3/9 Games
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Leaving Kispert open from the top of the key is... An interesting defensive strategy.
Gonzaga lacks defensively I definetly think baylor is a tougher matchup for us
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
Are the Zags completely unable to stop dribble penetration? Curbelo is going to dice them up.
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
I'm telling you, a solid shooting night and we score 100+!
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
Baylor actually plays defense, and in the second best conference in the country, not against the Monterey Mollusks, or Malibu Ken Dolls.
Guys.. watching this BYU PG run all over the Zagas, then it hit me.. we have one of those guards who is going to get us far in the tournament. AYO.. but then I remember we have Andre... He is the difference maker.... Then I remember.. we have KOFI.. our 2nd All-American on our team. Then I remember we have Trent.. Then Adam.. Then Jacob.. Then Georgi...
Then it hit me... we have been shafted over and over again... WE HAVE A BIG CHIP ON OUR SHOULDERS...
The "Big Boys" don't seem to want Illinois Basketball back like it is. We have finally awoken this giant and I believe everything is in place to keep it going. Ayo said it perfectly in his interview with Robbie's podcast, "This is just the foundation. I want to be remembered as the foundation."
Smile everyone.. The perfect storm is brewing... I don't think there is anyone that can stop us but our selves. If you would be a perfect NCAA built team.. that is us...
We are stacked! We are going to be a problem for whomever we face in the NCAAs..
Then it hit me... we have been shafted over and over again... WE HAVE A BIG CHIP ON OUR SHOULDERS...
The "Big Boys" don't seem to want Illinois Basketball back like it is. We have finally awoken this giant and I believe everything is in place to keep it going. Ayo said it perfectly in his interview with Robbie's podcast, "This is just the foundation. I want to be remembered as the foundation."
Smile everyone.. The perfect storm is brewing... I don't think there is anyone that can stop us but our selves. If you would be a perfect NCAA built team.. that is us...
We are stacked! We are going to be a problem for whomever we face in the NCAAs..
Watched the second half. BYU is a terrible team. Awful spacing, bad ball movement, can't shoot, bigs missing layups left and right, oh, and the team plays no perimeter defense. If this is the second best team in the WCC then that conference is really a joke. What's more annoying is ESPN's constant wankfest over Gonzaga for winning that Mickey Mouse tournament.
Deleted member 11228
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Yeah I'm watching SVP and he said Gonzaga is a brand name? Huh. They are not a brand name. Not even close.
Anyway I feel like after the first game in the tournament which will be a easy win whoever they get in that 8/9 game and if they survive that going forward they will be in a battle. Teams are going to really be amped to play them and beat them.
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
Yep. The first team they come up against that can lock down on defense is going to beat them. I'll have to wait to see their draw, but I doubt if I have them past the Sweet 16 in any serious brackets I do.
They are a brand name.. The Zags been doing this for a while
It's weird to say about the #1 undefeated team in the country, but I consider them the third strongest of the #1 seeds going into the tournament. With Michigan losing Eli Brooks for an undetermined amount of time, I think they're the fourth.
The key to Gonzaga is D. Can they score against tough D? Can they play enough D to slow a team down? They’ve got some pretty elite offensive players who are match up problems. Suggs is a difference maker. I think with Kofi, the Illini matchup very well. I think Baylor is the better team, but Gonzaga is by no means an easy out.
Deleted member 11228
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Doing what? Underperforming in the tournament. Since 1999 they've failed to reach the second weekend of the tournament 11 times, 7 of those times they were the higher seed. They are not a brand. Brand names are Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio St in college football, Kentucky, Duke in college basketball, the Yankees in baseball, the Cowboys/Steelers in the NFL, the Lakers/Celtics in basketball. Teams that are known nationally and in some cases globally. Most people don't even know where Gonzaga is located and don't know how to pronounce their names. They have no championships, no great players that have come thru their program. They are just Gonzaga a team people see in their brackets every March. That's it.
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I feel like Gonzaga success is promoted to serve an agenda and argue that there can be competitive balance across conferences. “See Gonzaga can do it, and we all love Gonzaga. Just be like Gonzaga. No need to change anything structurally in the NCAA, or distribution of TV money to address your issues of fairness”
It’s surprising they haven’t had the off nights other teams including the Illini have had.
Also interesting that they’ve only played 7 road games all year. They have a bunch a neutral site games. What’s the deal with that?
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
It's a shame the Baylor-Gonzaga game never happened. I think Baylor would have won that matchup.
Gonzaga is a small school (around 5k undergraduates) and plays in the WCC. If they aren't a "brand name" how are they recruiting top talent. Of course they're a brand name. I think the list of brand names is longer than you think. Sure, if Duke and Kentucky are Coca Cola and Pepsi, then Gonzaga may be Dr. Pepper, but it's not like they're Tab or something.
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
Yeah, Gonzaga has definitely built something over in Spokane over the past 15+ years. It's impressive. Few will go down as one of the all time great coaches.
Deleted member 11228
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I don't see people walking around wearing Gonzaga gear in various parts of the country. That would be the first step to being a brand name. When I go down south I see people wearing Notre Dame, The Yankees, Ohio St. Up north Bama, Duke, Kentucky. I have never seen anyone wear Gonzaga apparel. A brand name requires a strong fan base everywhere. That has not been demonstrated by Gonzaga like those other teams, not even close.. Add to that there is this thing called championships in this case national championships which currently they have none.
Also top recruits??? Who? Where? The top recruits are at Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Arizona. Gonzaga ain't getting those top recruits. They are not a brand name that is constantly on people's minds. They are a school that gets attention if they are playing well in March. That's it and that's all they are.
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I think it's amazing what Gonzaga has done in basketball. I'm old enough to remember when they were just a fun high seed pick along with Butler.
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
I actually do see quite a few people wearing Gonzaga gear here in Denver, and it's a good 18 to 20 hour drive from Spokane. I literally saw a dude two days ago at my gym wearing a Gonzaga t-shirt. Impressive for being a small school in a rather isolated part of the country.
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