10 Observations from Gonzaga’s win over San Diego

You have to feel for the USD Toreros. COVID has wreaked havoc on their season and severely limited their practice and game action. The broadcast team mentioned that the Toreros are essentially two months behind. It’s hard to experience that development deficit and try to compete against one of the best college basketball teams in years.

1. Drew Timme has become the ultimate pressure release valve on offense. When a possession breaks down or a guy gets stuck they can simply throw the ball down to Timme in the paint and he finds a way to make a bucket. There is literally no spot in the paint that he can’t score from.
2. The Zags did a really nice job of team rebounding in this game. Someone is always responsible for ensuring a solid box out with two more guys crashing. Dominant rebounding paired with stingy perimeter defense leads to a lot of one-and-done possessions for opponents.
3. Gonzaga gifted USD a couple of turnovers to start the game and what did the Toreros do with those freebies? Absolutely nothing except to turn the ball over even more, and unlike their counterparts, the Zags know how to turn those into points every time the other way.
4. Jalen Suggs has been a stone cold killer in the paint over the last few games. He’s always had the full array of finishing skills but he has utilized them with decisiveness and great control as of late. It has been really fun to watch.
5. There are times when Gonzaga is guilty of passing too much—the rarest of sins in basketball. There were a couple of possessions where a Zag should’ve shot the ball instead of trying for one more pass, but if extreme unselfishness is the problem you have with your offense, things are going really well.
6. Timme’s free throw shooting looks to be on track now, which might actually make him unstoppable.
7. Gonzaga shot 0-7 from the three point line in the first half...and still scored 51 points. That is a mind boggling stat. This offense is silly good.
8. I almost feel bad that the USD offense was juxtaposed against the Gonzaga offense in this game. The Torero offense typically featured three guys standing around while one guy tried to break down the GU defense. That’s a tough way to manufacture scoring opportunities, especially when you don’t enjoy the advantage in terms of talent level.
9. Aaron Cook might have the best collection of dunks on the team this season. He’s caught some bodies out there this year.
10. The Zags are so good that they have officially turned ESPN broadcasts into an infomercial for The Davenport’s spicy shrimp flatbread, or should I say “The Farnham”?