Zags have big task at Santa Clara
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The teams with the best overall records in the West Coast Conference square off this evening in the Leavey Center, where Santa Clara (11-5 overall, 1-0 in the WCC) entertains preseason favorite and six-time defending regular-season champion Gonzaga (11-6, 2-0).
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m., and a sellout crowd of more than 4,500 is expected to be on hand to see if Santa Clara can build on its surprising early-season success and snap a 12-game losing streak to the Bulldogs.
There has been much speculation this week surrounding the possibility of Kansas transfer Micah Downs making his GU debut either tonight or in Monday’s game at Saint Mary’s. But eighth-year Zags coach Mark Few, whose next win will be the 200th of his career, insists all of the buzz could be a bit premature, considering the physical nature of the Bay Area opponents.
“Micah hasn’t had much of an opportunity to bang around in practice and get used to the kind of contact he’s going to see,” Few said of his 6-foot-8 shooting guard and midseason transfer, who became eligible in mid-December but has yet to play because of a broken bone in his foot that has since healed. “And both Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s are very physical teams.
“If we do play him, we want to make sure it’s in the right situation.”
In Santa Clara, the Zags will face one of the biggest and most experienced teams in the country. The Broncos’ front line is manned by John Bryant, a 6-11, 305-pound sophomore; Sean Denison, a 6-11, 245-pound senior; and Mitch Henke, a 6-7, 220-pound junior. Bryant and Denison are both averaging just more than 10 points per game, and coach Dick Davey has Josh Higgins, a 7-0, 275-pound junior transfer from Western Kentucky, available if needed.
“We won’t play a bigger team in college basketball,” Few said. “It’ll be very physical around the basket, so we’ve got to make sure we battle them in there. But we also have to play to our strengths, and that’s not one of them right now.”
Santa Clara comes in having outrebounded opponents by an average of almost seven per game, while GU has struggled recently on the boards. The Broncos, with wins over Stanford, Utah and Utah State, also pose some problems on the perimeter.
Danny Pariseau, a fifth-year senior and former prep standout at Shadle Park High School, starts alongside junior Brody Angley in the backcourt after transferring from Eastern Washington two years ago. He leads the team in assists with an average of 4.5 per game and ranks No. 3 in scoring with an average of 10.2 point per game.
“He’s done a great job this year,” Few said of Pariseau, one of six seniors on SCU’s veteran-laden roster. “He’s been very solid. He is what we all saw of him in high school. He’s a tough, opportunistic player who seems to have really found his niche.”