</p>
<p id="vmu1WR">Nov. 15 at Texas A&M<br>Nov. 28 vs. Oregon/Seton Hall (Battle 4 Atlantis)<br>Nov. 29 vs. Michigan/Iowa State/Alabama/North Carolina (Battle 4 Atlantis)<br>Dec. 8 at Washington<br>Dec. 14 at Arizona<br>Dec. 18 vs. North Carolina</p>
<h3 id="ViKqYy">Three Things to Watch</h3>
<h5 id="JhNTka">Chemistry</h5>
<p id="BYPRAx">A few years ago Gonzaga entered the year with a ton of new faces. The same year, Saint Mary’s brought back basically everybody from a good team. In my preseason WCC Power Rankings I put the Gaels over the Zags, largely because I thought there could be a few early hiccups for Gonzaga as the pieces all came together.</p>
<p id="UNqL7L">What happened instead was Gonzaga won 29 straight games to start the season. So, I’m not making that mistake again this year. </p>
<p id="aGU336">I’ll continue to believe in Mark Few’s ability to quickly build chemistry until he doesn’t. But this year’s team is operating on a more condensed timetable than that one was. Neither transfer is coming off a redshirt year. Ryan Woolridge (North Texas) and Admon Gilder (Texas A&M) are both grad transfers, immediately eligible, who arrived on campus mere months ago. And they’re the entire starting backcourt.</p>
<p id="erpqyk">Just think about this: In Gonzaga’s 116-61 exhibition win over Lewis-Clark State the player with the most experience in a Gonzaga uniform was junior forward Corey Kispert.</p>
<h5 id="oUIhdZ">Killian Tillie’s health</h5>
<p id="9J7Jrh">Why was Kispert the most experienced player on the floor? Because Tillie wasn’t on the floor.</p>
<p id="BqhVTE">The senior forward was held out as he recovers from a knee surgery he underwent early last month. It was precautionary, with the staff using the phrase “clean up” when referring to the procedure. Tillie is expected to be good to go for the season opener.</p>
<p id="J95Keb">That’s huge, because the 6-foot-10 Frenchman is a legitimate NBA prospect with WCC Player of the Year potential — if he can stay healthy for the whole season.</p>
<p id="YPmmg0">Last season, Tillie started on the bench as he recovered from a fractured ankle. It kept him out for the entire non-conference portion of the year. He played just nine games, slowly returning to form, before finding himself sidelined again with a plantar fascia tear. As a sophomore, Tillie exploded onto the scene as a lethal shooter and averaged 12.9 points per game. As a junior, he hit double figures just three times.</p>
<h5 id="9Hzo6Y">All these freshmen</h5>
<p id="81RMQg">Once upon a time it was program policy to avoid recruiting players with offers from Pac-10 teams. It would be a waste of time and resources.</p>
<p id="Ygm7WF">In 2017, the Zags ranked 120th nationally in recruiting, according to 247Sports. In 2018 they were 69th. This year’s class ranks 13th and contains three of the top-ten commits in program history: Drew Timme (third), Anton Watson (fourth) and <span>Pavel Zakharov</span> (seventh). Oh yeah, and <span>Oumar Ballo</span>’s in the mix too at no. 11, but we’ll have to wait until next year as he is taking an academic redshirt this season.</p>
<p id="pz1KnV">Timme and Watson are going to be immediate impact players. Watson, a local Gonzaga Prep product, got the start in the team’s exhibition game and showed out at the top of the Zags’ 1-2-2 press. He also led the game in scoring with 28 points, a good chunk of which came in transition off of turnovers he had forced. Timme was absolutely dominant inside with 18 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. It was an exhibition, sure, but it came against a Lewis-Clark State team that already has a D1 win to its name — please pour one out for the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/teams/idaho-vandals">Idaho Vandals</a>, who lost 88-73 at home last week.</p>
<h3 id="M8cKwC">X-Factor</h3>
<h5 id="J3LN1N">Joel Ayayi</h5>
<p id="8lMneS">Playing on the French team at the 2019 U-19 <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/fifa-womens-world-cup">World Cup,</a> Ayayi averaged 20.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, was named to the all-tournament team and helped France to a bronze medal finish.</p>
<p id="jn2P7O">But with Gonzaga last season, Ayayi averaged 1.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game — all with 14 healthy scratches, despite a dreadfully thin backcourt.</p>
<p id="G5P6a8">Ayayi has been an enigma since arriving in Spokane at just 17 years of age. His first season was spent in a redshirt and his second saw him stuck to the end of the bench, and fans were left to wonder if that was based on his abilities or Mark Few’s tendency to keep a tight rotation.</p>
<p id="XY9636">Then he went and did this:</p>
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<p id="bRJhko">Gonzaga announced on Friday that freshman guard <span>Brock Ravet</span> was taking an indefinite leave from the program. Ravet is Washington’s all-time leading scorer at the high school level. He appeared ready to make the leap to college when he won the three point contest at Kraziness in the Kennel just last month.</p>
<p id="eBF52E">Without Ravet, Ayayi is the only guard on scholarship coming off the bench. His time is now.</p>
<p id="bMrlK4"></p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/11/4/20947080/the-other-top-25-preseason-rankings-no-1-gonzaga-bulldogs-college-basketball-preview-killian-tillieWill Maupin2019-10-31T07:37:00-07:002019-10-31T07:37:00-07:00The Other Top 25 preseason rankings: No. 3 Saint Mary’s Gaels
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: West Coast Conference Tournament-Gonzaga vs Saint Mary’s" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Odccbhl90kEjFqcYP1Csu_HSkeY=/0x0:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65594161/usa_today_12335415.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jordan Ford (3) and teammates celebrate after shocking Gonzaga in the 2019 WCC Tournament Final. It won’t be a shock should it happen this season. | Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Randy Bennett’s team has all of the pieces for the best season in program history.</p> <p id="d7MDjM"><strong>2018-19 Record: </strong>22-12 (11-5 WCC), NCAA Tournament First Round (11 seed)<br><strong>Key returners: </strong><a href="http://www.barttorvik.com/returningmins.php">Basically everyone</a><br><strong>Key losses: </strong><span>Jordan Hunter</span> <br><strong>Key newcomers: </strong><span>Logan Johnson</span> (So. Guard, transfer from Cincinnati), <span>Aaron Menzies</span> (RS Sr. Center, transfer from Seattle U, sat out last season with injury at Saint Mary’s)</p>
