Tonight's matchup against San Francisco (6 pm tipoff, televised locally on KHQ) marks the last Gonzaga men's basketball game of a memorable (mostly) 2013 for the Zags. They went to No. 1 back in March, then a few weeks later, this happened. And now they've won 11 games to finish out the 2013 portion of the 2013-14 campaign.
But here's how things stand in Zagland at the end of the calendar year. Warning — there's some bad news ahead.
OUCH!
Compared to other successful basketball programs, I've always felt like Gonzaga has been shockingly immune to injuries. This year, that is hardly true.
Sam Dower Jr. missed Saturday night's game after falling on his back super hard against Kansas St. He's been positive about the injury, but it's uncertain whether or not he'll be playing tonight. He's not listed as a starter — that much is sure.
Speaking of pain, Gary Bell, Jr. injured his hand on Saturday night. And now the news has gotten worse — the hand is broken and it looks like the fiery guard will be out for a while.
Kevin Pangos hasn't missed any games, but his toe is bothering him. Don't laugh. Go try to jump if your big toe hurts. It's incredibly hard and you could tell that Pangos was in pain against Santa Clara on Saturday night. After getting some medical attention, though, he returned to the game to help the Zags pull it out against the Broncos.
QUIET TIME
There was something missing from Saturday night's game in the McCarthey Center against Santa Clara. What was it? Oh yeah, the 1,200 bonkers-to-quite-bonkers undergraduates you see bouncing gleefully on one entire side of the court. It's still Christmas Break and the students won't be back for another week. And their absence is hard to miss.
Damn, was it quiet in the Kennel last week and that may have contributed to an uncharacteristically slow start for the Zags, who struggled to pull away from Santa Clara.
If you're going to the game, you might want to down a Red Bull or something before taking your seat. They need some energy. I mean, I think the loudest people in my section on Saturday were the nuns who cheered on the squad while wearing habits and everything.
THE WOMEN'S TURN
The men's team has the luxury of playing its first four conference games of the season at home. That's not the case with the women Zags, who have to play their first three games on the road.
And the time away from the Kennel didn't start off well. The Zags fell 78-79 to Saint Mary's in overtime on Friday, despite 31 points from Haiden Palmer.
Per their annual pre-Christmas tradition, the Zags are heading to Seattle to play a game in Key Arena, the former home of the Seattle Supersonics (pouring out a forty of Rainier beer in their honor right now) for the 11th installment of the Battle in Seattle.
This year, the game is being marketed with an AC/DC theme because, uh, I'm not sure. My best guess is to add some extra flair to the event, seeing as how the opponent is South Alabama. Last year, the Zags triumphed over Kansas State and prior years have seen other powerhouses like UConn, Oklahoma State and, in the inaugural Battle, they outlasted then third-ranked Missouri in overtime.
Still, it's a good chance for Gonzaga fans on the wetter side of the mountains to see the Zags play. Hell, it's a good chance for even Spokane fans to see the team, seeing as how tough it is to get a ticket into the McCarthey Center and they aren't playing any Spokane Arena games as of late.
So, South Alabama. Let me bring you up to speed, because I doubt there are many Jaguar (that's their mascot) fans in the Inland Northwest.
The Jaguars are 5-4 so far this season. They played Texas close in November and are coming off a three-overtime heartbreaker against Rice. They are lead by senior Augustine Rubit, who is leading the team in scoring (16.7) and rebounding (10 a game)
If you're heading over to Seattle, drive careful over the pass. If not, you can catch the game locally on KHQ or on Root Sports. Tip off is slated for 7 pm.
Now, some other notes.
TALKIN' ABOUT ANGELS
The Zags are going to get some much-needed rebounding help next weekend when Angel Nunez, a 6-8 transfer from Louisville, finally becomes eligible. Nunez transferred after the first semester of last season, so he had to sit out a full year, meaning he'll be able to play after finals wrap up at GU on Friday. Who knows if we'll see Nunez against Kansas State, who the Zags face in Kansas City next weekend, but I'd put money we do.
