Selection Sunday Open Thread: Send your positive vibes here
The best day of the year has arrived.
In just a short amount of time, the field of 65 will be released by the selection committee. We all know that Gonzaga has been sliding in the wrong direction for the past month or so but the Zags should easily land an at-large bid in this year's tournament. Most bracketologists have concluded they will be somewhere on the seven line playing at a place other than Spokane, Washington where many fans were hoping they'd wind up.
If the Zags do indeed land on that seven line, you can bet that there will be some dangerous teams waiting for them. Teams like Florida State, Missouri, Georgia Tech, Utah State, San Diego State, Clemson, UNLV, and Old Dominion could all be potential opponents for Gonzaga. What this means is that Mark Few's team will have their hands full from the get go. What makes things worse is that there will definitely be a lengthy plane flight involved to wherever the Bulldogs wind up. Probable locations include Milwaukee, Buffalo, and Oklahoma City. A few weeks ago we were talking about how cool it was going to be to play our first two rounds in Spokane probably against a twelve seed and then a four but that is now all distant history.
Don't get me wrong, there is still hope for at least a six seed which is why we're asking for some positive vibes in this thread. Feel free to stop in and share your thoughts in the comment section below. The Selection Show will air at 3 PM pacific time on CBS and you can also stream it live on CBSSports.com.
GO ZAGS!
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Be careful, we're "experts"
If you are like Max and I, no day compares to tomorrow. Selection Sunday is better than Christmas, dwarfs the 4th of July, and blows Halloween out of the water. Tomorrow's show is easily the best reality television going. You've got jubilation, heartbreak, and depression all wrapped into the announcement of 65 teams. The show also begins what is easily the best and most exciting postseason set up of any sport, college or pro. March Madness has become a national institution and has slowed down American productivity since its inception.
With that being said, we are proud to announce that we have been invited to participate in the CBS Selection Sunday Challenge Experts Group. When we first got the e-mail inviting us to join this group, I thought the term "experts" was just for show but this bunch includes some of the best college basketball writers in the business. Joining us in this contest will be Gary Parrish (CBS), Jerry Palm (CBS), Gregg Doyel (CBS), Andy Staples (SI), Ryan Fagan (SportingNews), Ryan Feldman (Hoops Report), Daniel Evans (OnlineSportsFanatic.com), Shawn Siegel (CollegeHoopsNet), Andy Pawalowski (Digital Hoops Blast), Jeff Borzello (March Madness All Season), Shelby Mast (Bracket WAG), Chris Kulenych & Craig Gately (Bracketology 101), and Zach Hayes (Rush the Court).
These are basically all the guys and blogs we check up on daily so it is a tremendous honor to compete against them. We're still working hard to get our brackets laid out before the show tomorrow and we'll post them when we get it done. Here is the link for the contest, you can search "NCAA Hoops Experts" to find our group and belittle us as our bracket gets torn to shreds. Here is a little more via CBSSports' press release:
With NCAA.com’s "Selection Sunday Challenge", fans use a highly interactive online application to stack the field with their favorite teams, randomly choose from more than 330 eligible Division I men’s basketball programs or use the research and tools that the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee puts to use such as RPI, schedules, recent results and more. New features this year include expanded team statistics and an "Evaluate My Picks" function, which will evaluate your selections against the official rules used by the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. Also included are video clips from the NCAA’s Mock Selection show that describe the selection process.
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A much needed break
It's rather fascinating how perspective changes from season-to-season in the world of college basketball. Last season, after watching Gonzaga absolutely dismantle St. Mary's in the WCC tournament final, I lamented the fact that the team had 10 days off before they would play again. I was afraid that not having any competition would take that experienced group out of the great rhythm that they had developed throughout the final month of the season. Although that team advanced to the Sweet 16, I'm still convinced that they never regained the chemistry and flow that made them so dangerous and impressive in February and early March.
While I found the 10-day break to be a negative last season, I feel the complete opposite way about the break this group will have before beginning the NCAA Tournament next Thursday or Friday. I don't remember seeing a team at Gonzaga (maybe the 2006/2007 team that had to deal with the Josh Heytvelt and Theo Davis suspensions) that needed a week of practice and fundamental work more than this team. Even more important is the fact that guys like Matt Bouldin, Elias Harris, and Steven Gray will have a chance to rest their bodies and sleep in their own beds for at least a week. Instead of preparing for an opponent, this next week can spent improving this team and finding the rhythm and competitive streak that made this group so appealing and highly-regarded back in November and December.
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Open Thread: NCAA Tournament Wish List
The good news: The sun rose today in Denver and washed away that horrid evening. Hopefully the same can be said for wherever you are reading this piece from.
The bad news: Bracketologies from every corner of the Internet have Gonzaga plummeting after losing to Saint Mary's last night. Nothing we can do about that now. Your beloved Zags will be hitting the road come tournament time and will probably be headed to places like Oklahoma City, Buffalo, etc.
Assuming we can all bury last night and move on, I think everyone knows there are some MAJOR issues with this ball club right now; individually and as a team. Our game thread and postgame reactions brought that out and I kind of gave you my wish list for this team in my game recap.