<p id="RbrrjZ">Talent, experience, continuity, scheduling and whatever else you think is important, Saint Mary’s has it. Everything is in place for a special season in the East Bay.</p>
<p id="XV1YNc">Last season the Gaels hovered around the NCAA Tournament bubble, as they tend to do, before upsetting Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament Final to punch their ticket to the dance. This year, there should be far less sweating regardless of who takes the WCC’s auto-bid. </p>
<p id="PULNdE">The only contributor from that team no longer in the roster is graduated center <span>Jordan Hunter</span>, who was more often than not merely a role player for Randy Bennett’s team.</p>
<p id="a0LeX9">Starters <span>Jordan Ford</span>, <span>Malik Fitts</span>, Tommy Khuse and <span>Tanner Krebs</span> are all back. Seattle grad transfer 7-foot-3 center <span>Aaron Menzies</span> is healthy, as is guard <span>Kristers Zoriks</span>. Plus Cincinnati transfer <span>Logan Johnson</span> was granted immediate eligibility <a href="https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/1187042500382482432?s=20">earlier this month</a>. The team is loaded.</p>
<h1 id="5PEYhL"><strong>Key Non-Conference Games</strong></h1>
<p id="gxlqsl">For years, the Gaels’ schedule was the butt of all the jokes. They played losers, rarely left California and occasionally landed in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nit-tournament">NIT</a> as a result of their soft scheduling.</p>
<p id="D3U64W">That’s not the case anymore. The only issue with the Gaels’ schedule I can find is purely aesthetic: There are too many neutral site games for my taste. But hey, good luck getting high-level programs to visit McKeon Pavilion, even though that would be great for the sport. Randy Bennett and his staff have done everything they need to do to make this season count.</p>
<p id="sHHeqS">Nov. 5 vs. Wisconsin (in Sioux Falls, SD)<br>Nov. 20 at Fresno State<br>Nov. 29 vs. Utah State<br>Dec. 8 vs. Dayton (in Phoenix)<br>Dec. 18 vs. Arizona State (in Phoenix)<br>Dec. 21 vs. Nevada (in San Francisco)</p>
<h1 id="itR4Ad"><strong>Three Things to Watch</strong></h1>
<p id="dRWZzm"><strong>The </strong><span><strong>Jordan Ford</strong></span><strong> show</strong></p>
<p id="Pg6WoQ">As a junior, Ford averaged 21.1 points and 36.9 minutes per game, both of which ranked second in the West Coast Conference. His usage skyrocketed compared to his sophomore year, taking and making roughly twice as many shots per game. As the team’s go to scorer, rather than fourth option, Ford excelled. He had to, especially early on as the young team around him developed.</p>
<p id="QquIp9">Now a senior, there’s a lot more around Ford. But his numbers or usage aren’t expected to drop too much. He’s the most fearless and lethal long range shooter in the East Bay, and you could’ve made a case he was last season too, even before Golden State moved across the Bay Bridge. A childhood chess champion, Ford is the latest in a long line of guards who thrive in Randy Bennett’s complex, ball-screen heavy offense. </p>
<p id="tc1hT0">Down the stretch last season, Bennett moved <span>Tommy Kuhse</span> to point guard, which allowed Ford to do damage off the ball. It worked, and the Gaels mounted a late season surge into the NCAA Tournament. With the blueprint laid by Kuhse, and the immediately eligible transfer Logan Johnson in the mix, expect to see Ford used to his full potential from the start of the season.</p>
<p id="z3ClcN"><strong>Perfection on offense</strong></p>
<p id="IinqUY">Two years ago our own Kyle Cajero <a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2017/8/31/16200220/saint-marys-gaels-film-offense-jock-landale-calvin-hermanson-emmett-naar-wcc">broke down the film</a> on the Gaels’ offense and likened it to a work of art. The pieces have changed but the game remains the same for Saint Mary’s. </p>
<p id="O7fO3d">Methodically slow, with an emphasis on ball-screens, swinging motion and extra passes, the Gaels have rated in the top-25 of adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom, eight times this decade. Last season they finished as the 23rd most efficient offense, despite owning the lowest assist rate in the country — two years prior they were eighth nationally in assist rate.</p>
<p id="vExfDf">That’s Randy Bennett at work. When his team is loaded, they share the ball and pick up assists at a ridiculous clip. When he’s working with Jordan Ford, and not much else, they find a way to get Ford the ball and let him go to work. This year, they’re loaded and have Jordan Ford. Don’t be surprised if this team is the most efficient offense in the country this season.</p>
<p id="HByymi"><strong>Development of the rotation guys</strong></p>
<p id="NcS3nl">Last year it was the Jordan Ford show with Malik Fitts as a solid supporting actor. The rest of the rotation was mostly role players. This was enough to get the team to the dance, but for them to take the expected step forward, the back half of the roster will need to step up. </p>
<p id="IsnlyJ">As a freshman last year, 6-foot-10 Estonian Matthias Tass (3.7 PPG and 3.1 RPG) blossomed into an effective rotation player around the start of conference play. New Zealander Dan Fotu showed flashes early on as a freshman before taking a back seat down the stretch. Junior Elijah Thomas opened the season as a starter before seeing his role diminish after about a month. </p>
<p id="dQSdNJ">This trio will be helped by the additions of Aaron Menzies, Kristers Zoriks and Logan Johnson, to be sure. But there is a decent amount of talent sitting on the bench for Randy Bennett already.</p>
