Gonzaga Bulldogs
West Coast (27-6, 18-3)
Coming off of the most successful season in Gonzaga’s history, Mark Few and his team have had quite a good follow-up to their 2012-2013 season. Once again they jumped out ahead of the rest of the WCC to take the regular season title. The Zags won another tournament title as well. The WCC is not an automatic-bid conference. But for Gonzaga it looks like a moot point. The conference tournament title has sealed the deal for the Bulldogs to make it 16 straight years in the tournament.
Big Wins: 11/27 vs Arkansas (91-81), 3/1 at Saint Mary’s (75-47), 3/11 vs BYU (75-64)
Bad Losses: 12/21 vs Kansas State (62-72), 1/9 at Portland (73-82), 2/23 at San Diego (66-69),
Coach: Mark Few (15 seasons at Gonzaga)
Why They Can Surprise:
This is a smart team that has talent. How that talent stacks up to the rest of the tournament field is a bit of a question. Point guard Kevin Pangos is one of the best at his position in the country. He is a steady point guard that is a scoring option for the Zags. He is their leader. Most importantly, there are a lot of team members getting involved. Four players average double figures. They get solid minutes out of seven or eight guys. This is a deep team that can wear down an opponent. Przemek Karnowski has proven a tough competitor in the middle. He is a vastly improved center that can be this team’s anchor. Karnowski and forward Sam Dower dominate the glass and create a possession advantage for Gonzaga. As a team they rip down about 26 rebounds per game. This is a smart team as well. They are fourth in the nation in shooting percentage because they always get a quality shot within their well-run sets.
Why They Can Disappoint:
How good is this team really? No matter who you play, going 15-3 in a conference is impressive. But the WCC is not any sort of murderer’s row of basketball teams. Saint Mary’s is good and BYU is a solid team, but they were both four games behind Gonzaga in the regular season standings. They played some interesting non-conference opponents early in the season. They beat West Virginia and Arkansas (who both got better later in the season) and lost to a Kansas State team that is decent but not great. There is no great way to gauge if those wins mean anything for this team moving into the NCAA tournament. Also, this team was a No. 1 seed last season, and they fell short. This team is not as good as that team. Logic indicates that the 2013-2014 version of the Zags is going to fall short of a deep run.
Probable Starters:
David Stockton, Senior, Guard, 7.6 ppg, 4.1 apg
Kevin Pangos, Junior, Guard, 14.2 ppg, 3.7 apg
Gary Bell, Jr., Junior, Guard, 11.1 ppg, 2.1 apg
Sam Dower, Senior, Forward, 14.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg
Przemek Karnowski, Sophomore, Center, 10.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.8 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Drew Barnham, Senior, Guard-Forward,6.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Kyle Dranginis, Sophomore, Guard, 6.0 ppg, 2.7 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.2 (39th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.4 (62, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 49.8 (4, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.6 (22, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.2 (84, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 39.3 (69, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.3 (128, 5)
Rebound Margin: 3.7 (65, 3)
Assists Per Game: 14.8 (50, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.3 (74, 3)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Southern
2013 NCAA Third Round loss to Wichita State
2012 NCAA Second Round win over West Virginia
2012 NCAA Third Round loss to Ohio State
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over St. Johns
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to BYU
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Florida State
2010 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Syracuse
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Akron
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Western Kentucky
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to North Carolina
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Davidson
2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Indiana
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
