Even though yesterday's upset loss to Wake Forest was Gonzaga's second "L" of the season, it is probably the first time most of us have felt disappointment all season. The Michigan State game was obviously a game that we thought Gonzaga had a great shot at winning but realized that in mid-November on the road in East Lansing probably wasn't going to result in a win. Yesterday was a game that Gonzaga should have won. A reeling Wake Forest team came into the Kennel and for once Gonzaga got off to a hot start and the idea of a dominant victory started to creep into our heads. All the credit in the world to Wake Forest as they battled back and completely flipped the table on Gonzaga. Yes, the Elias Harris ejection played a huge role but I'm pretty sure Matt Bouldin, Steven Gray, Rob Sacre, and Demetri Goodson were still wearing Gonzaga uniforms for the rest of the game!
We've had a lot of comments wondering about Coach Few's thoughts on the game and, as usual, KREM 2 (Spokane's CBS affiliate) has come through with some great postgame videos. Obviously I want you to come here for your Gonzaga discussion but KREM is another site you just have to check out because they do a great job covering this team.
continue after the jump for the Elias Harris interview...
A lot of people have jumped on Elias for his flagrant foul but, and you can call me a Gonzaga homer, I am not ready to label this kid dirty or anything remotely close to that. To be honest, I expect and want to see him in the starting line up come Wednesday. Everything I have heard him say and the leadership I have seen him show indicates that he is a highly emotional, and passionate player. There is no doubt that he needs to learn from this mistake but let's not make this bigger than it is.
As for the rest of the game, I think Coach Few nailed it. Wake shot better than they have all season long when it mattered: early in the second half when the game was just waiting for someone to take control of it. They outrebounded Gonzaga and pulled down 16 on the offensive glass in comparison to Gonzaga's six.
All in all, the stats really tell the whole story. It's had to get killed on the offensive glass and miss 13 free throws and come away with a win. That second stat is just completely ridiculous when you consider we were playing at home.