<h1 id="qINEPa"><strong>X-Factor</strong></h1>
<p id="SXG9vb"><strong>Aaron Menzies’ size inside</strong></p>
<p id="7LTsYO">The Seattle U grad transfer was expected to be the anchor in the paint for Saint Mary’s last season, but an early hand injury kept him out for the entire season. Granted the second redishirt season of his career, the 7-foot-3, 265-pound center from England is back for a sixth and final collegiate season.</p>
<p id="htRqrb">As a junior for the Redhawks in 2018, Menzies averaged 11.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. He was a second-team all-WAC performer and earned all-defensive team honors. So, not only is he huge, but he’s also capable of being a strong contributor in the WCC.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/10/31/20932993/the-other-top-25-preseason-rankings-no-3-saint-marys-gaels-college-basketball-smc-jordan-ford-wccWill Maupin2019-10-16T08:17:00-07:002019-10-16T08:17:00-07:00The Other Top 25 preseason rankings: No. 14 BYU Cougars
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: Brigham Young at Gonzaga" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zwko3cV64C5kU6G3zrbzzJhCCEc=/0x0:2085x1390/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65479754/usa_today_12225538.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>James Snook-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Once again, there is a ton of talent in Provo.</p> <p id="Uew8j1"><strong>2018-19 Record: </strong>19-13 (11-5)<br><strong>Key Returners: </strong><span>Yoeli Childs</span> (F, Sr.), <span>Zac Seljaas</span> (G, Sr.), <span>Dalton Nixon</span> (F, Sr.), <span>TJ Haws</span> (G, Sr.)<br><strong>Key Losses:</strong> <span>Luke Worthington</span> and <span>McKay Cannon</span> (graduation), <span>Jahshire Hardnett</span> and <span>Colby Leifson</span> (transfer), <span>Nick Emery</span> (retirement), <span>Gavin Baxter</span> (season-ending injury).<br><strong>Key Newcomers:</strong> <span>Jake Toolson</span> (G, Sr. via Utah Valley), <span>Jesse Wade</span> (G, So. via Gonzaga)</p>
<p id="ypI2ky">It has been a tumultuous year in Provo. When Dave Rose said goodbye after 14 seasons this past spring, Cougar fans were hopeful that the program would turn a corner.</p>
<p id="oapq7t">But the NCAA had other ideas.</p>
<p id="iQeTOE">First, they suspended <span>Yoeli Childs</span> nine games for a draft-related paperwork snafu which he and the program self-reported. Then, the NCAA’s decision was upheld forcing BYU to vacate 47 wins over two seasons due to improper benefits received by the now-retired <span>Nick Emery</span>. Adding insult to injury, <span>Emery</span>, who would have been a senior this season, <a href="https://www.deseret.com/2019/9/7/20854259/now-deleted-tweet-from-nick-emerys-account-criticizes-byu-basketball-coaches">decided to smash the program on Twitter</a> — losing him is probably for the best, honestly.</p>
<p id="S6BsvX">Adding insult to injury isn’t just a phrase in this case. The Cougars have taken a beating. Senior guard <span>TJ Haws</span> underwent knee surgery and <span>Zac Seljaas</span> broke his foot during the team’s summer trip to Italy. Then, late last month, sophomore forward <span>Gavin Baxter</span> suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.</p>
<p id="FbdS7n">It’s not all bad, though. Haws and Seljaas are expected to be ready to go for the season opener. New head coach Mark Pope made the move back to BYU after unprecedented success at Utah Valley, and he brought former Cougar Jake Toolson, defending WAC Player of the Year, with him. </p>
<p id="9V6wVg">The roster is loaded with seniors, seven in all, who will be looking to cap off their career with a trip to the NCAA Tournament. BYU hasn’t made the dance since 2015 and the only player on the roster with NCAA experience in a BYU jersey is Jake Toolson, who played six minutes in a 2015 First Four loss to Mississippi. It’s do-or-die time for a group of guys who came to Provo as highly-touted prospects.</p>
<h3 id="19b5vx">Key Non-Conference Games</h3>
<p id="iqaL3D">The Cougars are one of the lucky mid-major programs that has little trouble putting together a solid schedule year after year. The Houston and San Diego State games are return trips from last season. Out on Maui, the Cougars will be part of a loaded field that includes preseason Final Four contenders in Kansas and Michigan State. And of course, as I <a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/10/3/20894212/the-state-of-utah-is-loaded-utes-byu-cougars-weber-state-wildcats-utah-state-aggies">explained in an article</a> on teams from the state of Utah, BYU will face a bunch of in-state rivals once again this year. </p>
<p id="NOHdzc">Nov. 9 vs. San Diego State<br>Nov. 15 at Houston<br>Nov. 20 at Boise State<br>Nov. 25-27: Maui Invitational (UCLA, Chaminade/Kansas, TBD)<br>Dec. 14 vs. Utah State (in Salt Lake City)</p>
<h3 id="leVU1L">Three Things to Watch</h3>
<h5 id="e9pxGk">A New Era</h5>
<p id="tiYcyt">Dave Rose is gone. The coach who brought us Jimmermania and a ton of run-and-gun teams is no longer in Provo. Under Rose, the Cougars ranked among the 50 fastest teams in the nation in 11 of his 14 seasons, per KenPom. They ranked in the top ten in six of those seasons. For years now, we’ve seen the <a href="https://www.vanquishthefoe.com/">BYU Cougars</a> play fast. </p>
<p id="F9nEPc">But what will happen under new head coach Mark Pope?</p>
<p id="GilI6b">Pope’s teams ranked in the top-15 nationally in pace in his first two years in Orem, but then outside of the top-100 in the next two years. And those two slower teams happened to be his most successful. Does he bring the speed to BYU?</p>
<h5 id="q3KcOF">The Early Season Jitters</h5>
<p id="j769PE">For BYU, the first half of the season is going to be brutal. <span>Yoeli Childs</span> is suspended. <span>Zac Seljaas</span> and <span>TJ Haws</span> are coming off of surgery. A wonderful core of players will be at less than 100%. This team is, when fully healthy, an NCAA Tournament team. But they’ll start the season as far less. Can they handle a tough first two months without digging a hole too deep to escape?</p>
