12-1

[ZagaZags]

I see Gonzaga being 12-1 at the end of December. So a top 4 seed is realistic. Crazy.

12/14 University of South Alabama ( Seattle )
12/21 @ Kansas State. ( INTRUST Bank Arena )
12/28 Santa Clara ( Home )
12/30 San Francisco ( Home )

West Virginia was a very good win. ( I had us at 11-2 as of Jan. 1st )

[Ziggy]

That's my math, too ! We could make it to Mark's next 20 game season before another loss...

[zag67]

First of all I would like to say that they are doing super and I have loved every game. They work hard and have great chemistry. But I would have to say even if we go undefeated i do not see us as a top four seed.

There are too many great teams this year. Yeas I believe that on one given night we could beat all of them, but on a series of five or seven games I think they are too good. I think if we can get a five, six, or seven seed, then I would be very happy. That way we do not play the top four seeds right away.

Now really I do think we can win all but one or two games. I just hope we keep seeing them improve. Go zags.

[Reborn]

I kind of disagree with Zag67 about how tough the other teams are this year. I've watched alot of games and have felt that there is a lot of rebuilding going on around the NCAA. The only team I have felt that we might not be able to beat is Syracuse. There are alot of good Freshmen this year, but as I see it they are still Freshmen. If Nunez is a an athletic player and can rebound and play defense then I think the Zags are going to be really tough to beat. He will be one player that Few can have in his stable of thoroughbreds. Gonzaga already has a very good team, and Nunez (or even Edwards) could just make this team even better.

I noted even before the season started that the Zags would be real good, but would be short-handed during out of conference play. I felt even then that they would only lose one OOC game. And then Edwards had his tonsils out, and there seemed to be a cloud hovering above my prediction. But the Zags have so far prevailed with outstanding play and toughness. They have been so thin in the blocks, and are often playing with four guards. I've been so impressed with this team and proud. The strength of this team is that the are playing like Zags. The name on the front of their jersey brings out the very best in them. I believe that that name means something special to each of them, and they are playing for that name.

Some fans I think wonder why I am so positive, and am a prince in the Kool-Aid kingdom. It's because I too believe in the name on the front of the players' jersies. The name Gonzaga gives the players something that individual talent can not. I'm not saying that these guys are not talented. They are. But they are more then talented players. This team is certainly not as athletic as many team across America. And if you are only looking at athleticism I could see how you have doubts about Gonzaga. But try to look at that illusive quality, spirit, and try to see what is going on at Gonzaga University. Analysts talk about that "IT" factor. Gonzaga, in my opinion has it. The players have it. Can you see it? I think Kevin Pangos has it, just as Kelly had it last year. I believe Kevin is playing at the same level that Kelly played at last year. At last up to this point. He showed me, against WVU, that he has "IT". He put the team on his back and led them to victory in a way that Kelly did last year. For the Zags to be as good as I think they are, Kevin will need to continue to lead this team the way Kelly did last year. Mark Few has also noted that this team is not as athletic as some in the past, but he goes on to say more. He says that they are the most intelligent team he has had. These guys have high basketball IQ. This is also a winning factor.

One thing that all of us Gonzaga fans have gotten used to is having a guy on the team like Mike Hart, Pendo, Skinner, and many many (dang my memory loss). Gonzaga has always had a place for a David Pendograft and a Mike Hart. This year I think that guy is David Stockton. I have been a chief critic of Stockton, and he won me over to his fan base in the WVU game. As much as Kevin led us to victory, so did David. These two mini-guards were as tough as nails. David's steal and the following two fouls that he MADE, were a big factor in our comeback. And his passes to Dranginis' 3 pointer in the corner, and the 3 three-pointers to Kevin certainly played a big factor in the victory. Yes you need guys who can make those shots but you also need someone who can make those passes. David is not the player he was over the last few years. It's becoming apparent to me. Yes it's taken time to win me over. He is a senior and playing like it. He's also a leader and playing like it. He is making those foul shots this year, and believe me those FT's are important, especially for an undersized team like Gonzaga. He is not forcing shots like he did in years before. I think he's looking to pass more, and now to the guards as much as he has passed to the post players before. Yet, he continues to be one of those special point guards who can get the ball inside to the post. PK needs someone who can do that.

