What's Wrong With Gonzaga?
When you lose 108-87 and the recap writer feels compelled to point out that the game "wasn't nearly as close as the final suggests," something has gone very wrong.
The Zags, who beat then-#2 UNC and then-#8 Washington earlier this year, have lost four in a row, capped off by last night's loss at Virginia where they trailed 60-26 at half.
John Blanchette, writing in the Spokane Spokesman Review, asserts:
They're overscheduled. They're undermanned. They're expectation-heavy. They're poise-deprived. In a nutshell.
Maybe--or maybe they are so inconsistent on defense that they live and die by the shooting prowess of their opponents. When other teams are hitting shots, and they can't get out in transition, they are reliant on a halfcourt offense that consists mostly of "guard" Derek Raivio hurtling head down into the lane. Against Virginia last night, Raivio had 26 points but 0 assists (yeah, 0). He also had 0 assists (in 38 minutes) against Duke. That's Nate Robinson-esque.
This does not bode well for the tournament, when rotations shrink and defenses improve.
Meanwhile, the Dawgs have lost twice in a row, and it's pretty much undeniable--the best college basketball team in the State of Washington is, improbably, the 12-2 Washington State Cougars!