<h5 id="dr2uHv">The New(ish) Guy</h5>
<p id="36IxoK">At this time last year, nobody would have guessed that the biggest factor entering the 2019-2020 season would be how Jake Toolson fit into the roster. Because he wasn’t on the roster. And neither was his coach. But now, here they both are. And he’s looking more and more important by the day.</p>
<p id="ynzuBi">Sure, adding the defending WAC Player of the Year would be big for any team. But BYU was a miserable shooting team last season and Toolson slots in as someone who can immediately remedy that. If things go well, and he does fit that role, this team might just survive the brutal early slate. Otherwise, they’ll be back on the bubble again.</p>
<h3 id="wwbdBs">X-Factor</h3>
<p id="TNAre5">If you want to make noise in this game you need a quality point guard. So, for the BYU Cougars, this year’s results fall squarely on the shoulders of senior point guard TJ Haws.</p>
<p id="2oEk20">The 24-year-old who has had Cougar blue running through his veins since before he was born is without a doubt the talisman for the 2019-20 team. Haws, son of Marty, a Cougar legend, and brother of Tyler, the team’s all-time leading scorer, has been walking in the footsteps of greats since he stepped on campus.</p>
<p id="VWI8S7">This year, like never before, he has an opportunity to take over and lead a squad. For better or for worse, this year will be what defines the youngest Haws’ career at BYU. He’s capable of leading this team deep into March, which is something that hasn’t happened in quite a while. </p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/10/16/20907260/the-other-top-25-preseason-rankings-no-14-byu-cougars-college-basketball-tj-hawsWill Maupin2019-10-03T07:47:00-07:002019-10-03T07:47:00-07:00The state of Utah is loaded with good teams
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: Utah at Brigham Young" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aJiY7b8ZxNB9aHUqSjD824B-w9Y=/0x0:2794x1863/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65383087/usa_today_10483325.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Elijah Bryant (3) celebrates as Tyler Rawson (21) is called for a foul in the 2017 edition of BYU versus Utah. | Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>College basketball is buzzing in the Beehive State.</p> <p id="Q6Y85X">When thinking about the hotbeds of college basketball a few regions tend to come to mind. The Northeast, home to streetball talent and Big East toughness. Indiana, thanks to that damn movie we’re all supposed to love. Kentucky, with its two perennial powers in the ‘Cats and the Cards. And of course Carolina’s Tobacco Road.</p>
<p id="sDiqd6">But what about the Beehive State? That’s Utah, in case you’re wondering.</p>
<p id="sDVxCP">And, yes, I’m serious.</p>
<p id="eucnHL">Despite having a population just over 3 million, the state is home to six Division I men’s basketball programs. A seventh, Dixie State, <a href="https://www.deseret.com/2019/1/11/20663124/dixie-state-to-move-up-to-division-i-join-western-athletic-conference-in-2020-21">will join the fray next year.</a> It’s a mid-major fan’s promised land, as all but one of those programs play outside of the sport’s power conferences. As for the one defector, the University of Utah, fans of a certain age will remember the days when Rick Majerus turned the Utes into a mid-major darling and national championship contender.</p>
<p id="A6hkr8">While Beehive State basketball teams haven’t quite been able to recreate the success of the late-’90s Utes in years since, they’ve done pretty darn well for themselves. Jimmermania spread from BYU to every corner of America. Dame Time arrived at Weber State long before the Trail Blazers brought it to the NBA. And now Utah State looks poised to take a step into the spotlight, as the Aggies find themselves ranked in every preseason top 25 I can find.</p>
<p id="Ec9OcA">Of course, having a nationally relevant team or player every few years is important. But what makes Utah’s college basketball environment so great is its sustained quality and depth, year over year.</p>
<p id="d3QVaB">Since 2000 the state has sent 33 teams to the NCAA Tournament. BYU’s gone 11 times, Utah State has nine, Utah eight, Weber State four and Southern Utah once.</p>
<p id="jCNhMZ">Utah Valley, the state’s lone member of the <a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/3/4/18249372/never-made-the-tournament-club-2019-conference-tournament-preview-the-ferris-wheel">Never Made the Tournament Club</a>, gets a pass since the team has had D1 conference affiliation for only ten years. Plus, they’ve become a good team lately, having just posted back-to-back 20+ win seasons.</p>
<p id="pdxFRZ">Conference realignment and stubborn power conference coaches have led to the shelving of countless regional rivalries over recent years. Along the Wasatch Front, however, <a href="https://www.deseret.com/2017/12/14/20624262/krystkowiak-not-sorry-he-paused-byu-utah-rivalry-but-civility-actually-might-prevail#utah-coach-larry-krystkowiak-gives-his-team-some-instruction-during-media-day-for-the-running-utes-at-the-university-of-utah-in-salt-lake-city-friday-sept-29-2017">not even a sucker punch</a> can derail these heated rivalries.</p>
<p id="QH7JOp">This season, the state’s six teams will take on in-state rivals ten times — eight of which come in non-conference play. Weber State, which faces off against Southern Utah twice in Big Sky play, will try to pull off a sweep of its in-state foes as the Wildcats’ schedule includes each of the state’s five other D1 programs.</p>
<p id="TmUo67">BYU is set to take on four of the five, with only Utah Valley missing from the schedule. And the Cougars kind of already took on the Wolverines in the off-season by poaching their head coach, Mark Pope, and bringing the former BYU assistant back to Provo.</p>