BETTER BASKETBALL
I've mentioned a few times here that the Zags, despite losing two NBA players last year, are scoring the ball at a nearly unprecedented clip. According to the NCAA, Gonzaga isn't the only team putting the ball in the hoop more frequently. A report released by the NCAA shows scoring in men's college basketball up about 5 and a half points per game over this time last year. Shooting has also improved and turnovers are down. This is all thanks to new, stricter rules that keep defenders from handchecking their opponents. Because of this, free throw are up by five a game over last year and fouls by two a game per team.
I'm all about the increased scoring, but the new rules seem to vary greatly from game to game. Some of these early season games have been marred by whistle after whistle until all star players have fouled out. That Dayton game comes to mind...
MEMORIES
And here's perhaps the best Battle in Seattle moment ever.
Tags: Zag Watch , basketball , Culture , Sports , Arts & Culture , Image , Video
ZagNation is going national tonight. The now 20th-ranked Bulldogs take the court in Morgantown to take on the Mountaineers of West Virginia University. And they're doing it on national television during primetime — 6 pm PST on ESPN2.
To Gonzaga fans, West Virginia is best known as the squad that the Zags have beaten into the ground the past two seasons. First came a 24-point shellacking in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament and then Bob "Mafia Tracksuit" Huggins brought his Mountaineers to Spokane just eight months later only to get even more shellacked, that time by 34 points.
This year's Mountaineers have been playing some tough ball. They've lost three games, but all three were to quality opponents, including a seven-point defeat to #10 Wisconsin. Where it's going to get interesting tonight is the long distance shooting. The Zags, as I mentioned on Saturday, are the nation's top overall shooting team, overall from the field and from three-point land. WVU isn't too shabby, either. They stroke it at a 44 percent clip, good for sixth in the nation.
Expect things to get fast. Both these teams can get up an down the floor and, as I've said, aren't afraid to let it rip.
Keep an eye on WVU's Eron Harris. The sophomore guard is averaging almost 19 points a game.
INJURY UPDATE
Gonzaga guard Gary Bell got dinged up in Saturday night's game against New Mexico State and sat the entire second half. Apparently, it was a hip injury, but expect him to be back in the starting lineup tonight. Hopefully we'll also get another look at freshman Ryan Edwards. The 7-plus-footer from Montana got a couple minutes in the blowout over Coppin State, but didn't make an appearance Saturday night. But all reports have him recovered from a tonsillectomy.
HOMEBODIES
It's December 10, but somehow this is Gonzaga's first actual road game of the season. They traveled to Maui in November, but those were technically "neutral site" games. This has to be a refreshing change for a Gonzaga team known to criss-cross the nation in the early months of the season, hoping to boost its tournament resume before dominating WCC play.
REMEMBERING PITTSNOGLE
Is it just me, or is there anyone else out there who still thinks of Kevin Pittsnogle when someone mentions West Virginia basketball? Anybody remember this ugly, yet deadly son of a gun? The guy could totally stroke it, as he did in the 2006 NCAA tournament, taking the Mountaineers all the way to the Sweet Sixteen. His prowess in that tournament prompted my friends and I to develop a drinking name called Pittsnogle. As I recall, it was a combination of beer pong and bowling and featured more than a page of rules.
What ever happened to ol' Pittsnogle, you ask? He never made an NBA squad but dabbled in the D-League for a few seasons. These days, he'll happily sell you a Jeep in Martinsville, W.V.
Tags: Zag Watch , Gonzaga , basketball , Culture , Sports , Arts & Culture , Image
It is cold out here in Spokane. Yeah, we've seen some chilly temperatures in these parts, but the wind the last couple of days have probably been enough for Gonzaga fans to wish they were still back in Maui.
In the McCarthey Athletic Center, though, things should be nice and toasty as the now 19th ranked (or 15th if you go by the other poll) Bulldogs and their faithful student section get things rocking tonight against New Mexico State. You're thinking, oh New Mexico, they've been a powerhouse in the last five years. Stop right there. State. This is New Mexico State. The Aggies, they call them, and they are no slouches, either. They've made the NCAA tournament the past two seasons.
