A brief history of the Gaels/Zags rivalry; plus a breakdown of St. Mary's v. Gonzaga game from Moraga last night.
Do you know that we play basketball on the West Coast? Yes, there are actual college basketball teams that play out here. And I'm not talking about an intramural league here, but real life Division One basketball squads reside out here. It's a true story. The teams have uniforms and everything. Another little tidbit- The WCC has the best basketball rivalry going behind North Carolina and Duke. Fact.
With the Pac-12 having solid, albeit very forgettable teams in the only major conference out here, it leaves the west coast with an upstart UNLV squad, at number 12 in the polls, followed by San Diego St. and Gonzaga as the lone West Coast representatives that are ranked. The Aztecs and Rebels hook up in a showdown Saturday, in a game nobody is talking about, in what should prove to be a great game. For all the talent and high seeding that game comes with it is not a rivalry game. No, the best bang for your buck rivalry game that has been going on for the last four years hapens in small, sleepy gyms that you need google maps just to find. But everyone back East, which in sports talk is the entire nation, will dismiss the West Coast and this game, entirely. So when the Duke/Virginia game ends then most people will not turnover to ESPN2 to watch basketballs 2nd and most intriguing rivalry between St. Mary's and Gonzaga.
Now, everyone knows about Gonzaga and their program. But, St. Mary's is a sneaky (see the word-dangerous) team that if they get into the NCAA tournament. If St. Mary's makes the tourney this season they will play the role of the classic high seeded team nobody knows about, who will match up against a big time conference power that struggled during the season or down the stretch, but that everyone will pick because they are a big time program. I would watch out for that pick though because this St. Mary's team has that look, especially at guard, to catch fire from behind the arc and shake up the brackets to a sweet 16 trip.
I digress, though.
When I think of the St. Mary's/Gonzaga rivalry I always think to the philosophical question- If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it does it really make a sound? I apply that to this west coast rivalry that only people from each school and NCAA committee members, though I have my doubts they watch, take notice of. In the last few years St. Mary's has taken to not only chipping away at Gonzaga's stranglehold on the WCC title, but have taken brawny man type axe chops to bring down there foes from Spokane. In the last few years Gonzaga and St. Mary's have engaged in some great games, punctuated byeach winning on the other teams home court last season, with a mutual hatred for one another brewing.
This wasn't always the case as I spent one very hazy freshman year at Gonzaga back in 2000. At that time, the Zags were at the peak of their WCC dominance and perennial NCAA darling. St. Mary's was a fledgling program that had high hopes that one season and were suppose to challenge for the title and a NCAA bid. However, when the Zags visited Moraga in an early January game it was quickly shown that Gonzaga was light years ahead of St. Mary's. The Zags were up by 30 in the first half as I led the boo birds against St. Mary's. That's right, I booed my home school for their terrible play. My friends and I quickly left to make our freshman year a little more hazy.
Gonzaga is the team you all know about. The small school from Spokane came onto the scene with an improbable run in in 1999, capped off by an elite eight run. Ever since then the school has been to the tournament every year and has won the WCC title every year. They were not only the class of the WCC, but of the mid-majors. No major program was willing to play Gonzaga for fear of what they perceived as an upset, but in reality Gonzaga was a force to be reckoned with. The upper northwest talent came and was harnessed in Spokane. Mix tht talent with some international flavor and Gonzaga provided a blueprint for sustained levels of success as a small college team. There was no looking back into their rearview mirror with the death grip they had on the WCC. Yes, life is good for the Zags.
That is until now.
With the hiring of coach Randy Bennet and an influx of Australian imports, along with home grown talent the doormats of the WCC finally stepped up to the plate to challenge the power that be in the WCC. St. Mary's, slowly, started changing into a team that was going to challenge Gonzaga's reign. The rivalry was slow, but steady as St. Mary's goal was to enter into the pantheon of small school with sustained talent that Gonzaga continues to enjoy. The Gaels slowly chipped away by taking a page out of Gonzaga's playbook. St. Mary's will never compete with Kentucky or UNC for recruits so they have to get creative. That creativeness led them to an unusual place- Australia. Now I think Crocodile Dundee and kangaroos when I think of Australia, not basketball players. However, the Australian pipeline netted Bennett and the Gaels superb talent that changed he program. A list of players that include Patty Mills, all-time leading scorer Daniel Kickert, and current guard Matthew Delavadova.The Aussies were a huge get for the Gaels that started and has sustained the momentum of a one fledgling program; one that has seen them move from the bottom of the standings to a place next to Gonzaga as they fight for WCC power.
