Gonzaga, Tennessee ready for round three
For the third time in just over a year, Gonzaga and Tennessee will square off. Tennessee won last season in Seattle, Gonzaga won five weeks ago in Orlando. The third meeting is Wednesday night at 6 PST at Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena, which hasn't been too hospitable to visitors.
More below an unedited preview that will run in Wednesday's S-R.
(Apologies for the late post, but no free wireless connection at two airports en route to Knoxville, where it is pouring rain.)
By
Staff writer
The Gonzaga Bulldogs, saddled with a three-game losing streak, tonight will try to do something that the last 37 visitors to the
The 15th-ranked Volunteers (9-3) haven’t lost at home since March 1, 2006. Only Notre Dame’s 44-game home winning streak is longer than
It’s a daunting challenge, but one the Bulldogs (8-4) are trying to embrace.
“With the way we’ve been playing, not a lot of people think we’re going to go down there and perform well,” sophomore guard Steven Gray said. “We beat them once. We know it’s going to be tough to do it again at their place, but I think we’re ready to go match their intensity and their effort. It’s a great opportunity to get back on track.”
That’s exactly where the Bulldogs were when they last saw the Volunteers. Gonzaga, despite losing the boards 50-26, dominated in nearly every other area, building an 18-point lead and holding off a late
“I thought we had a good mentality with how we attacked their pressure and I thought for the most part we defended the right way and we were doing the things we talk to our guys about doing,” Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said. “And that’s slipped, quite frankly, the last couple games.
“And then you make shots. Life comes a lot easier if guys make shots and make plays. That’s probably what we’ve been missing the most in the last couple games.”
“I was disappointed with the way we played against
The Volunteers have quality wins over
“They’re going to play hard and they have athletes,” senior wing Micah Downs said. “You don’t win too many games getting beat on the boards by that much, so we’ve been focusing on that.”
Junior Tyler Smith, who recorded the first triple-double in the 100-year history of
“It’s just about playing tough and physical and not letting guys push us around,” said Bulldogs senior guard Jeremy Pargo, who 10 points and seven assists against the Vols and helped seal the win with a late dunk.