Pure and simple, get back to the basics. Matt goes back to do-it all man, Steven keeps doing what he's doing, and Elias returns to being the focal part of our offense every time down the court. Remember Illinois and how Gonzaga showed toughness down the stretch? Remember who was dominant in that game? Elias and Rob still had a hell of a game too.
That's my wish list. Back to basics. Instead of pluggin random pieces to see if they work after every time out, stick with those three and do what you did early in conference play and in Maui. March is not the time for tinkering.
What's on your wish list for this team/players/staff as we head to the NCAA's?
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Get those tourney tickets up on Craigslist! Gonzaga dismantled by Saint Mary's
What a fitting end to an insanely frustrating West Coast Conference season.
Just like so many times during regular season play, Gonzaga failed to rise to the occasion and laid an egg with much on the line. That's really what it comes down to. If you watched the game on TV or were unfortunate enough to be in the arena tonight, there was absolutely no question which team was more prepared and up for tonight's game. Gonzaga came out flat tonight at the Orlenas and wound up getting pummeled by the Gaels of Saint Mary's by a score of 81-62.
It's really easy to write off this game by saying "Well, Saint Mary's had to win whereas Gonzaga was already in the tourney". But we all know that this excuse really holds no water when you look at what the Zags had on the line. Playing in Spokane, getting a protected seed, etc etc were all things Mark Few and his club had in their sights tonight but apparently playing a minute away from campus is just not of importance.
The thing which also really bugs me about the way Gonzaga lost tonight is how it all happened. The fact that Omar Samhan only had nine points speaks volumes about the way Robert Sacre played but the fact that Mickey McConnell and Ben Allen combined for 46 points absolutely makes me sick. All you can do here is tip your hat to Randy Bennett who obviously saw the huge hole in Gonzaga's defensive rotation and exposed it with some great drive and kick out plays to get his hot players the basketball. It was just a simple pick and roll with a set shooter waiting on the perimeter if the drive failed and Allen and McConnell connected time and time again to absolutely demolish the Zags. Our defense never changed and there offensive direction never did either. Robert Sacre had one of his best defensive performances ever tonight but it was clear Saint Mary's was perfectly fine with relying on someone other than their star center.
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Live Game Thread - Saint Mary's College vs. Gonzaga University
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West Coast Conference Tournament Saint Mary's College vs. Gonzaga University |
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vs. |
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| 25-5 (11-3 in WCC) | 26-5 (7-1 in WCC) | |
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Orleans Arena Official Opponent Site: Saint Mary's Basketball Live Stats: GameTracker |
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| March 8, 2010 6:00 PM PT |
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| TV: ESPN Radio: 1510 KGA |
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| Probable starters: | ||
| Mickey McConnell |
PG | Demetri Goodson |
| Matt Dellavedova |
SG | Matt Bouldin |
| Clint Steindl | SF | Steven Gray |
| Ben Allen |
PF | Elias Harris |
| Omar Samhan |
C | Robert Sacre |
If you haven't, sign up for a membership to The Slipper Still Fits and get in the discussion in the comments. You know the drill, the comments refresh automatically so it's a great to chat about the game with other fans. Looking forward to hearing from you!
GO ZAGS!!!
143 comments | 0 recs
(Mangisto) Arop appeared to hurt his foot near the 14-minute mark of the second half. Few said the freshman wing might miss tonight’s game. He was scheduled for X-rays, but "it didn’t look good," Few said.
Not good.
6 days ago
Zach Bell
13 comments
0 recs
Zags turn away Loyola Marymount, advance to WCC finals
Gonzaga has had a lot of players over the years that have just been a pleasure to watch when they have 'it' going on that night. Guys like Adam Morrison, Derek Raivio, Blake Stepp, and on and on have dazzled fans of this program for the past decade but there aren't many of them that I would rather watch at their peak than Steven Gray. The supremely talented junior wing scored 18 points tonight on 6-10 shooting as the Zags defeated Loyola Marymount by a margin 77-62.
Although Steven Gray might be the king of streakiness, you really have to watch games like this and realize all those headscratching moments are worth it. His stat line says it all. 18 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and two steals is what Steven contributed for his team tonight and they needed all of it as that fifteen-point deficit was much more narrow than you think. Loyola Marymount came out of the gates at a snail's pace tonight at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas and looked like a team that was bracing for a rout. They had five turnovers in the first three or four minutes and were really frustrated by Gonzaga's pressure defense. Gray once again had a dynamite evening on defense as did Demetri Goodson and Robert Sacre. The Lions fought back after heading into the locker room down sixteen at halftime and made a game of it in the second stanza.
For as good as Steven Gray was throughout tonight's game, the key may have been the play of Elias Harris in the second half. LMU came out very aggressive in the second half and really knocked the Zags on their butts a few times but it seemed like every big run was answered by a Harris bucket; including two from long range. He wasn't alone in making clutch baskets late however. Two guys who many think are Gonzaga's X-factors, Robert Sacre and Bol Kong, both made plays when the game was most contested. The lead dwindled down to six points before Sacre hit two very confident free throws and then Kong drilled a three pointer to extend the Gonzaga advantage back up to 11 points.
From there it was all downhill for the Bulldogs as they took down the Lions and advanced to the championship game tomorrow night. Read on after the jump to hear more of our impressions from GU-LMU...
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