Tuesday, December 28, 2004
THREE'S GOTTA BE THE MAGIC NUMBER
On Dec. 18, Gonzaga defeated then-#3 Georgia Tech in Las Vegas.
Tonight, the Zags knock off the #3 Oklahoma State Cowboys, 78-75, in the Touchtone Energy All-College Classic in Oklahoma City.
While the game was played at the Ford Center, it was basically Gallagher-Iba South. The majority of the Ford Center crowd was pro-Cowboys, with a few Oklahoma Sooners fans hanging around from the early game, which the Sooners won over Tulsa, 70-64.
Tonight's game between Gonzaga and Oklahoma State definitely had that NCAA Tournament-feel to it. I almost had to look at the calendar and check to see if we were in March already. But we're in late December, just a week before conference play starts up for the majority of college basketball.
Oklahoma State is a veteran ballclub who went to the Final Four last season. But tonight, they were outworked and outhustled by Gonzaga. J.P. Batista led the way for Gonzaga, scoring 20 points off the bench. He had to play extended minutes tonight since Ronny Turiaf was limited by his right ankle and foul trouble, scoring 10 points in 18 minutes of action. Batista was 9-of-10 from the field. If there is one positive about Turiaf not playing a lot of minutes tonight, it's the fact that Batista got some experience. Believe me, this game will help him once West Coast Conference play starts. Adam Morrison scored 19 points and Erroll Knight had 11.
It's obvious that Gonzaga is a much better team than the one that showed up against Illinois back on Nov. 27. Since that blowout loss in Indianapolis, the Zags have defeated three teams that are currently ranked in the Top 25, Washington, Georgia Tech, and Oklahoma State. The Zags will head to Columbia, Missouri on Thursday night to take on the Missouri Tigers in the new Missouri Arena, formerly known as the Paige Sports Arena. Check out this humorous take on the new Missouri arena (it's from a Kansas fan). The Mizzou game will be on ESPN 2 at 5 p.m. Pacific, 7 p.m. Central.
What a big win for Gonzaga tonight. I think this win was more impressive than the Georgia Tech victory in Las Vegas, simply because they had to play in front of a hostile crowd. I will not be surprised if Gonzaga and Oklahoma State meet again in March. I'd pay money to see these two teams play each other, no doubt about it. Even with the loss tonight, I still believe Oklahoma State will win the Big XII. They're a damn good ballclub and won't let this loss affect them too much.
From what I've seen so far, I think this could be the best Gonzaga team since the 2001 team that went to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Purdue. What will help Gonzaga this season is that the West Coast Conference has improved. I think I heard last week that the RPI (Rating Percentage Index) for the WCC is 8th overall. But ratings aside, the WCC won't just be Gonzaga and a bunch of sadsacks.
Gonzaga. Mizzou. Thursday. ESPN 2. Quin Snyder is a douchebag.
Tonight, the Zags knock off the #3 Oklahoma State Cowboys, 78-75, in the Touchtone Energy All-College Classic in Oklahoma City.
While the game was played at the Ford Center, it was basically Gallagher-Iba South. The majority of the Ford Center crowd was pro-Cowboys, with a few Oklahoma Sooners fans hanging around from the early game, which the Sooners won over Tulsa, 70-64.
Tonight's game between Gonzaga and Oklahoma State definitely had that NCAA Tournament-feel to it. I almost had to look at the calendar and check to see if we were in March already. But we're in late December, just a week before conference play starts up for the majority of college basketball.
Oklahoma State is a veteran ballclub who went to the Final Four last season. But tonight, they were outworked and outhustled by Gonzaga. J.P. Batista led the way for Gonzaga, scoring 20 points off the bench. He had to play extended minutes tonight since Ronny Turiaf was limited by his right ankle and foul trouble, scoring 10 points in 18 minutes of action. Batista was 9-of-10 from the field. If there is one positive about Turiaf not playing a lot of minutes tonight, it's the fact that Batista got some experience. Believe me, this game will help him once West Coast Conference play starts. Adam Morrison scored 19 points and Erroll Knight had 11.
It's obvious that Gonzaga is a much better team than the one that showed up against Illinois back on Nov. 27. Since that blowout loss in Indianapolis, the Zags have defeated three teams that are currently ranked in the Top 25, Washington, Georgia Tech, and Oklahoma State. The Zags will head to Columbia, Missouri on Thursday night to take on the Missouri Tigers in the new Missouri Arena, formerly known as the Paige Sports Arena. Check out this humorous take on the new Missouri arena (it's from a Kansas fan). The Mizzou game will be on ESPN 2 at 5 p.m. Pacific, 7 p.m. Central.
What a big win for Gonzaga tonight. I think this win was more impressive than the Georgia Tech victory in Las Vegas, simply because they had to play in front of a hostile crowd. I will not be surprised if Gonzaga and Oklahoma State meet again in March. I'd pay money to see these two teams play each other, no doubt about it. Even with the loss tonight, I still believe Oklahoma State will win the Big XII. They're a damn good ballclub and won't let this loss affect them too much.
From what I've seen so far, I think this could be the best Gonzaga team since the 2001 team that went to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Purdue. What will help Gonzaga this season is that the West Coast Conference has improved. I think I heard last week that the RPI (Rating Percentage Index) for the WCC is 8th overall. But ratings aside, the WCC won't just be Gonzaga and a bunch of sadsacks.
Gonzaga. Mizzou. Thursday. ESPN 2. Quin Snyder is a douchebag.
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