NMSU comes into the game with 7-3 record, all three of those losses being relatively close ones, the last of which was in the form of a 79-70 defeat to the aforementioned New Mexico. Keep an eye out for a potential Canadian-on-Canadian as NMSU's lead scorer Daniel Mullings might come up against his rival Ontarian (is that what you call someone from Ontario?) Kevin Pangos.
We're hoping the Kennel Club isn't camping out for this one. That would be brutal out there. You can watch on ESPNU at 8 pm in the warmth of your favorite bar or armchair.
The Zags don't get much of a break after NMSU, making their only East Coast trip of the regular season on Tuesday night to play West Virginia. The Mountaineers are 6-3 with quality losses against 10th ranked Wisconsin, Missouri and an early season close one to Virginia Tech. Expect the three-pointers to be flying in that one. Gonzaga and West Virginia are second and 10th, respectively, in three-point percentage. And in terms of pure volume, WVU has made a staggering 84 total threes in their first nine games. More on that...
FROM DOWNTOWN
Going into tonight's game, the Zags are shooting 48 percent from three-point range, the second-best average in the country. That is a better percentage than 60 other Division I teams are shooting period. What's even more remarkable is that they've shot like that with more than a few guys firing away. Bell, Pangos, Barham, Coleman and even Dower can all light it up from long distance.
BEST SHOOTING TEAM?
There's no question that Gonzaga has fielded stronger, faster, more athletic, more dunktastic, and as I've mentioned, better hairstyled in previous seasons, but the way this group of Zags can shoot the ball has been impressive. The team leads all of Division I in shooting percentage at a smoking hot 55.8 percent. Gonzaga finished third in the nation last season at just over 50 percent.
RUN IT UP
Keeping with the theme here, it's no surprise that the Zags are scoring the ball a hell of a lot this year. They are averaging 91.8 points per game in the early going, good for fourth in the nation. That fourth place total would be more than ten more than the leading team last year. You can blame some of that on this hot shooting, but scoring is up in college hoops across the board — mostly thanks to the new rules in the game making defensive fouls a hell of a lot easier to call.
Enough with the number nerdery — enjoy the game. And stay warm, fer God's sake.
Tags: Zag Watch , Gonzaga , basketball , college basketball , Culture , Sports , Arts & Culture , Image
For the past five years, the Spokane Police Department has played a hockey game against the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office to raise funds for the Behind the Badge Foundation and Chiefs Care. The Behind the Badge Foundation honors and supports Washington state law enforcement personnel who have been seriously injured in the line of duty and their family members in the case of death. Chiefs Care provides continuing education for Spokane Chiefs players.
According to the hockey game founder, Bradley Moon, “It was supposed to be a one time deal. But, the Spokane Chiefs came back, thought it was a good event and wanted it to continue.”
The original game was played to provide support for the families of four Lakewood police officers killed in a coffee shop in 2009. The hockey game raises an average of $3,000 through a silent auction that takes place during the game.
This year, the Spokane Police Department won 5-1 in front of 800 people.
Tags: hockey , Spokane Police Department , Spokane County Sheriff's Office , Behind the Badge Foundation , Chiefs Care , Spokane Arena , News , Sports , Image
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This weekend the Washington State football team took on Arizona and actually won. It was a big and necessary win to keep WSU’s bowl hopes alive. But if you were following the game on social media, you might have gotten the impression the whole point of the game was to get revenge on someone named Megan Coghlan.
Coghlan is the sports editor at the Arizona Daily Wildcat, the student newspaper, and she penned an essay for Yahoo Sports bashing the Cougs:
The possibility of Washington State beating Arizona this weekend does not keep me up at night. In fact, the chance of the Cougars having any sort of advantage over Arizona is not something I'll ever worry about. WSU, you should be worried.
Arizona has a lot to brag about, not just in football but in many areas. Let me count the ways.
