‘Every aspect was lacking.’ No. 7 Michigan pounds No. 12 Gonzaga 101-61, handing Zags largest loss of Few era

LAS VEGAS – Gonzaga came into Wednesday’s matchup with No. 7 Michigan seeking a Players Era Championship, a $1 million paycheck and another top-10 win to bolster its impressive nonconference resume.

All the Zags got at MGM Grand Garden Arena was a bitter dose of their own medicine.

There was a $500,000 consolation prize, too, but payouts were the last thing on anyone’s mind after a 101-61 undressing from Michigan, which scored 53 points in the first half and continued to press the issue in the second while clinching a Players Era championship and simultaneously handing No. 12 Gonzaga its first loss of the year.

All seven of Gonzaga’s games up to this point had been decided by double digits. That streak continued Wednesday, just not in a way anyone would’ve anticipated entering a game where the Zags were slight favorites, both in the sportsbooks and analytical websites like KenPom.com.

What ensued was a beatdown that eventually grew into the largest loss of Mark Few’s 27-year tenure at the school. The tally at the final buzzer didn’t technically make this the biggest loss in program history – that belongs to a 103-34 defeat to Montana in 1945 – but it was the first time the Zags lost by at least 40 points since a 44-point loss to Loyola Marymount in 1990, according to ESPN’s research department. Additionally, it was Michigan’s largest win versus an AP-ranked team in program history. 

What transpired on the floor looked and felt every bit that bad.

“Literally every aspect of the game I could talk about was lacking, so maybe write that,” Few told reporters in a postgame press conference.

Through the first seven games of the season, the Zags built their reputation as an elite defensive team that was strong on the boards, formidable in the paint and deep on the bench.

To say Gonzaga finally met its match in Wednesday’s championship would be an understatement.

The silver lining, if there was one? The Zags won’t have to see the Wolverines again for at least another four months, and perhaps not at all if the teams don’t link up in the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan led wire to wire, building a double-digit advantage early and opening a game-high 46-point lead late in the second half. There was never a point where the Wolverines didn’t feel in control, even after Dusty May whiffed on a coach’s challenge with 11 minutes, 30 seconds remaining in the first half.

Operating more like a machine than basketball program, the Wolverines didn’t bat an eye, following what may have been their lone mishap with two straight defensive stops and consecutive 3-pointers to open the lead up to 19 points.

“I don’t think we competed once we got kind of punched in the mouth to start the game,” Few said. “Nothing was going great for us at either end, I think it just kind of got us really rattled then we just kind of didn’t channel it properly and the floodgates opened up from there. Michigan did a great job, they were hitting 3’s, doing what they do great, which we knew they’d crash the glass and get out in transition.

“We just didn’t shore any of that up, when we were just horrendous on offense and a lot of that had to do with their pressure and physicality.”

The Wolverines were impenetrable on defense, holding All-American candidate forward Graham Ike to a single point on 0 of 9 shooting and 0 of 3 from the 3-point line. It marked just the third time in Ike’s career (123 total games) he finished without a field goal. Ike’s nine misses without a make signified a career high.

Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, who claimed Tuesday on the TNT set the Wolverines had the nation’s best frontcourt, backed up his words by scoring 20 points to go with 11 rebounds and three assists. Frontcourt mate Aday Mara, scoreless in two previous games against Gonzaga while playing at UCLA, was a force at both ends of the floor, scoring 13 points while adding four rebounds and two blocked shots.

“Yesterday when I went on the (TNT) podcast with Jalen Rose and Chris Webber, I let everybody know I think we have the best frontcourt in the world, in the nation,” Lendeborg said. “Me and Morez (Johnson), Aday, we sat there and talked. We know we’re 100% better than those guys.”

Guard Trey McKenney had 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting and 3 of 5 from the 3-point line and three other Wolverines finished in double figures on a day where Dusty May’s team shot 36 of 60 (60%) from the field and 13 of 27 (48%) from the 3-point line.

Most of Gonzaga’s bright spots eventually turned into sour footnotes. One of those was Braden Huff, who was not only the Zags’ best source of offensive production but their only one through stretches in both halves. Huff had a team-high 14 points on 7 of 17 shooting, but the junior forward picked up three fouls in 47 seconds early in the second half and fouled out with under nine minutes to play.

One night after the Zags made 14 3-pointers in a 100-61 win over Maryland, they went bone dry against Michigan, making just 3 of 22 (13%). They finished 25 of 74 (33.8%) from the field and 8 of 15 (53%) from the free throw line.

The Zags (7-1) now face an eight-day layoff before returning to the court Dec. 5 to play No. 19 Kentucky (5-2) at Bridgestone Arena in Nasvhille.