Baylor 86, Gonzaga 70

#126      
After that Baylor Illinois game early in the year i was convinced Baylor was the best team in the country, only question was if they could get back from covid.
 
#127      
Lastly, I think this will be a fast-paced, entertaining game. One where we will find out really if "defense wins championships".
I think we got our answer. The Baylor defense won the game IMO.

I thought Gonzaga was going to come back when both Baylor bigs got into foul trouble for standing near the basket with their hands straight up. I didn't realize Baylor had a third big.
 
#128      

sacraig

The desert
I give this game 1 out of 5 beach houses because we were not playing in it but Baylor beat us by fewer points than they just won the National Championship. Therefore, we would have won this game by 3 points, obviously.

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#131      
I think we got our answer. The Baylor defense won the game IMO.

I thought Gonzaga was going to come back when both Baylor bigs got into foul trouble for standing near the basket with their hands straight up. I didn't realize Baylor had a third big.

BAYLOR won key stats:

-16 vs 5 off boards
-67 vs 49 overall shot attempts
-10 vs 5 3Ps Made
- 9 vs 14 Turnovers
 
#137      
They didn't have anywhere close to the athletes that Baylor had. Baylor dominated both boards and got pretty much any shot they wanted.

Baylor has quite a few contributors from Louisiana in addition to their Texas kids. Athletes are in absolute abundance down here. Really doesn’t make sense sometimes. It’s just that the best ones usually play football, and it’s still a systemic push toward that.

I would assume coming off a championship they would be able reload, and I wonder if a Texas team winning a natty pushes more Texas kids to basketball.
 
#138      
Amazing how the media spins this loss for Gonzaga. Everything is positive and they are so wonderful. I agree they are good, really good. However, they didnt have to play a team that was higher than a 5 all the way to the title. (16, 8, 5, 6, 11 - average of a 9 seed) They play Baylor and its obvious they can lose. Maybe they keep getting high seeds in the tourney and play lesser seeds, but I doubt they will ever get that type of setup all the way to the championship. And they almost lost to the 11 in the final four.
 
#139      
Amazing how the media spins this loss for Gonzaga. Everything is positive and they are so wonderful. I agree they are good, really good. However, they didnt have to play a team that was higher than a 5 all the way to the title. (16, 8, 5, 6, 11 - average of a 9 seed) They play Baylor and its obvious they can lose. Maybe they keep getting high seeds in the tourney and play lesser seeds, but I doubt they will ever get that type of setup all the way to the championship. And they almost lost to the 11 in the final four.
I agree in a sense, but you also can't fault them for playing who was in front of them. They demolished teams they should've demolished. It's clear that writing off UCLA as an 11-seed is disingenuous -- they beat some really good teams to get there and there is a reason they're ESPN's preseason #2 (they only have the #30 recruiting class too). Of course the media is going to play up the first undefeated team reaching the title game in such a long time, but Gonzaga was all-time-level on offense (it was the defense that always concerned me). Taking that away from them retroactively does a disservice to an extremely talented Baylor squad. They managed to take down a historically great team b/c they're also a historically great team. I think we'll look back on this game in 15 years and see a lot of faces that had long and successful NBA careers.
 
#140      
I agree in a sense, but you also can't fault them for playing who was in front of them. They demolished teams they should've demolished. It's clear that writing off UCLA as an 11-seed is disingenuous -- they beat some really good teams to get there and there is a reason they're ESPN's preseason #2 (they only have the #30 recruiting class too). Of course the media is going to play up the first undefeated team reaching the title game in such a long time, but Gonzaga was all-time-level on offense (it was the defense that always concerned me). Taking that away from them retroactively does a disservice to an extremely talented Baylor squad. They managed to take down a historically great team b/c they're also a historically great team. I think we'll look back on this game in 15 years and see a lot of faces that had long and successful NBA careers.
Agree and maybe still bitter from 2005 and that loss erasing such an incredible team. Gonzaga beat who they beat, yes. Would just love in some parallel world having them play a Big10, Big12, ACC, even Pac12 schedule just to see what happens
 
#141      
Agree and maybe still bitter from 2005 and that loss erasing such an incredible team. Gonzaga beat who they beat, yes. Would just love in some parallel world having them play a Big10, Big12, ACC, even Pac12 schedule just to see what happens
I hope, for their sake, they can move to the Pac12 sometime soon. They need to already given where they're at relative to the WCC, plus it will remove a lot of the discussion about how good they really are leading into March. We'll find out one way or another if/once they can make that move.

Also, agree with you re: our '05 team. If it weren't for that OSU buzzer beater, I think they'd be talked about a whole lot more, like UNLV.
 
#142      
Baylor has quite a few contributors from Louisiana in addition to their Texas kids. Athletes are in absolute abundance down here. Really doesn’t make sense sometimes. It’s just that the best ones usually play football, and it’s still a systemic push toward that.