<p id="hw8u4X">The only team seemingly afraid of its Beehive State compatriots are the Utes, who have just two in-state games on the docket this season. (Power conference teams, folks. They’re the worst.)</p>
<p id="DwvGlQ">And this season, they might just be the worst team in the state because the state is loaded.</p>
<p id="fZL3LD">Utah State, as mentioned above, enters the season with a ton of hype. The Aggies, if individual preseason top-25s are any indication, should be comfortably in the preseason AP Poll. The reigning Mountain West champions are coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and bring back conference player of the year <span>Sam Merrill</span> and defensive player of the year <span>Neemias Queta</span>.</p>
<p id="A2Ajqk">Looking to improve upon last season, and perhaps break a painful, four year NCAA Tournament drought are the <a href="https://www.vanquishthefoe.com/">BYU Cougars</a>. After testing the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-draft">NBA Draft</a> waters, all-WCC forward <span>Yoeli Childs</span> is back for his final year in Provo — though he is <a href="https://kslsports.com/414611/national-analysts-slam-ncaas-suspension-of-byu-star-yoeli-childs/">suspended for the first nine games</a> of the season due to a paperwork snafu. And the departure of walking distraction <span>Nick Emery</span>, who retired from basketball in the off-season, should prove to be addition by subtraction.</p>
<p id="JzYC83">Weber State has another NBA prospect brewing in senior guard Jerrick Harding. The back-to-back all-conference first teamer is set to lead a Wildcats team that returns most of last year’s squad that went 18-15 — good for fourth in the Big Sky. Improvement is expected in Ogden.</p>
<p id="vvMDOC">Utah Valley will adjust to life after Mark Pope with new head man Mark Madsen at the helm in Orem. In his first college head coaching job, the two-time NBA champion looks to keep the Wolverines on the rise.</p>
<p id="pbjvSQ">Further south, another program looks to continue its rise. <a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/8/20/20813798/southern-utah-thunderbirds-big-sky-preview-cameron-oluyitan-todd-simon">Southern Utah</a>, which just five seasons ago rated <a href="https://kenpom.com/index.php?y=2014">as the worst team in the country per KenPom</a>, has improved in the win column for three-straight seasons under fourth-year man Todd Simon.</p>
<p id="Ue2Svb">The Beehive State is always abuzz around college basketball season. This year, with reason for excitement on every campus in the state, it’s time for the nation to turn its eyes to this oft-overlooked paradise of the sport.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/10/3/20894212/the-state-of-utah-is-loaded-utes-byu-cougars-weber-state-wildcats-utah-state-aggiesWill Maupin2019-03-30T18:01:13-07:002019-03-30T18:01:13-07:00Gonzaga falls short against Texas Tech, 75-69
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-West Regional-Gonzaga vs Texas Tech" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XgImaTdzvsz2RP9OGx54vxdDU2A=/0x0:3444x2296/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63326088/usa_today_12446648.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Red Raiders and their grinding defense just took the last bit of fun out of the basketball season.</p> <p id="xuYMdK">A wild ending, a missed call, and an untimely mental breakdown combined to end Gonzaga’s season with a 75-69 loss to Texas Tech in the Elite Eight.</p>
<p id="ixqqzR">Sure, it was a close game with 11 ties and 12 lead changes. But it was also abhorrently ugly because of Texas Tech’s style of play. Neither team shot the ball well. There were multiple extended stretches where both teams went scoreless for minutes at a time. </p>
<p id="ugUlfk">The Zags turned the ball over on 16 occasions but it could well have been 20 or more. Texas Tech had countless deflections that led to loose ball scrambles, which quite often ended up as easy buckets for the Zags.</p>
<p id="0wP0Oh">Complete and utter breakdowns that barely resembled basketball led to a good bit of the scoring in this one. Very cool.</p>
<p id="ML6Wp0">This is, of course, Texas Tech’s calling card. The Red Raiders own the nation’s best defense, per KenPom. Gonzaga, for what it’s worth, was on a per-possession basis actually better than Texas Tech over the 25 games prior to this one. So, the fault for this being an ugly game isn’t all on Texas Tech.</p>
<p id="JxC18v">Gonzaga found success inside early with <span>Rui Hachimura</span> (22 points) knocking down elbow jumpers and getting to the rim. <span>Brandon Clarke</span> (18 points, 12 rebounds) did his damage down low as well. As that was happening, <span>Norense Odiase</span> picked up two quick fouls. It looked like the Zags might make easy work of things.</p>
<p id="ioPIpU">But Texas Tech recovered and effectively kept the Zags away from the basket from that point forward. Only 26 of the Bulldogs’ 69 points came in the paint. When Gonzaga did manage to pass the ball into the teeth of the Red Raiders’ defense, it often resulted in a turnover. Clarke alone committed six, mostly while trying to make his signature spin move into the paint.</p>
<p id="F3STPT">So, the Zags were forced to shoot over the Red Raiders. 26 of the team’s 59 shots came from behind the arc, which is uncommon for a team like Gonzaga that really does not rely on the three ball. Of those 26 shots, only seven went in. And of the ones that missed, three missed everything.</p>
<p id="rnPIDZ">Neither team led by more than five at any point over the first 38-plus minutes of play. So it was an exciting and enthralling game. But even when teams were trading buckets and control of the lead, it never looked particularly pretty. Which, unfortunately for the basketball viewing public, is exactly what Texas Tech wanted. </p>
<p id="MsAbAv">Down the stretch, two bizarre plays spelled Gonzaga’s doom. First, with the Red Raiders up six, <span>Tariq Owens</span> blocked a Clarke three. <span>Owens</span> then attempted to save the ball but was clearly out of bounds. There was no whistle and eventually Texas Tech extended its lead to seven on a free throw.</p>
