Zags’ tough schedule continues to highlight supreme venues
LOS ANGELES – Gonzaga has its customary slate of quality nonconference games, but that’s surpassed by something else this season: the venues.
The Zags’ last three road trips have been to Madison Square Garden, which bills itself as “The World’s Most Famous Arena;” refurbished McKale Center, a sea of red and noise and site of Arizona’s 27-game home winning streak; and Pauley Pavilion, where 11 national championship banners hang in the rafters.
Yeah, pretty cool.
No. 9 Gonzaga (8-1) and UCLA (8-2), receiving votes in the USA Today poll, tangle at 7 pm on Nell and John Wooden Court, which unfortunately had to be replaced two months ago after a broken pipe flooded the famed floor that was home to eight of the 10 Wooden-coached teams to win national titles.
Mark and Marcy Few received the Nell and John Wooden Lifetime Coaching Achievement Award in 2008. When Gonzaga won its 11th straight WCC title in 2011, Few noted, “The only team that has more consecutive conference championships is John Wooden, who is my biggest hero in coaching, and those UCLA teams were the greatest teams in college basketball.”
Again, pretty cool.
Few and the Zags might take a minute or two to glance at the memorabilia inside Pauley, but the more pressing issue is trying to earn another resume-building victory. The Bruins, whose losses were to nationally ranked Oklahoma and North Carolina, is in much the same position.
“We are looking forward to it,” said Few, following Wednesday’s win over Washington State at the Arena. “We need to rest. These games have been tough, hard-fought games physically and emotionally. Hopefully, we’ll have fresh legs (tonight).”
The Bruins, picked fourth in the preseason Pac-12 poll, lost four players from last year’s team to the NBA, including first-round picks Zach LaVine, Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson, but the roster remains impressive. An iron-man starting five has played 1,529 of 2,000 possible minutes and scores 71.7 of the team’s 81.5 points.
Guard Norman Powell, the lone senior in the rotation, averages 17.9 points and 2.2 steals. Guard Bryce Alford, one of coach Steve Alford’s two sons on the team, is at 17.5 points and 7.1 assists. Freshman forward Kevon Looney, the sixth pick in ESPN’s latest NBA mock draft, averages 13.9 points and 11.2 rebounds.
Forward Tony Parker (11.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and guard Isaac Hamilton (11 ppg, 20 3-pointers) round out a talented starting unit.
“If we’re ever going to reach the ceiling that we need to as a team, it’s about getting tougher,” said coach Alford, who has 499 career wins.
The Bruins are outshooting opponents by a wide margin (46 percent to 39 on field goals; 36 percent to 30 on 3-pointers) and they’re plus-8 on the boards. They’ve attempted 84 more free throws than opponents.
“It’s a pretty big game, but we’re just trying to stay on track,” said Gonzaga forward Byron Wesley, USC transfer and a California native. “It’ll be nice to get to go home and play in front of friends and family.”