I would assume coming off a championship they would be able reload, and I wonder if a Texas team winning a natty pushes more Texas kids to basketball.
NO, a 1000 times NO. Katy Tx spent almost 70 million on their high school football complex which does service 8 high schools and is used for soccer and has an athletic training center, but still 70 million. When you are driving into into Dallas on the interstate you will drive by a football stadium that seats 12,000 and has suites. It a HS complex. The tail will NEVER wag the dog in Texas.
 
#143      
I hope, for their sake, they can move to the Pac12 sometime soon. They need to already given where they're at relative to the WCC, plus it will remove a lot of the discussion about how good they really are leading into March. We'll find out one way or another if/once they can make that move.

Also, agree with you re: our '05 team. If it weren't for that OSU buzzer beater, I think they'd be talked about a whole lot more, like UNLV.
Exactly. Also it really is at the point where everyone else in the WCC barely has a chance. Maybe that is credit to Gonzaga for how good they are, but those other schools are also rans every year. If Gonzaga can dominate the Pac12 like they do the WCC then good for them. Doubtful though
 
#144      
I hope, for their sake, they can move to the Pac12 sometime soon. They need to already given where they're at relative to the WCC, plus it will remove a lot of the discussion about how good they really are leading into March. We'll find out one way or another if/once they can make that move.

Also, agree with you re: our '05 team. If it weren't for that OSU buzzer beater, I think they'd be talked about a whole lot more, like UNLV.
Fair point but not sure they can move to the PAC12 with no football team. Football is still generates exponentially more revenue that bball.

And I’m not a huge fan of conference jumping based on current program status. This stuff is all cyclical. And there’s nothing to say that Gonzaga post-few will have this kind of success. Whose to say that St Mary’s can’t overtake the Zags in 10 years?
 
#145      
Agree and maybe still bitter from 2005 and that loss erasing such an incredible team. Gonzaga beat who they beat, yes. Would just love in some parallel world having them play a Big10, Big12, ACC, even Pac12 schedule just to see what happens
I’d love to see them in the B1G, but not to see if they could go undefeated in b-ball. Presumably they’d be in west, and I’m sure our football team would beat “theirs.”
 
#146      

KBLEE

Montgomery, IL
So I believe Drew is on top of coach’s’ lists both of least liked and also most likely to be cheating.

which begs the question...do coaches dislike drew because he cheats Or because he’s a jerk?

Yes.
 
#147      
Fair point but not sure they can move to the PAC12 with no football team. Football is still generates exponentially more revenue that bball.

And I’m not a huge fan of conference jumping based on current program status. This stuff is all cyclical. And there’s nothing to say that Gonzaga post-few will have this kind of success. Whose to say that St Mary’s can’t overtake the Zags in 10 years?
There's a big difference between reacting after 5 years and reacting after 20. That's, at minimum, 1/3 of what most would categorize as modern college basketball (I'd say closer to 1/2). Based on the evidence, there's little to suggest that St. Mary's will overtake the Zags -- they become a rising program under Monson, so you can't solely point to Few as their raison d'etre. So, with that in mind, why should Gonzaga not be afforded the advantages of affiliation with a larger conference just b/c of where they stood when most conferences were formed many, many years ago? Seems to be the antithesis of a meritocracy, no?
 
#148      

dgcrow

Kelso, WA
I hope, for their sake, they can move to the Pac12 sometime soon. They need to already given where they're at relative to the WCC, plus it will remove a lot of the discussion about how good they really are leading into March. We'll find out one way or another if/once they can make that move.

Also, agree with you re: our '05 team. If it weren't for that OSU buzzer beater, I think they'd be talked about a whole lot more, like UNLV.
The PAC 12 will never take Gonzaga, primarily because the school doesn't play football. The WCC is the best non-football conference for basketball that makes geographic sense for Gonzaga. Short of going independent, which doesn't seem workable, the school is pretty well stuck in the WCC. It can only be hoped that other schools in the conference can begin to give the Bulldogs some real competition.
 
#149      
Every year like clockwork Gonzaga fails to live up to their record. Happened a little later this year.

like Indiana State with Larry Bird, Gonzaga with Timme was undefeated but coming off a close win in the previous game (76-74 over then still power DePaul).

Mark Few will always walk on water in Spokane. Whether he wants to challenge himself at a P-6 school remains to be seen.
 
#150      
Coach NICK IRVIN WOULD HAVE WON BY 30 today!!!! NO ADJUSTMENTS!!!!

😝
This came off of the MIF twitter account after the Loyola loss. There are other less than flattering tweets. If this was posted by Mike, it is not funny at all. Mike was also involved in the Miller deal on an "intimate" basis and that was not funny either.