Bulldogs seek to boost inside presence at USD
SAN DIEGO – Simply stated, it doesn’t get any easier this afternoon for a Gonzaga University men’s basketball team that is still desperately searching for an identity.
Despite being ranked 11th in the nation, there is little to suggest the Bulldogs will face anything other than another character-building challenge when they take on San Diego in a West Coast Conference game that tips off at 4 p.m. in the Toreros’ Jenny Craig Pavilion.
The Zags (13-4, 3-2) are coming off a disappointing 73-70 road loss to San Francisco and might seem like a prohibitive favorite against USD (10-7, 2-2), which riddled visiting Portland 92-58 on Thursday night.
But Bulldogs coach Mark Few insists that isn’t the case.
“San Diego has some nice wins this year (over Wyoming and Creighton),” Few said. “They’ve kind of put it together, and from what I’ve seen on tape, they’re probably playing as well as anyone in our league.
“They’re the one team in the league that can really match us inside. They have some great inside players, and that will be where the battle is won or lost.”
Despite its superior size and muscle on the low blocks, GU lost that inside battle against USF, losing the rebounding battle 45-35. The Bulldogs will have to shore up matters in a hurry if they plan to deal effectively with a three-man Toreros front line that is averaging more than 40 points and 18 rebounds per game.
Senior center Brice Vounang leads USD in scoring (16.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.4 rpg), but has received plenty of inside help from 6-foot-8 senior Brandon Gay and 6-10 junior Nick Lewis.
If the Toreros have a weakness it is in the backcourt, where sophomore Avi Fogel and 6-6 senior Corey Belser have run the offensive show.
To exploit that weakness, GU will need better production from its guard combination of Derek Raivio, Erroll Knight and Pierre Marie Altidor Cespedes.
Raivio scored 13 of his 18 points in the final 6 minutes of the loss to San Francisco, but Cespedes – other than some decent early contributions on the defensive end – wasn’t a factor.
Look for the GU’s backcourt mix to change tonight, however, with the expected return of junior shooting guard and defensive starter Knight, who missed the USF game with a sprained foot. Knight practiced Friday and should be available this evening.
Knight is averaging 7.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and will probably be matched up against Gay, a 220-pound senior who is averaging 14.1 points and 6.1 rebounds.