Mike Hart was a special player as well, and did so much for GU last year. David is filling that role very well. David is one of those guys like Hart who will come up with a timely rebound at the end of the game. Or you'll see him diving on the floor as he chases down a lose ball. Or it might be that big steal I was talking about. And his positive attitude about winning is contagious. I think we are beginning to see that our backcourt of Pangos, Bell and Stockton are in the top ten in college basketball. And as I am seeing now, they may be even higher.

These are reasons why I believe the Zags are as good as I think they are.

[zag944]

First of all I would like to say that they are doing super and I have loved every game. They work hard and have great chemistry. But I would have to say even if we go undefeated i do not see us as a top four seed.
There are too many great teams this year. Yeas I believe that on one given night we could beat all of them, but on a series of five or seven games I think they are too good. I think if we can get a five, six, or seven seed, then I would be very happy. That way we do not play the top four seeds right away.

Forgive me, but are you saying that if we go 32-1 the best we could anticipate is a 5 seed?

[zags422]

32-1 worst case scenario is a 2 seed…100% of the time everytime

[hondo]

One game at a time

Pride comes before the fall.

[zagzilla]

We will not run the table on the WCC this year. BYU is very tough. SMC always gives us trouble and I think Pacific might surprise some people. That doesn't even consider an off night on the road where get foul trouble and the shots just don't fall.

I predict 2-3 losses in conference to go along with 1-2 OOC (KState is risky).

3 losses and we might see a 4 seed depending on how our OOC wins look in March vis a vis RPI. 5 losses and we are gonna sweat out the 8-9 seed curse.

Would you rather be a 4 seed somewhere else or a 10/11 seed in Spokane?

ZZ

ZZ

[BobZag]

Pride comes before the fall.

A rather long, hard fall if people actually think we'll sweep the league again.

Zags are better than average - a good, decent team. That's all. A Mike Moser or a Josh Davis would've been massive for this team, but...

[zag67]

If we went undefeated. Sorry I meant that we would not be one of the top four teams. My bad. And if we lose one or two I am hoping for a 5,6, or 7 seed. I do not want to play a number one that early.

[zag944]

Pride comes before the fall.

I don't think anyone is saying we will do THAT well. I was just questioning an earlier post.

Id be shocked if we play well enough to earn a 1 or 2 seed. I wouldn't be with anything between a 3 seed and a bubble team. I've never felt like a GU team was so hard to project. Our best player having an injury that is hard to quantify makes this even more difficult.

[SDzagster]

My math says 13-1 if we win our 4 remaining Dec games.....then 21-1 at the end of Jan is very possible.
However, between Feb 1 and Mar 1 we could easily lose 3 or 4 of those. Memphis, USD, Saint Mary's and BYU
are all possible losses. We really need to win most of those Feb games to have momentum heading into the March
tourney games.

[DZ]

The key, as many have mentioned before, is avoiding the bad loss. We likely lose to BYU away and an away game at either USD, SMC or Pac. Even if USF sucks winning on the road there is maddeningly hard.

I actually see us beating K-State, less b/c we are so great as they are not so great. I can see us going undefeated through January - but, and I am still mad about this and think there is SOME conference nefariousness, the last four games of our schedule line up so difficult and with the committee's focus on "how you are playing lately?" That so works against us having those 4 straight of our toughest games on the road, in a row. That is infuriating. Two toughest road games to end? Ok. Four? Ridiculous.

I see us not losing until feb. I see two of the four road games as losses. The key to the season, IMHO is avoiding that bad loss at USF, Loyola, SCU etc. If we finish with 4 losses total - - I think we can maybe sneak into that 4 spot in Spokane. Though, this years number one seeds are crazy good and we might be better off as a 5 or 6 on the road.

[Reborn]

A rather long, hard fall if people actually think we'll sweep the league again.

Zags are better than average - a good, decent team. That's all. A Mike Moser or a Josh Davis would've been massive for this team, but...

Sorry BZ. I don't agree with your idea of the Zags this year. But that's really nothing new. hahaha The Zags are way better than average. I am not sure if the Zags will go undefeated in conference play or not. I'll make my predictions week by week. It's going to be a very very fun season. For one thing I don't see a single team in WCC that playes tough defense . IMO WVU would have beaten every team in the WCC the other night. They are that good at home. They are something like 72 and 2 at home. In that arena. That was not an average basketball team that beat WV last night. And average Zag team would have lost that one by 12 pts. And to think we won with one of our better players sitting on the bench almost the whole first half. That is incredible when you think what the Zags had to overcome. And yes, with Dower back playing the Zags scored 45 pts the second half.