All of this building and program/culture change culminated in a shared league championship last season with... you guessed it- their rivals from Spokane. That league title was still not enough to get St. Mary's into the big dance; a show of little respect for the WCC conference, program growth, or West Coast hoops. A clear slap in the face to a program that has built itself up with the likes of Gonzaga, its WCC foe, in creating a program of success. All this has done is fuel the rivalry between the two. Much like the Lakers and the Clippers, St. Mary's and Gonzaga have that same type of feeling where one program (St. Mary's) yearns to be in the same class in terms of success, tournament invites, and conference success; however, the other program (Gonzaga) is the big brother that dismisses their little brother at every turn, wanting nothing more than to keep St. Mary's on a lower tier. Resentment, hatred, and jealousy between two great programs.
Now that is the ingredients for a great rivalry.
So we fast forward to last night as Gonzaga, winner of 3 in a row in Moraga, comes in red hot having won their last eight in a row, with their only losses coming to Illinois and top ranked Michigan St. Gonzaga, heading into this matchup, looked good defensively, holding opponents to 30% shooting, while offensively they have a good inside/outside mix of pg Kevin Pangos ( I think he should go just last name from now on) banging threes and the beefiness of Robert Sacre down low.
On the flip side, St. Mary's also come in winner of five in a row, their only two losses coming against Denver (Not the Nuggest, but the college. Terrible, terrible loss) and to the 4th ranked Baylor team in Las Vegas. St. Mary's is a team that you look at and will scratch your head saying, "This is the team we are playing? Seriously." They are the YMCA fat kid that can shoot or the short, stalky guy that is illogically quick. That is what you see with Matthew Dellavedova (From now on I will refer to him as MD) who is taking over the Micky McConnell role of last season as the teams go to guy and the ultimate tweener Rob Jones who can create matchup problems by with his inside/outside game. But nonetheless, this team makes it work with ball movement and perimeter shooting.
On paper it would seem Gonzaga has the edge in just about every category. Especially in the front court. The Zags seemed more battle tested and they are not afraid of going to St. Mary's, having won the last few match ups there. I even told my friend to use his ESPN Streak for the Zags. Why you ask? Because I have seen Gonzaga play, where as I have caught glimpses of the Gaels and I have to say that I am not an MD fan. He strikes me as a no conscious gunner that will try to be superman when his job is to run the point and pick his spots. I never thought in a million years, I still have reservations, that he would be a consistent go to guy. I thought this game would come down to the inside play, which I marked as a huge plus for Gonzaga, while timely shooting would also be in favor of Gonzaga in a close game.
And mark it zero for this guy, as the Gaels served notice on their home court with a 83-62 dismantling of the Bulldogs. What this game saw was MD, clearly focused and driven, hitting an array of shots from three's, to floaters, to drives for lay ups. MD was every bit Mickey McConnell and then some last night for the Gaels, providing the leadership and much needed scoring,especially with the clunker of a game from Rob Jones (1-6 from the field, but 11 boards to help on the glass). MD did have bouts of firing it up at will, but it wasn't chucking for chucking sakes, it was because it was much needed scoring that St. Mary's needed from its Senior leader.
The three keys to the game, behind MD's sensational play, go like this-
St. Mary's snub in last seasons NCCA tournament.
This club knows that it gets little to no respect from voters or the committee members. I am sure Coach Randy Bennett has engrained into his teams brain that the two and possibly three games it plays against the Zags are tournament interviews that they must perform well for, especially given that Denver loss. Having been blown out in the WCC tourney to the Zags and a couple questionable losses left the Gaels on the outside last season, equivalent to Boise State having to be perfect in football, that clearly left this team steaming mad. Winning by twenty, at home, definitely is a step in the right direction. It now must miss the land mines of the rest of the league and put up a strong showing against the Zags up in Spokane.