<p id="rkEeDB">Then, amid a furious Zags comeback, Zach Norvell made a layup to cut the deficit to two with 14 seconds left. <span>Josh Perkins</span> went to guard the inbounder but inadvertently reached over the baseline and committed a foul. The resulting call was a technical, which effectively ended the game.</p>
<div id="p7Okji">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">After his big shot, Josh Perkins picks up a critical technical to all but seal the game for Texas Tech <a href="https://t.co/zPszDcTf3u">pic.twitter.com/zPszDcTf3u</a></p>— SI College Hoops (@si_ncaabb) <a href="https://twitter.com/si_ncaabb/status/1112147874786230273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2019</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p id="36jgKM">The Red Raiders are off to the Final Four for the first time in program history and will face the winner of Michigan State and Duke.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/3/30/18288617/ncaa-tournament-game-recap-gonzaga-bulldogs-zags-texas-tech-red-raiders-elite-eightWill Maupin2019-03-28T18:42:24-07:002019-03-28T18:42:24-07:00Gonzaga defeats Florida State 72-58 in the Sweet 16
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-West Regional-Gonzaga vs Florida State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iBJYVktTdFn749GnUfkBcetb99U=/0x635:3281x2822/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63317735/usa_today_12432568.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Rui Hachimura draws a foul on 7-foot-4 center Christ Koumadje. | Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Gonzaga’s March continues after a tough, physical battle with the 4 seed Seminoles in Anaheim.</p> <p id="wsgPCO">It was a defense versus offense battle in the Sweet 16 and the offense came out on top... and looked like a solid defense, too.</p>
<p id="lnSyA7"><span>Rui Hachimura</span> led the way for Gonzaga with 17 points while <span>Brandon Clarke</span> added 15 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. Florida State’s length frustrated the Zags, who scored well below their season average and managed just 0.986 points per possession.</p>
<p id="tucaPA">But Gonzaga’s defense was even more stifling than the Seminoles’.</p>
<p id="lI7Df9">Florida State committed 14 turnovers on the night, nine of which came in the first half. The Seminoles shot 39.3 percent from the field and a measly 15 percent from three. Gonzaga, on the other hand, managed considerably better at 36.8 percent from long range.</p>
<p id="SqiuTp">The Seminoles’ athleticism and length frustrated Gonzaga, but it didn’t deter the Zags from doing what they always do. Despite looking undersized against the Seminoles, Gonzaga pounded the ball inside. The Zags actually relied on the three ball less in this game than they did over the course of the season.</p>
<p id="4SOA2R">Gonzaga caught a lucky break early on as 7-foot-4 center <span>Christ Koumadje</span> (8 points) picked up two quick fouls and went to the bench. The Seminoles have relied on their bench all season, but injuries and <a href="https://www.tomahawknation.com/2019/3/25/18281780/fsu-will-remain-without-phil-cofer-gonzaga-game-ncaa-tournament-florida-state-basketball-seminoles">tragedy</a> have shortened the rotation.</p>
<p id="CLpF8i">Without <span>Koumadje</span>’s rim protection for most of the first half, the Zags were able to get into the paint. <span>Josh Perkins</span> alone scored six of his 10 in the first in the lane.</p>
<p id="o2RRFG">Coming out of halftime, Koumadje quickly picked up two more fouls. But, unlike in the first half, Florida State didn’t wilt. The Seminoles pulled even closer. Gonzaga led by as many as 14 points and 11 at the break.</p>
<p id="HOCheV"><span>Trent Forrest</span> (20 points) put Florida State on his back in the second half, when he scored 15 of his points, and the Seminoles repeatedly cut the Zags lead to three possessions. But it seemed they could never pull closer than seven points.</p>
<p id="qjA4EC">Then, <span>Zach Norvell Jr.</span> (14 points) picked up his fourth foul with 9:08 to play and the Zags began to look rattled. With 4:11 to play, the Seminoles really broke through as <span>Forrest</span> hit a free throw to pull his team within four. Gonzaga, on the other hand, was missing the front end of one-and-ones.</p>
<p id="MGtW3Z">The Seminoles put together an 11-3 run to make it a game.</p>
<p id="0Afv32">Just as Florida State looked ready to take hold of the momentum, the Seminoles went ice cold. The Zags answered Florida State’s run with a 12-2 run of their own to close the game.</p>
<p id="Vygk1e">Gonzaga showed composure and poise down the stretch like the veteran team it is. The Zags advance to the Elite Eight for the fourth time in program history and third time this decade, and will face the winner of No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 2 Michigan.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/3/28/18286230/ncaa-tournament-game-recap-gonzaga-bulldogs-defeat-florida-state-seminoles-sweet-sixteen-ruiWill Maupin2019-03-28T07:19:00-07:002019-03-28T07:19:00-07:00Five Straight: Looking back at Gonzaga’s run of consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearances
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-West Regional Practice" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/57QsaGf3WRBHMIwv0wDsy-xUPzU=/0x0:5568x3712/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63313007/usa_today_12423578.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Gonzaga head coach Mark Few and point guard Josh Perkins (left) are in the Sweet Sixteen for the fifth straight season. | Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Zags have done something few others have managed in a 64-team field</p> <p id="GYn4ld">Gonzaga is playing in the Sweet Sixteen for the fifth straight season, which is something no other team can say right now. It’s also something very few have ever been able to say before.</p>
