Dec. 8—SEATTLE — One by one during Saturday’s postgame media session, Gonzaga coach Mark Few, point guard Ryan Nembhard and post Graham Ike detailed the offensive woes of the second half and extensions with a common refrain.
Good looks, not so good shooting.
After a closer look at key moments from the Zags’ 90-89 overtime loss to Kentucky at Climate Pledge Arena, those assessments were just about right.
Equally concerning were Gonzaga’s defensive errors, which led in part to the Wildcats’ control of the glass, as well as its faulty shooting.
And the major concern that emerged in GU’s two losses this season: finishing close games by executing on both ends of the floor.
The Zags are 1-2 in this department.
They outscored Arizona State in the final eight minutes, spurred by defensive stops in an 88-80 victory in early November. They lost their way offensively and defensively in an 86-78 loss to West Virginia, which outscored GU 55-39 in the second half and overtime.
Saturday was virtually a West Virginia replay, with the Wildcats holding a 56-39 advantage in the second half and overtime.
As far as combinations go, this one is suboptimal: Gonzaga scored a season-low 29 points in the final half while giving up a season-high 45 points to the Wildcats.
“They’re a good team, and obviously we had our runs, they had their runs,” Nembhard said. “It was a good basketball game. I think it will prepare us for games like this later in the year and teach us how to close out games better.”
How the Zags handle this task moving forward could tell the story of their season. Only a few teams make it through March Madness: UConn the last two years, Baylor in 2021 when it faced Gonzaga in the title game and North Carolina in 2009. Most championship teams dig at least a few biters along the way .
So what went wrong inside the Climate Pledge Arena? There have been countless examples of Zags failing to make shots, quality shots, inside and especially outside.
They had just two turnovers in the final 25 minutes, and one of them was a shot clock violation a fraction before Braden Huff hit a bank shot. They had very few examples of forced shooting or nomadic possessions.
They made 5 of 6 field goal attempts in a critical moment as they tried to stem Kentucky’s comeback. One problem: They lost ground because Kentucky went 6 of 6 in the same stretch.
On one possession, Nembhard, Nolan Hickman and Khalif Battle all missed open 3-pointers with GU ahead 56-50. This happened after Ike failed to connect on a few interior shots.
Leading 58-52, Nembhard’s 3-point attempt with the nearest defender 10 feet away fell short. Still on top 65-61, Dusty Stromer’s reverse layup ended, as did his ensuing short bank shot.
The Wildcats’ 1-3-1 zone, whether they stayed there for full possession or just for a pass or two, gave GU some problems, but the biggest problem wasn’t converting.
“Again,” Few said, “we just looked really good.”
Ike’s bank shot from 8 feet was a little too hard on Gonzaga’s final regulation possession. Overtime was just as frustrating with the Wildcats crushing Ben Gregg at the rim, Nembhard missing a 3-pointer and Gregg and Battle each missing 3s as Gonzaga fell behind 86-79.
Kentucky went from 33% shooting in the first half to 53% in the second half and 71.4% (5 of 7) in overtime. Rebounding, particularly offensively, helped fuel these increasing percentages.
Just as the Zags resumed their 3-point drive and Stromer and Nembhard connected to cut Kentucky’s lead to 86-85, Ike assisted on a ball screen to contest Koby Brea’s 3-pointer that bounced off the iron, leaving Michael Ajayi alone in the paint. against two great British players. He boxed out Amari Williams but Andrew Carr was free to collect the rebound and score on a backhander.
This was a recurring problem for GU over the final 25 minutes. Kentucky outscored the Zags 27-17 in that span and converted nine offensive rebounds into eight points while GU’s seven offensive rebounds led to just two points.
Gonzaga, leading 66-61, forced a missed 3 by Brea, but three offensive rebounds later, Otega Oweh scored on a throw-in.
“We did a good job in the first half,” Few said. “But again, we were stuck in rotations and not minding our business on the defensive end, so you have guys in tough spots. And we kind of started to make rules that we would start to overtaking random guys, which opened the glass and all sorts of things.”
In other words, there are several items on Gonzaga’s to-do list.