First, I have yet to meet a legitimate Cougar fan. I may not live in Washington or spend much time there, but the Washington Husky fan base is serious business. Sorry to bring up a touchy subject, it can't be fun living in the shadow of your "rival" Washington. Your program just won't be as relevant as the famed Huskies. I'd like to say I understand what it's like to be the lesser in-state rival, but I can't relate.
And so forth. Sports editor Michael-Shawn Dugar of the Daily Evergreen, at WSU, also weighed in. It’s part of a whole rivalry series called the “Loyalty Report” or the “Battle Loyale.”
When the Cougs actually won, Coghlan became the designated target of WSU fans’ celebratory rage. Fans found her Twitter account, forcing her to make it private. They found her on Instagram. They posted the college newsroom phone numbers for her and the editor-in-chief. Within the state, #MeganCoghlanSucks was briefly trending on Twitter. Someone made a not-very-funny parody Twitter account. Some tweets directed her way were absurd and generic enough to be more funny than mean. “Megan Coghlan listens to Nickelback.” “Megan Coghlan tells children Santa isn’t real.” “Megan Coghlan sucks more than Pac-12 refs.”
But a lot were just plain mean. Not even trying to be funny.
And there were some loyal Cougs who questioned whether this was a good idea. It’s done, they said, maybe it’s time to lay off.
But lots of people didn’t.
Now, I’m a lifelong Coug, so I know WSU fans don’t get much occasion to practice being good winners. And you know I’m loyal because this tweet from a so-called journalist made me pretty annoyed:
Asshole. Stay out of our business.
But he’s exactly right. WSU fans, you’re embarrassing yourself. You’re embarrassing all the rest of us. Do you get that she’s a real person? That she probably got assigned to write that essay? Do you get that angering you was the whole point?
And, worse, the abuse directed Coghlan’s way took a decidedly sexist turn. It’s totally possible a male writer would have gotten the same backlash, but he would not have been called a “slut,” an “ignorant bitch” and much worse.
“She asked for it.” “She had it coming.” You get that’s the language of rape apologists, right? She didn’t ask for anything. She wrote an essay, probably because someone else told her to, and then a whole bunch of other people play a football game. That’s how it’s supposed to work. And if Arizona had won, that would have been the end of it. So now I imagine most of the conference is saying, “Yeesh, good thing WSU doesn’t win more often.”
Fans who’ve been participating in this: It makes you look desperate. It makes you look like an ignorant pack of witch-burners. Most of all: It draws attention to the fact that you don’t have much experience with winning.
And all of you who somehow think this “ruins” her writing career? You’re completely wrong — unfortunately, “getting attacked by strangers on the Internet” is practically a job requirement these days for journalists with opinions (and some say a big reason we don't have more women writing opinion). Coghlan didn’t hide; she came back with this indignant but completely justified response to her weekend of abuse. I suspect (and hope) she’ll be fine. It’s you I’m worried about.
Tags: Sports , WSU , college football , Image
College basketball season is upon us, as you may have noticed on Saturday when the Zags met, and then promptly dispatched Bryant University.
Tonight, the Zags take on Colorado State here in Spokane at 6 pm. CSU made waves last season, earning their first national ranking in decades while advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
It's going to be a nice first challenge for a Zags squad that looked solid on Saturday night, especially considering the amount of talent that went to the NBA (and wherever Mike Hart went) in the off season.
Tonight's game is part of an outrageous made-for-TV tradition over at ESPN that features more than 24 hours of nonstop basketball on the company's family of stations. Want to get a look at the Zags WCC rival BYU? Tune in at 8 pm to ESPN2 to see them take on Stanford. Or maybe you want to size up this year's St. Mary's squad? They're playing Akron at midnight, also on ESPN2.
And that pesky Wichita St. club that ruined GU's season last March? They play Western Kentucky at 10 pm. If you can't sleep, I recommend sitting in front of ESPN2 at 4 am to see Florida Gulf Coast in all of their dunking glory against Hartford. That game is being played live on the East Coast at 7 in the morning local time. They might as well play in their pajamas.
Brew the coffee. It's time for an all-nighter.