This evening's Baylor game got me thinking, what made the outcome of this game so much different than any of our previous five losses? Sure, there may have been a host of differences between this game and the last several, most notably of which was our opponent. Baylor may have been a bit overranked, inexperienced against good opponents and away from home, and had one of its worst shooting nights in years. But our opponent alone cannot account for the fact that we beat a ranked and highly-respected team on the road.

     Regardless of all those factors, if you had told me that Harris would foul out with 6 minutes left in the game, and Gray would have missed the second half with an injury, I would have bet the mortgage that Gonzaga would get stomped by an athletic and talented Baylor team (which also happens to be undefeated). Tonight was a serious test for the Zags, who showed a desire to win that I have yet to see from them this year. I approached this game looking for bright spots on the roster--for a reason to keep watching and rekindle hopes of a tournament run. And while I'm not exactly saying the Zags are a lock for the Elite-8, I think they are learning to play as a team and progressing as well as we could hope after a few tough losses.

    Congratulations Zags on this great win and the start of our tournament resume. Our best wishes go out to Steven, as he will be greatly needed in the weeks ahead. Post your opinions on what was the most important factor that contributed to the Zags first big win of the year.