New-look Zags face new-look Tigers
The Gonzaga Bulldogs, who are still in the process of learning to cope with the absence of Josh Heytvelt, face, perhaps, their sternest test of a torturous and troubled season this afternoon when they entertain No. 8 Memphis in the Ronald McDonald House Charities Classic in the sold-out Spokane Arena.
Tipoff is set for 3, and if the Zags (18-9) hope to bounce back from Monday night’s 83-74 loss to Santa Clara that ended their remarkable home-court winning streak at 50, they will have to do it without their talented 6-foot-11 sophomore center who was suspended indefinitely after being arrested, along with freshman teammate Theo Davis, on drug possession charges last weekend.
They will have to do it against a young, but deep, Memphis team (22-3) that coach Mark Few considers to be among the most talented he has seen this year.
“They are an extraordinary bunch of athletes who play at the highest level – probably more so that any team in America,” Few said of coach John Calipari’s Tigers, who come in having won their last 14 games by an average margin of 20.8 points. “They were last year and they are again this year.
“There’s a lot of guys on their roster that are going to be in the NBA when it’s all said done.”
The Tigers, who are 12-0 against Conference USA opponents this winter, handed GU an 83-72 loss in Memphis last season but lost three starters – one to graduation and two to early departures for the NBA – from that team, which finished 33-4 and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.
Still, Few is quick to points out that Calipari has reloaded in dramatic fashion and put together another aggressive, fast-paced and tough-minded team that once again prides itself on defense.
“It starts with all that talent,” Few said of the Tigers, “but then he gets them to play extremely hard on the defensive end. They’re a load to score on consistently, because they’re long, they’re athletic and they’re quick to the ball.”
Memphis, which has only one senior – sixth-man Jeremy Hunt, a 6-foot-5 guard – in its regular rotation, is paced by sophomore Chris Douglas-Roberts, a 6-6 wing, who is averaging 15 points per game. But the Tigers boast eight other players who are averaging at least 13 minutes and five points per game in Calipari’s perimeter-oriented offense.
“They’re pretty similar to last year,” Derek Raivio, GU’s senior shooting guard and leading scorer, said of the Tigers.
“They like to move the ball and they share it well. They’ve got a lot of great athletes who can really get up and down the floor.
“It’s going to be a tough game, but we’re going to have a fair chance. It should be fun.”
Working in favor of the Bulldogs is the fact that they have had a few extra days this week to make some much-needed adjustments in the wake of Heytvelt’s suspension.
“We’ve had some time now to tinker with things,” senior forward Sean Mallon said. “Guys’ roles are going to change a little bit whenever something like that happens, and we didn’t have much time between games last weekend to work things out.
“It definitely helps to have a few days of practice, without Josh, behind us.”
Calipari said earlier this week that he hoped Heytvelt would play in today’s game, adding that however the suspension played out, he expects – and would prefer – a high-scoring, fast-paced game.
“It should be a game in the 90s – I mean both teams in the 90s,” he said. “I hope we have 92 and they have 91, but it should be in the 90s.”
Few, when asked what kind of atmosphere his expects in the Arena, said, “I hope it can be something similar to what we faced in Memphis last year, because that was the most intimidating away environment we’ve ever faced.
“If we can get it anywhere near what that was like, that would be something special.”