- It only took one game for Gonzaga and Baylor fans to get ESPN’d. Granted, to be fair, the game was coming after a Monday Night Football contest that went into overtime. MNF finished in time, but ESPN couldn’t be stopped and had to broadcast two different post-game shows, bumping the start of the game to ESPNU. How great it is to be back.
- The bench was an absolute standout in this game. Braden Huff and Dusty Stromer, in particular, were spectacular in the first half, with eight and nine points through 20. The depth of this squad is going to be one of the big differences over last season. Mark Few’s first substitution was three guys–Stromer, Huff, and Michael Ajayi.
- Through the first half, Graham Ike and Ryan Nembhard combined for just seven points. If this were last year, one would most likely think the game wasn’t going so well. But Gonzaga led by 19, largely on the strength of their team defense but also a balanced attack. Nolan Hickman, Ben Gregg, Stromer, and Huff all had at least eight points.
- Even though it was a meaningless exhibition game, the offense looked disjointed against USC. Apparently, whatever messages need to get through did, because last night the offense was anything but. Nembhard finished with 11 assists, but it was an entire team effort. The Zags moved the ball around with ruthless efficiency, finishing with 25 assists on 40 field goals. Dropping 101 points on a good Baylor team is going to do wonders, but this team showcased last night why it is one of the, if not the, top offenses in the nation.
- For the Zags to compete for a national title this season, they need growth across the board, and that includes from role-players such as Stromer and Huff. Stromer’s good night from three was offset a little bit by some poor turnovers, but let’s give the big shoutout to Huff. Huff was fantastic. He finished with 14 points off 7-of-9 shooting in 16 minutes. He was assertive on offense and on defense, and most importantly, this was against a very good team. Huff’s MO in the prior couple of seasons has been to showcase these flashes against inferior competition but struggle against the larger guys. Last night was not the case. If Huff is finally hitting that potential, other team’s just need to watch out.
- There is a reason that everyone has been talking about how Khalif Battle could be the difference maker and that the Zags have never had a player quite like him. We saw bits of that last night. He had an absurd long three off the dribble, and he followed that up with two more three pointers, all in the time span of roughly a minute. Interestingly, Battle didn’t make it to the free throw line once, he spent most of his game hanging around the three point line. The man is just a bucket waiting to happen and makes the offense that much more dangerous.
- We cannot talk about the offense so much without talking about the defense. The Zags did wonders on basically everyone. Baylor finished the game just 3-for-21 from long range, and this is a team with four players who shot over 40 percent from long range last season. Baylor just couldn’t get a single thing consistently going in the first half, and then when they tried with a 16-4 run in the second half, the Zags just turned around and punched them in the face even harder. This was an excellent team defensive effort. Battling for boards, diving for lose balls, the energy was there and it showed in the final seconds.
- Credit to Scott Drew and the Baylor staff for even booking this game in the first place. Baylor has the potential to be a very good team but they currently are not there yet, and considering the number of new faces, that isn’t much of a surprise. Even knowing this, Coach Drew went into the lion’s den for the very first game of the season. This is what makes college basketball great, so kudos to the Baylor squad for making it happen. It is much better than both teams playing our Poor Lady of Mishaps in the opening night.
- I would say this is without a doubt the best opening night win in Gonzaga history. The 2020-21 Jalen Suggs coming out party against Kansas in the opening year was a blast and helped set the stage for what was to come. But let’s be honest here, the Zags defeated the Jayhawks by 12 points. Gonzaga just walloped a top-10 Baylor squad 38.
- Joe Few RIP for dying in the waning minutes of the game but the coach’s son fell on the team sword like a champ and has lived to tell the tale.
Slept on thoughts from Gonzaga’s win over Baylor
