Eagles have work cut out
Right now, the Gonzaga and Eastern Washington men’s basketball teams are going in opposite directions, which doesn’t bode well for today’s 6 p.m. matchup at the Arena.
The 8-1 Bulldogs, fresh off an 85-73 win over then-No. 3 Georgia Tech, jumped nine spots to No. 13 in the Associated Press Top 25 Monday.
The 2-7 Eagles, whose last win was a struggle at home against an NAIA Division II school, have lost five straight.
That was true last year when then-16th-ranked GU spanked the Eagles 70-49 on New Year’s Eve.
However, the Eagles credited that loss, which dropped their record to 3-9, as the wakeup call that propelled them to a Big Sky championship and their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
A lot has changed since then.
Gonzaga graduated four starters but has reloaded. After a humbling loss to then-No. 5 and current-No. 1 Illinois Thanksgiving weekend, the Bulldogs have reeled off five straight wins, two against ranked teams.
Eastern graduated three starters, coach Ray Giacoletti went to Utah and first-year coach Mike Burns is struggling to find the right pieces to the puzzle, a process complicated by injuries. Burns has used nine different starters in six different combinations with only senior forward Marc Axton starting all nine games.
“We have to go to compete, I don’t know what else you can say,” Burns said after a humbling 80-61 home loss to Denver on Saturday. “We just have to be ready to compete against Gonzaga because if we aren’t it’s going to be worse than it was tonight.”
Any chance the Bulldogs might overlook the Eagles, with a road game at No. 3 Oklahoma State next Tuesday, should be eliminated with a quick history lesson.
Although Gonzaga leads the series 48-7 with 18 straight wins, it was only two years ago Eastern had a 17-point second-half lead before losing 67-64 at the Arena. The year before that, the Eagles were up 16 in the second half at GU before falling 87-74 in overtime.
“The main thing we have to do is make sure our kids understand how hard Eastern is going to come out and play against us,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “They’re going to come out and play like it’s their biggest game of the year, and we’ve got to make sure we match their effort.”
Burns certainly hopes that is the Eastern team that shows up.
“When you get an opportunity to play a Top 25 team you need to take advantage of it and bring an immense amount of energy and intensity,” he said. “I hope we’ll do that.”
It is a mismatch on paper, not only because of size, but the numbers.
The Bulldogs shoot better than 50 percent from the field, average almost 80 points a game and have not been outrebounded. The Eagles are shooting just 44 percent, average 20 turnovers a game and give up 75.4 points.
Gonzaga’s senior starter is 6-foot-10 Ronny Turiaf, who averages 20.3 points and 9.6 rebounds. The three sophomore starters, Adam Morrison (19.3), Derek Raivio (12.1) and Sean Mallon (11.8, 6.6 rebounds), are all in double figures. Defensive stopper Erroll Knight, a 6-7 junior, has moved into the starting lineup after missing the first five games.
Axton, a 6-7 forward, averages 17.9 points and a team-high 4.4 rebounds. Jake Beitinger, a 6-8 freshman, is the only other double-figure scorer at 10.3. Junior Danny Pariseau moves back into the lineup at point guard after backing up freshman James Loe the past three games. Redshirt freshman Henry Bekkering, just off the injured list, is starting at a wing with Deuce Smith.
“They’re a very sound basketball team,” Burns said of the Bulldogs. “They’re similar to how they have been in years past. Statistically, they shoot a very good field goal percentage, they outrebound people, they have the ability to really just give people one shot, and they can play at different tempos. They can play fast, they can play slow. They are just extremely talented.”
Raivio WCC player of week
Gonzaga sophomore Derek Raivio, who had a solid all-around game, including 21 points to match his career high in the Bulldogs’ 85-73 upset of Georgia Tech, is the West Coast Conference player of the week.
Raivio also had five rebounds, three steals, two assists and just one turnovers in 36 minutes of action.