Gonzaga's Defense
Or lack thereof. St. Mary's did a good job of spacing the floor for MD drives and high screen. Mix in good ball movement and the appropriate extra pass and St. Mary's had a field day from behind the arc. Gonzaga was torched because it committed extra defenders on drives and not rotating quickly enough, allowing the Gaels their wide open looks or dump passes underneath the hoop for lay ups. The Zags were consistently a step slow or out of position all night against the high screen and roll/pops that gave them fits all night. Sophomore guard Stephen Holt was explosive, especially in the second half, constantly getting to the rim for lay ups as he ended up thirteen points, mainly on drives to the hoop. When the Zags needed a defensive stop they couldn't muster enough defensive rotation to stop the Gaels.
Frontcourt Play
The trio of Robert Sacre. Elias Harris, and Sam Dower I thought would be too much for the Gael's inside. Gonzaga did try to exploit their strength inside, but with the ref's allowing a very physical game the Zags big men were good in short bursts, specifically and only Harris who was good with 17 points and 11 boards, but bad for long stretches of play, Sacre was a non factor, as he struggled to a 1-7 performance and four more points than me. The surprising stats come from St. Mary's starting center Brad Waldo and backup center Mitchell Young. The two combined for 29 points and 16 boards, which was a huge boost for the Gaels team that saw their second leading scorer, Rob Jones, struggle with two points. Inside play was a huge factor, it is just surprising that it was St. Mary's big men that came out on top.
Clearly, these two teams are very evenly matched and know one another very well. I think this game illustrates that the WCC is no longer a scrimmage for the Zags and is now a two man race. The rematch, in Spokane, is a month away in what has become the biggest rivalry on the West Coast that will try to see St. Mary's rubber stamp their name on an NCAA birth and the Zags looking to bounce back to continue their string of WCC titles. The only question that remains is- Will anybody take notice.
Side Notes-
Did the Warriors Hack a Howard really work? ESPN Nation seems to think that was a good plan as the Warriors were hanging tough towards the end of the game. I disagree in so many ways. Yes, Howard missed 17 free throws last night that did help keep the Warriors in the game. However, the strength of the Warriors is tempo and the crowd. By fouling Howard all you did was cause fan boredom and took out a huge strength to your team, while never having any real momentum because it was stopped by constant whistles and standing around.
More importantly, with the loss of Kwame Brown the Warriors were thin and small upfront going against Howard. With Biedrins out of the game, the Warriors looked to David Lee to guard Howard. In the most significant play of the night occurred when the Warriors were down one and looking for a stop. Turkuglo, obviously unaware that Howard was being guarded by the undersized Lee, took an errant three that bricked. Howard though, easily elbowed, ala Shaq, Lee out of the way for the ball and made a layup that Lee stupidly fouled to make it a three point play. Game over.
The Warriors needed to speed up the game and run Howard ragged and let the crowd take over at the end. Using the fouls was smart to an extent, but in sacrificing who you are as a team is a clear white flag before the game even started.
Duke v. Virginia
God, I hate Duke. I really, really hate watching them play. Though thy won they have glaring weaknesses up front with the Plumlee's and Brian Kelly as their starters. In flashes the Plumlee's will make an athletic play. In huge doses Brian Kelly makes me question if Duke has the stranglehold on all oafish, white big men that have bad facial hair.
Austin Rivers has an amazing and lightening quick first move. What he doesn't have is a consistent jump shot or three point capability. Stop crowding Austin Rivers and make him prove he can shot jumpers. He got into the lane, with mixed results, and when he settled for a three it look worse than Brian Kelly's attempt at a man beard.
Virginia on the other hand could not sustain their first half momentum and all it took was one Duke run in the second half to do them in. After the initial and inevitable Duke spurt, the Cavs got the stops they needed, but could not get over the five point barrier until it was too late. I was impressed with Virginia forward Mike Scott who led the team with 23 points. I was not impressed with a disappearing act he had in the 2nd half. Credit to Duke for taking him away, but when your team is struggling and you have it going, you must get the ball any way you can. It is even more important when you have only one other player in double figures and your point guard is throwing up an 0-8. Just saying.