<p id="RmAADW">Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, there have been only sixteen instances in which a team has advanced to the round of 16 in four or more consecutive seasons. Four straight seems to be the point at which teams drop off; it’s hard to sustain success at that level. Perhaps a magnificent class graduates and a rebuilding year follows. Or maybe the madness of March consumes a team earlier than it should. Regardless, over the years since the field expanded to 64 teams we have seen quality programs hit the four-straight mark but fail to advance past it over and over again.</p>
<p id="Dzu4ZA">Ten times, to be specific.</p>
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<p id="ywjMOv">But a few programs have managed to break through the four-year ceiling and extend their runs to five or more. Until this year, only three had done it: Duke, North Carolina and Kansas.</p>
<p id="DQM5ZD">Gonzaga is now among those elites.</p>
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<p id="ThRlwe">So, how did the Zags get here? Let’s break it down year-by-year.</p>
<h1 id="y5F7tQ">2015</h1>
<p id="C1HQg2">Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr. burst onto the scene as freshmen and developed over their four year careers into, without a doubt, the best Gonzaga backcourt duo of all time.</p>
<p id="FF1w1n">As freshmen they jumped into a Gonzaga machine that was well-oiled, but not yet performing at the level of the nation’s elites. Their sophomore season saw the Zags earn the first No. 1 ranking and No. 1 seed in program history, and then lose to Wichita State in the round of 32 — though Gary Bell Jr., the team’s lock-down perimeter defender, breaking his foot in that game might just have had something to do with the Shockers getting uncharacteristically hot from behind the arc in that one. Their junior year saw the Zags struggle to a 29-win record and get bounced in the second round by top-seeded Arizona.</p>
<p id="dqgFFl">But everything came together in their senior season.</p>
<p id="MYXvfq"><span>Kyle Wiltjer</span> joined the team, as did USC grad transfer Byron Wesley. <span>Przemek Karnowski</span> had developed into a well-polished center as a junior with future NBA lottery pick <span>Domantas Sabonis</span> as his back-up. </p>
<p id="7VcOBA">The Zags opened the season ranked No. 13 in the AP Poll and climbed as high as No. 2 by February. They lost just twice in the regular season, to Arizona and BYU, and earned a two seed in the NCAA Tournament.</p>
<p id="oAmk3s">During the first weekend the Zags dispatched <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/teams/north-dakota-fighting-sioux">North Dakota</a> State and Iowa in Seattle before heading to Houston for the Sweet Sixteen. Gonzaga took down UCLA in Houston to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in Mark Few’s career, and just the second time in program history, before falling to eventual national champion Duke, 66-52.</p>
<h1 id="6HAviK">2016</h1>
<p id="O8CS4P">This wasn’t supposed to be a rebuilding year, even though Pangos and Bell had been lost to graduation, but it sort of felt like one.</p>
<p id="ZX8ZhQ">With Karnowski, Wiltjer and Sabonis, the Zags boasted the nation’s best frontcourt and entered the year ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll. But Karnowski suffered a season-ending back injury just five games into the year and Gonzaga struggled to recover.</p>
<p id="Zp3lKI">Redshirt freshman <span>Josh Perkins</span> led a backcourt alongside seniors <span>Eric McClellan</span> and <span>Kyle Dranginis</span> that lacked the starpower Gonzaga fans had grown accustomed to — even though McClellan was named WCC Defensive Player of the Year. That group took a ton of flack as the Zags failed to put together a solid at-large resume.</p>
<p id="cmMQpr">But, as the season wore on the team figured itself out. Wiltjer and Sabonis may not have formed the nation’s best front court, but they combined to be as lethal of a down-low duo as there was in the country. The Zags split the regular-season WCC title with Saint Mary’s, but then beat both BYU and the Gaels in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wcc-basketball-tournament">WCC Tournament</a> to clinch an 18th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.</p>
<p id="SMxTyS">From there, as an 11-seed, the Zags were sent to Denver.</p>
<p id="5Ex2JU">They took down Seton Hall and Utah before falling victim to the Syracuse zone in a Sweet Sixteen matchup in Chicago.</p>
<h1 id="OoPdWm">2017</h1>
<p id="ChGPSQ">This is the season that shouldn’t need a recap.</p>
<p id="G2MYdL">Gonzaga opened the year ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll and did nothing but climb, and win, until the end of February. The Zags opened the season with 29-straight victories.</p>
<p id="uGO2Ke">It was a magnificent coaching job that earned Mark Few National Coach of the Year honors. It was magnificent not just because of the win total, but because of the group he did it with.</p>
<p id="BQd96P">In the rotation were veterans in fifth-year senior center Przemek Karnowski — who would become the NCAA’s all-time winningest player that season — along with guards <span>Josh Perkins</span> and <span>Silas Melson</span>.</p>
<p id="4mB2lK">Beyond those three, it was nothing but new faces.</p>
<p id="XD3QyU">Three starters were transfers who had never played at Gonzaga before: point guard <span>Nigel Williams-Goss</span> (from Washington), shooting guard <span>Jordan Mathews</span> (from Cal) and power forward <span>Johnathan Williams</span> (from Missouri). Aside from Melson, the reserves were all new, too.</p>
<p id="Zp6YQV"><span>Zach Collins</span> and <span>Killian Tillie</span> were the freshmen who made the biggest splash. But freshman <span>Rui Hachimura</span> and <span>Jeremy Jones</span>, a transfer from Rice in his first eligible season in Spokane, saw minutes as well.</p>
<p id="TuQFJQ">Gonzaga lost on senior night to BYU, which put an end to an otherwise-perfect regular season. But the Zags bounced back and dominated the WCC Tournament en route to landing a one-seed for the second time in program history. </p>
