On Graham Ike and fouling

There were quite a few reasons why the Gonzaga Bulldogs lost to the Saint Mary’s Gaels in the WCC Tournament Championship, 69-60, but none stand out more than Graham Ike’s limited box score due to foul trouble.

Ike was plagued by fouls throughout the entire game, much of it his own doing, especially with two equally dumb fouls in the second half. In the end, he logged just 19 minutes.

• Foul #1: 15:46 left in the first half
• Foul #2: 14:29 left in the first half
• Foul #3: 18:10 left in the second half
• Foul #4: 15:04 left in the second half

Ike came back in the second half at the 5:18 mark, but his aggressiveness on both the offensive and defensive end was hampered by two fouls. Similarly, he returned to the court with 4:58 left in the game with the same situation, only this time with less wiggle room and four fouls.

We saw a similar situation unfold in Gonzaga’s loss at home to Santa Clara. In that game, Ike logged just 17 minutes before fouling out in the waning seconds of the game.

• Foul #1: 17:05 left in the first half
• Foul #2: 8:17 left in the first half
• Foul #3: 2:52 left in the first half
• Foul #4: 18:19 left in the second half
• Foul #5: 0:14 left in the second half

Arguably, Ike is Gonzaga’s most important player on the offensive and defensive end, and it becomes problematic when he racks up fouls at an aggressive rate, as he usually does. Ike’s fouls committed per 40 minutes is 4.7, easily the highest of the starters, and nearly two full fouls more than his fellow frontcourt mate Anton Watson (2.9).

Nobody is going to accuse Watson of being a slouch on defense. He is just smart enough to know when he has been beaten and when it is worth fouling. Most importantly, he doesn’t take himself out of the game due to fouling issues.

No one will ever give Drew Timme a Defender of the Year Award, but there is something to be said for knowing that your importance on the offensive end means you have to stay in the game. Let the opponent score so you don’t ride the bench for 10-minute stretches.

For the most part, the offense can stabilize without Ike’s presence thanks to Braden Huff’s scoring ability. The defensive metrics take a massive hit, however.

Per Hoop-Explorer.com, when Ike is on the court, the Zag’s adjusted defensive rating is 94.0. When he is off the court, that soars to 105.6.

Over the past 11 Gonzaga games, Ike has finished with at least four fouls in eight of them. Of those six games, the third (or fourth) foul came largely too early in the contest, immediately sending him to the bench for a substantial chunk of time.

• March 12 vs. Saint Mary’s: 18:10 left in the second half
• March 11 vs. San Francisco: 12:54 left in the second half
• February 29 vs San Francisco: 12:34 left in the second half (from a technical right after his second foul)
• February 15 vs LMU: 10:58 left in the second half
• February 10 vs. Kentucky: 9:58 left in the second half (fourth foul: 8:30)
• February 7 vs. Portland: 17:51 left in the second half (fourth foul: 16:08)

Ike has said he channels his game a bit after Kevin Garnett, a player well-known for his intensity on the court. It shows on the television screen. The man plays with passion and energy and I surely would not want to be in his way when he is determined to score.

That passion and energy is a double-edged sword, however. It cannot overtake the logical portion of the brain. That happens a bit too often with Ike, and we saw the negative consequences of it last night.