Do you know that we play basketball on the West Coast? Yes, there are actual college basketball teams that play out here. And I'm not talking about an intramural league here, but real life Division One basketball squads reside out here. It's a true story. The teams have uniforms and everything. Another little tidbit- The WCC has the best basketball rivalry going behind North Carolina and Duke. Fact.
With the Pac-12 having solid, albeit very forgettable teams in the only major conference out here, it leaves the west coast with an upstart UNLV squad, at number 12 in the polls, followed by San Diego St. and Gonzaga as the lone West Coast representatives that are ranked. The Aztecs and Rebels hook up in a showdown Saturday, in a game nobody is talking about, in what should prove to be a great game. For all the talent and high seeding that game comes with it is not a rivalry game. No, the best bang for your buck rivalry game that has been going on for the last four years hapens in small, sleepy gyms that you need google maps just to find. But everyone back East, which in sports talk is the entire nation, will dismiss the West Coast and this game, entirely. So when the Duke/Virginia game ends then most people will not turnover to ESPN2 to watch basketballs 2nd and most intriguing rivalry between St. Mary's and Gonzaga.
Now, everyone knows about Gonzaga and their program. But, St. Mary's is a sneaky (see the word-dangerous) team that if they get into the NCAA tournament. If St. Mary's makes the tourney this season they will play the role of the classic high seeded team nobody knows about, who will match up against a big time conference power that struggled during the season or down the stretch, but that everyone will pick because they are a big time program. I would watch out for that pick though because this St. Mary's team has that look, especially at guard, to catch fire from behind the arc and shake up the brackets to a sweet 16 trip.
I digress, though.
When I think of the St. Mary's/Gonzaga rivalry I always think to the philosophical question- If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it does it really make a sound? I apply that to this west coast rivalry that only people from each school and NCAA committee members, though I have my doubts they watch, take notice of. In the last few years St. Mary's has taken to not only chipping away at Gonzaga's stranglehold on the WCC title, but have taken brawny man type axe chops to bring down there foes from Spokane. In the last few years Gonzaga and St. Mary's have engaged in some great games, punctuated byeach winning on the other teams home court last season, with a mutual hatred for one another brewing.
This wasn't always the case as I spent one very hazy freshman year at Gonzaga back in 2000. At that time, the Zags were at the peak of their WCC dominance and perennial NCAA darling. St. Mary's was a fledgling program that had high hopes that one season and were suppose to challenge for the title and a NCAA bid. However, when the Zags visited Moraga in an early January game it was quickly shown that Gonzaga was light years ahead of St. Mary's. The Zags were up by 30 in the first half as I led the boo birds against St. Mary's. That's right, I booed my home school for their terrible play. My friends and I quickly left to make our freshman year a little more hazy.
Gonzaga is the team you all know about. The small school from Spokane came onto the scene with an improbable run in in 1999, capped off by an elite eight run. Ever since then the school has been to the tournament every year and has won the WCC title every year. They were not only the class of the WCC, but of the mid-majors. No major program was willing to play Gonzaga for fear of what they perceived as an upset, but in reality Gonzaga was a force to be reckoned with. The upper northwest talent came and was harnessed in Spokane. Mix tht talent with some international flavor and Gonzaga provided a blueprint for sustained levels of success as a small college team. There was no looking back into their rearview mirror with the death grip they had on the WCC. Yes, life is good for the Zags.
That is until now.
With the hiring of coach Randy Bennet and an influx of Australian imports, along with home grown talent the doormats of the WCC finally stepped up to the plate to challenge the power that be in the WCC. St. Mary's, slowly, started changing into a team that was going to challenge Gonzaga's reign. The rivalry was slow, but steady as St. Mary's goal was to enter into the pantheon of small school with sustained talent that Gonzaga continues to enjoy. The Gaels slowly chipped away by taking a page out of Gonzaga's playbook. St. Mary's will never compete with Kentucky or UNC for recruits so they have to get creative. That creativeness led them to an unusual place- Australia. Now I think Crocodile Dundee and kangaroos when I think of Australia, not basketball players. However, the Australian pipeline netted Bennett and the Gaels superb talent that changed he program. A list of players that include Patty Mills, all-time leading scorer Daniel Kickert, and current guard Matthew Delavadova.The Aussies were a huge get for the Gaels that started and has sustained the momentum of a one fledgling program; one that has seen them move from the bottom of the standings to a place next to Gonzaga as they fight for WCC power.
