Two games makes a trend! After absolutely throttling Texas Southern to open the season, the Gonzaga defense put the clamps down once again. Oklahoma just could not get any semblance of a consistent offense going in the first half, and the Zags coasted to a relatively easy win in the Spokane Arena, 83-68.
- After seeing 11 players get a lot of minutes to start the season, as somewhat expected, Ismalia Diagne and Davis Fogle are going to be on the short end of the rotation stick. For Diagne, you can color me surprised. With Graham Ike limited by foul trouble in the first half after a classic too-early second foul/technical foul, the coaching staff put in Jalen Warley and Tyon Grant-Foster–to great success. Grant Foster had 10 points at half and Warley had nine.
- Mario Saint-Supery looked a bit more comfortable in this game. He ended up getting a good run in the first half because of Braeden Smith foul trouble. He had four assists and three steals in the first half and a very nice baseline alley-oop to Grant Foster. He finished with more minutes overall than Smith, but I wouldn’t cede the starting PG postition to him quite yet.
- With how well Braden Huff and Graham Ike play on the floor together, sometimes I wonder “what if the Zags last season didn’t wait until literally the WCC Championship game to test it out for the first time.” So it goes.
- Classic Graham Ike game. He finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists. He attempted two three-point attempts that made me jump into the television screen to try and stop him. He picked up a technical and fouled out with three minutes left in the game. He was also dominant when on the court. The Ike experience is just to take the whole thing.
- Going into the game I noted that Oklahoma has a back court with experience that can score. The Gonzaga defense more than held their own. Nijel Pack was harried into a tough shooting night. Xzayvier Brown fared a bit better but also finished with five turnovers.
- Grant-Foster is the x-factor this season. He seamlessly replaces Khalif Battle’s athleticism–garnering a big alley-oop and a dunk off an offensive rebound. He lacks Battle’s three-point shooting but he is just as aggressive going after the ball. His ability to move off the ball and be in the right place in the right time makes him one of the sneakier scorers on the squad.
- The Zags crashed the boards with authority, grabbing 18 offensive boards and 28 defensive boards to Oklahoma’s 8 and 31. They took care of the ball, with just seven turnovers compared to Oklahoma’s 16. They also absolutely destroyed the Sooners in the paint–58 to 20.
- Oklahoma rattled off a 9-0 run 2/3 of the way through the second half and that was about the only life Gonzaga let the Sooners show in 40 minutes.
- The Zags’ defense was excellent in the first half and not as good in the second half. However, when you build a 24 point lead you are giving yourself the wiggle room to be not as good. Overall, they held the Sooners 0.944 PPP.
- This was a solid win that should hopefully age like fine wine over time. Porter Moser is a good coach and Oklahoma is a good team full of a ton of new faces. There is a decent chance this ends up as a Quad 1 victory.