<p id="GC0OwK">In Denver, the Zags took care of business against South Dakota State and Northwestern, leaving a whining child in their wake.</p>
<div id="DpA7S8"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yQWJRaQscts?rel=0" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="XsL0dg">A tough test against Bob Huggins’ Press Virginia team came next in the Sweet Sixteen and Jordan Mathews’ stank face saved the day.</p>
<div id="lyu92Q"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nHRdqE5j3EY?rel=0" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="7xQO9z">From there the Zags demolished Xavier to make the first Final Four in program history. Once in Phoenix, the Zags took down a Cinderella South Carolina team to play for the national championship. North Carolina came out on top, but the Zags showed well and established themselves as a legitimate power in the sport.</p>
<h1 id="NkpC5e">2018</h1>
<p id="shJgFc">You’ve maybe noticed a trend here, that Gonzaga doesn’t have rebuilding years. But if ever there was to be one, the post-Final Four run season was it.</p>
<p id="nw9Dsj">The Zags lost Karnowski and Mathews to graduation, Collins to the NBA Draft and <span>Williams-Goss</span> to an early exit. They’d have to rely on the returning players, all of whom were good, mind you, to step into bigger roles. But they’d also have to deal with higher expectations. This team had just made the National Championship, after all.</p>
<p id="0zsDP5">Gonzaga opened the season ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll, climbed as high as No. 12 and then dropped to No. 20 before climbing even higher to No. 8 entering the NCAA Tournament. The Zags earned a four-seed thanks to a 30-4 record and began the NCAA Tournament close to home in Boise, Idaho.</p>
<p id="NwcEZc">UNC-Greensboro, <a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2018/3/13/17111912/ncaa-tournament-unc-greensboro-spartans-uncg-zags-gonzaga-bulldogs-kyle-bankhead-basketball">with former Zag Kyle Bankhead as an assistant</a>, proved a tough out in the first round. But Zach Norvell’s late heroics pushed the Zags into the second round for the tenth straight season. Norvell stepped up again in the Round of 32, along with Rui Hachimura, as the Zags downed Ohio State to make it to the second weekend for the fourth straight season.</p>
<p id="6CSj19">Luck would run out against Florida State though, as Killian Tillie would be a late scratch after suffering an injury in warmups.</p>
<h1 id="2whleJ">2019</h1>
<p id="xpckfp">Speaking of Florida State, the Zags find themselves in a similar position this season.</p>
<p id="0N7itn">Top-seeded Gonzaga faces a fourth-seeded Seminoles team in the Sweet Sixteen this time around. Florida State is as athletic as deep as before, but Gonzaga is even better. The Zags lost Silas Melson and Johnathan Williams from last year’s team, but added players who are just as good if not better in <span>Geno Crandall</span> and <span>Brandon Clarke</span>.</p>
<p id="3rZ3lF">Plus, Tillie’s set to play in this one, knock on wood.</p>
<p id="VjOy6s">Regardless of what happens tonight in Anaheim, this program has done something very few have done before. And that’s something that can’t ever be taken away from the <a href="https://www.slipperstillfits.com/">Gonzaga Bulldogs</a>.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/3/28/18284982/gonzaga-bulldogs-sweet-sixteen-apperances-five-straightWill Maupin2019-03-21T18:46:27-07:002019-03-21T18:46:27-07:00NCAA Tournament Recap: Gonzaga blows past Fairleigh Dickinson 87-49
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-Farleigh Dickinson vs Gonzaga" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/40aKg8D5VOyTXbEx5FKdz3_4cqM=/0x98:2340x1658/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63279536/usa_today_12392130.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Zags looked the part of a 1-seed on Thursday in Salt Lake.</p> <p id="BonEQW">This is what a 1-versus-16 matchup is supposed to look like.</p>
<p id="1CjqXl">Gonzaga was absolutely dominant in every facet of the game against Fairleigh Dickinson and rolled to an easy win. Five Zags scored in double-figures, led by <span>Rui Hachimura</span> (21 points). It was a bounce-back game for Gonzaga, which entered the NCAA Tournament coming off a loss to Saint Mary’s.</p>
<p id="9zIesK"><span>Elyjah Williams</span> and <span>Mike Holloway Jr.</span> led the way for the Knights with 10 points a piece.</p>
<p id="nmg7Rm">The Zags returned to their high-scoring ways in Thursday’s game. Their defense stepped up too. In the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/wcc-basketball-tournament">WCC Tournament</a> final, the Zags scored just 47 points; in the Round of 64, they gave up just 49 points.</p>
<p id="BAy2gI">From the very start it was clear that this would be a very lopsided match-up. Seven minutes into the game Gonzaga owned a plus-seven mark on the glass. Moments later, halfway through the first, Fairleigh Dickinson had committed more fouls (seven) than it had scored points (six).</p>
<p id="OYWWAH">Over the final 4:19 of the half the Zags went on a 19-0 run. Over the 20 minutes of the first half, the Knights scored just 17 points.</p>
<p id="Bp4WZC">It was more of the same in the second half. Gonzaga led by as many as 42 points. At one point late in the game the Knights had 34 points, one fewer than the number of rebounds Gonzaga had at that time.</p>
<p id="j3iDTX">With five-and-a-half to play in the game the Zags emptied their bench, getting rarely used players like <span>Joel Ayayi</span> and Greg Foster, and walk on <span>Jack Beach</span>, some quality NCAA Tournament minutes. </p>
<p id="un123t">With the win Thursday, the Zags are back in the Round of 32 for the 11th consecutive season. Gonzaga will face the winner of No. 8 Syracuse versus No. 9 Baylor on Saturday.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/3/21/18276545/ncaa-tournament-recap-gonzaga-bulldogs-fairleigh-dickinson-knights-zags-rui-hachimuraWill Maupin