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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

A Grip on Sports: Sure there are cracks and leaks but to say the sky is falling on Gonzaga’s men isn’t appropriate yet

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Cracks abound. Leaks are happening often. But is the Gonzaga sky falling? It sure seems that way if you listen to the Bulldogs’ followers. And to national pundits.

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• According to the NCAA’s rating tool, the apply named NET, Mark Few’s Zags have played seven games this season that rate among the top half of the nation. They are 2-5 in those contests, the latest of which resulted in a 77-76 loss at Santa Clara on Thursday night.

The 23rd-ranked Bulldogs shot impossibly poor from the perimeter – 2-for-20 beyond the arc. They were crushed on the boards – losing that battle 44-31. Only one player seemed locked in offensively – Anton Watson tied his career high with 32 points, hitting all but four of his 16 shots. And they fell to the Broncos, with school legend Steve Nash watching from the front row, by a single point.

Sky falling? Well, if not being ranked in the top 25, something that last happened in 2016, is your definition of that, then sure. At least on Monday. But even if you use another rating system, it’s starting to look like it.

It’s not just the record, though 11-5 this time of year isn’t something Few’s program has seen in, oh, a decade or so. It’s also all the issues that showed up last night, those described above and a couple more.

The lack of a lockdown defender, especially on the perimeter – and the inability to cover up for it with team defense. And the dearth of offensive finishers.

Certainly, the latter isn’t a problem against the Jackson States and Pepperdines of the basketball world. But against teams with a modicum of defensive ability, the vaunted Zag offense stagnates. Not from lack or effort or selfishness, though the latter always shows up at least a little when a team struggles to score. It’s about putting the biscuit in the basket and, when challenged, this Gonzaga group has struggled to finish.

The other end is also problematic, and that showed late last night. The three perimeter players Few puts on the court the most, Ryan Nembhard, Dusty Stromer and Nolan Hickman, all have their strengths, but being a lockdown defender isn’t one of them – no matter how often some commentators try to sell Hickman in that role. He’s the best GU has, sure. But he and his teammates weren’t good enough last night with the game on the line.

With the loss, the Zags not only will drop out of the national rankings. They also fell four spots in the NET rankings. They are third in the WCC in that regard, with USF (37) and Saint Mary’s (39) actually looking down at Gonzaga. That might be problematic if GU doesn’t win the WCC tourney in March.

Yep, that may just be the only way this Gonzaga team keeps the program’s NCAA streak alive. The Sweet Sixteen run. All of that. Unless something special happens in the last nonconference game – Feb. 10 at Kentucky, 16th in the NET – or USF and Saint Mary’s NCAA bona fides stay in place, the Zags may not have a resume-boosting Quad 1 victory – they are 0-4 in that matrix – on their ledger. And that would be the definition of the sky truly falling.

• Speaking of cave-ins, that certainly was the case this week for seven of the eight teams that played in November’s Maui Classic. You know the tournament we’re referring to, right? What ESPN sold as the greatest in the event’s history?

Maybe it was. But in the past few days, the participants have been exposed a bit.

It started last Saturday, when Chaminade lost 96-69 at Azusa Pacific, a result that didn’t even rate a mention as the tournament hosts are well under .500 this season. But Wednesday night, when Syracuse defeated Boston College by 10 (the lone exception to our premise), third-ranked Kansas lost by five at UCF, fifth-ranked Tennessee fell by the same margin at Mississippi State and No. 11 Marquette suffered a seven-point defeat against Butler. Last night Gonzaga lost, sure, but it was UCLA, crushed at Utah 90-44, that put the bow on the package.

There is no correlation. Other than it’s been a bad week. To be safe, though, maybe go to the Bahamas next Thanksgiving instead? Seems like a plan.