All of this building and program/culture change culminated in a shared league championship last season with... you guessed it- their rivals from Spokane. That league title was still not enough to get St. Mary's into the big dance; a show of little respect for the WCC conference, program growth, or West Coast hoops. A clear slap in the face to a program that has built itself up with the likes of Gonzaga, its WCC foe, in creating a program of success. All this has done is fuel the rivalry between the two. Much like the Lakers and the Clippers, St. Mary's and Gonzaga have that same type of feeling where one program (St. Mary's) yearns to be in the same class in terms of success, tournament invites, and conference success; however, the other program (Gonzaga) is the big brother that dismisses their little brother at every turn, wanting nothing more than to keep St. Mary's on a lower tier. Resentment, hatred, and jealousy between two great programs.
Now that is the ingredients for a great rivalry.
So we fast forward to last night as Gonzaga, winner of 3 in a row in Moraga, comes in red hot having won their last eight in a row, with their only losses coming to Illinois and top ranked Michigan St. Gonzaga, heading into this matchup, looked good defensively, holding opponents to 30% shooting, while offensively they have a good inside/outside mix of pg Kevin Pangos ( I think he should go just last name from now on) banging threes and the beefiness of Robert Sacre down low.
On the flip side, St. Mary's also come in winner of five in a row, their only two losses coming against Denver (Not the Nuggest, but the college. Terrible, terrible loss) and to the 4th ranked Baylor team in Las Vegas. St. Mary's is a team that you look at and will scratch your head saying, "This is the team we are playing? Seriously." They are the YMCA fat kid that can shoot or the short, stalky guy that is illogically quick. That is what you see with Matthew Dellavedova (From now on I will refer to him as MD) who is taking over the Micky McConnell role of last season as the teams go to guy and the ultimate tweener Rob Jones who can create matchup problems by with his inside/outside game. But nonetheless, this team makes it work with ball movement and perimeter shooting.
On paper it would seem Gonzaga has the edge in just about every category. Especially in the front court. The Zags seemed more battle tested and they are not afraid of going to St. Mary's, having won the last few match ups there. I even told my friend to use his ESPN Streak for the Zags. Why you ask? Because I have seen Gonzaga play, where as I have caught glimpses of the Gaels and I have to say that I am not an MD fan. He strikes me as a no conscious gunner that will try to be superman when his job is to run the point and pick his spots. I never thought in a million years, I still have reservations, that he would be a consistent go to guy. I thought this game would come down to the inside play, which I marked as a huge plus for Gonzaga, while timely shooting would also be in favor of Gonzaga in a close game.
And mark it zero for this guy, as the Gaels served notice on their home court with a 83-62 dismantling of the Bulldogs. What this game saw was MD, clearly focused and driven, hitting an array of shots from three's, to floaters, to drives for lay ups. MD was every bit Mickey McConnell and then some last night for the Gaels, providing the leadership and much needed scoring,especially with the clunker of a game from Rob Jones (1-6 from the field, but 11 boards to help on the glass). MD did have bouts of firing it up at will, but it wasn't chucking for chucking sakes, it was because it was much needed scoring that St. Mary's needed from its Senior leader.
The three keys to the game, behind MD's sensational play, go like this-
St. Mary's snub in last seasons NCCA tournament.
This club knows that it gets little to no respect from voters or the committee members. I am sure Coach Randy Bennett has engrained into his teams brain that the two and possibly three games it plays against the Zags are tournament interviews that they must perform well for, especially given that Denver loss. Having been blown out in the WCC tourney to the Zags and a couple questionable losses left the Gaels on the outside last season, equivalent to Boise State having to be perfect in football, that clearly left this team steaming mad. Winning by twenty, at home, definitely is a step in the right direction. It now must miss the land mines of the rest of the league and put up a strong showing against the Zags up in Spokane.
Gonzaga's Defense
Or lack thereof. St. Mary's did a good job of spacing the floor for MD drives and high screen. Mix in good ball movement and the appropriate extra pass and St. Mary's had a field day from behind the arc. Gonzaga was torched because it committed extra defenders on drives and not rotating quickly enough, allowing the Gaels their wide open looks or dump passes underneath the hoop for lay ups. The Zags were consistently a step slow or out of position all night against the high screen and roll/pops that gave them fits all night. Sophomore guard Stephen Holt was explosive, especially in the second half, constantly getting to the rim for lay ups as he ended up thirteen points, mainly on drives to the hoop. When the Zags needed a defensive stop they couldn't muster enough defensive rotation to stop the Gaels.
Frontcourt Play
The trio of Robert Sacre. Elias Harris, and Sam Dower I thought would be too much for the Gael's inside. Gonzaga did try to exploit their strength inside, but with the ref's allowing a very physical game the Zags big men were good in short bursts, specifically and only Harris who was good with 17 points and 11 boards, but bad for long stretches of play, Sacre was a non factor, as he struggled to a 1-7 performance and four more points than me. The surprising stats come from St. Mary's starting center Brad Waldo and backup center Mitchell Young. The two combined for 29 points and 16 boards, which was a huge boost for the Gaels team that saw their second leading scorer, Rob Jones, struggle with two points. Inside play was a huge factor, it is just surprising that it was St. Mary's big men that came out on top.
Clearly, these two teams are very evenly matched and know one another very well. I think this game illustrates that the WCC is no longer a scrimmage for the Zags and is now a two man race. The rematch, in Spokane, is a month away in what has become the biggest rivalry on the West Coast that will try to see St. Mary's rubber stamp their name on an NCAA birth and the Zags looking to bounce back to continue their string of WCC titles. The only question that remains is- Will anybody take notice.
Side Notes-
Did the Warriors Hack a Howard really work? ESPN Nation seems to think that was a good plan as the Warriors were hanging tough towards the end of the game. I disagree in so many ways. Yes, Howard missed 17 free throws last night that did help keep the Warriors in the game. However, the strength of the Warriors is tempo and the crowd. By fouling Howard all you did was cause fan boredom and took out a huge strength to your team, while never having any real momentum because it was stopped by constant whistles and standing around.
More importantly, with the loss of Kwame Brown the Warriors were thin and small upfront going against Howard. With Biedrins out of the game, the Warriors looked to David Lee to guard Howard. In the most significant play of the night occurred when the Warriors were down one and looking for a stop. Turkuglo, obviously unaware that Howard was being guarded by the undersized Lee, took an errant three that bricked. Howard though, easily elbowed, ala Shaq, Lee out of the way for the ball and made a layup that Lee stupidly fouled to make it a three point play. Game over.
The Warriors needed to speed up the game and run Howard ragged and let the crowd take over at the end. Using the fouls was smart to an extent, but in sacrificing who you are as a team is a clear white flag before the game even started.
Duke v. Virginia
God, I hate Duke. I really, really hate watching them play. Though thy won they have glaring weaknesses up front with the Plumlee's and Brian Kelly as their starters. In flashes the Plumlee's will make an athletic play. In huge doses Brian Kelly makes me question if Duke has the stranglehold on all oafish, white big men that have bad facial hair.
Austin Rivers has an amazing and lightening quick first move. What he doesn't have is a consistent jump shot or three point capability. Stop crowding Austin Rivers and make him prove he can shot jumpers. He got into the lane, with mixed results, and when he settled for a three it look worse than Brian Kelly's attempt at a man beard.
Virginia on the other hand could not sustain their first half momentum and all it took was one Duke run in the second half to do them in. After the initial and inevitable Duke spurt, the Cavs got the stops they needed, but could not get over the five point barrier until it was too late. I was impressed with Virginia forward Mike Scott who led the team with 23 points. I was not impressed with a disappearing act he had in the 2nd half. Credit to Duke for taking him away, but when your team is struggling and you have it going, you must get the ball any way you can. It is even more important when you have only one other player in double figures and your point guard is throwing up an 0-8. Just saying.
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