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WSU: The Cougars have a shot at picking up a Quad 1 win Saturday. Arizona, ranked eighth in the polls but second in the NET, visits Pullman for a 3 p.m. game (Pac-12 Networks). Just how can the 11-5 Cougs accomplish that? Greg Woods lays out a game plan this morning. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, we have to start with football this morning. There are reports Washington’s Kalen DeBoer is one of three coaches who will interview with Alabama this weekend. Yes, he’s that good. And would be a good choice. But, as John Wilner points out, even if he doesn’t leave, the Alabama hire will have ripple effects that could hit the Huskies and others in the region. … Another UW player is headed to the NFL. … Oregon? Well, Dan Lanning was rumored to be an Alabama target but he released a video yesterday once again saying his home is in Eugene and he is not leaving. Did it come before or after Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said he wasn’t being considered? We may never know for sure. … Speaking of the Tide, their fans are in mourning in a way. … The Ducks picked up a wide receiver in the portal. … Utah has a key playmaker returning. … Just how will UCLA and USC be on the offensive line next season? … In basketball news, Washington handed Arizona State its first conference defeat, 82-67 in Seattle. … Oregon State handled visiting Stanford for most of the game last night. But not down the stretch. The Cardinal rallied and won 88-84. … We mentioned Utah’s crushing 90-44 defeat of UCLA above. It was a rout, reaching a 50-point margin at one point. … USC didn’t lose just a game against WSU. The Trojans also lost their best player for a few weeks. … Colorado is once-again happy to be returning home. … Arizona may just be underestimating the Cougars. … Oregon’s women face Arizona State. … Fifth-ranked Colorado has a date with a resurgent California squad. … Arizona travels to Corvallis to play the Beavers.

Gonzaga: As is always the case, win or lose, the S-R has you covered better than anyone. Theo Lawson has the game story on this one. … Jim Meehan has a notebook, focusing on the issues, including rebounding and outside shooting. … Tyler Tjomsland has a complete photo report. … There is a video of the postgame court storming – was Nash part of that? – and a recap with highlights. … We don’t have a TV Take to pass along, as we attended the women’s game, watching the 16th-ranked Zags wallop Santa Clara, which came in with a 13-3 record. The 87-49 victory was cemented in the second quarter. Greg Lee has that info and more in his game story. … Colin Mulvany has the photo report. … Elsewhere in the WCC, we can pass along stories on Santa Clara’s upset from the Bay Area as well. … USF kept rolling, pounding San Diego 83-63. … Pepperdine and Saint Mary’s also won.  

EWU and Idaho: The four regional rivals meet Saturday in Moscow – it’s a doubleheader – with the men’s game revolving round a new-look Vandal squad trying to deal the red-hot Eagles their first Big Sky defeat. Peter Harriman has more in this preview. … The uproar concerning Idaho volleyball continues as many players have asked the administration to put coach Chris Gonzalez on leave. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, though the rivalry games kept Eastern and UI off the court last night, that doesn’t mean good things did not happen for them. Case in point, the Weber State men lost at Sacramento State. But the Wildcat women picked up a home win. … Montana also lost to visiting Northern Colorado. … The Northern Colorado women handed Montana a road loss, snapping the Griz’s seven-game winning streak. … Montana State’s men won against Northern Arizona in Bozeman but the women lost to the Lumberjacks in Flagstaff. … The Idaho State men and women defeated Portland State, the men winning on the road.

Preps: Cash Stone was already something of a legend when we arrived in Spokane. The movie Vision Quest lifted him up a notch. So did his success at Mead High. The Panthers will honoring their former wrestling coach next Thursday on his 89th birthday. That news is part of Madison McCord’s wrestling notebook. … Dave Nichols has a roundup of Thursday’s action as well.

Rodeo: The sport returns to the Arena Saturday in a PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event, beginning at 7 p.m. Colton Clark has a preview.

Seahawks: Why did Jody Allen fire Pete Carroll? Bob Condotta has an opinion about that. So do others. … He also delves into how long it might take to hire his replacement. … Carroll and some of his former players got together after his firing. And, as always, Carroll tried to bring them together. … Here’s a weird thought: If DeBoer leaves for Alabama, maybe the Huskies should hire Carroll. Wouldn’t that be fun. … As we passed along yesterday, Bill Belichick is also looking for work.

Kraken: Joey Daccord has been special recently. He was again last night and that resulted in Seattle winning for the eighth consecutive time, this one 4-1 over host Washington. … The offensive depth is starting to show.

Sounders: Seattle signed midfielder Josh Atencio to a four-year contract.

Mariners: It’s that time. Logan Gilbert and six others agreed to contracts, avoiding arbitration.

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• Funny thing about Gonzaga’s schedule. The Bulldogs don’t play Saturday. Then they finish up their season series with Pepperdine and San Diego on the road next week. After that, they have a shot at a Quad 2 win when USF visits on Jan. 25 – as long as the Dons keep winning. Even if they defeat Santa Clara on the road a week from Saturday, though, it probably won’t be that elusive first Quad 1 win. Until later …