What a sincere and unexpected way for BYU to characterize the West Coast Conference play.
After the first three WCC matches have been postponed, the Cougars visit the no. On Thursday (18:30, MST, ESPN). 1 Gonzaga in a match drawn earlier this week.
Of course, BYU will be a big underdog against the Bulldogs who achieve the highest ranking.
“We are so excited to make a big turnaround about this and see where we end up,” BYU coach Mark Pope said Tuesday night in his coaching performance on BYUtv.
Thursday’s match is a rescheduling of the February 6 meeting between BYU and Gonzaga at the Kennel, and it’s not an extra match. What will happen to the match on February 6 has yet to be determined.
The WCC, BYU, Gonzaga and ESPN have worked together to adjust the schedule. BYU was originally scheduled to air in the Pacific on Thursday, while the Zags were supposed to play Santa Clara.
Gonzaga (10-0, 1-0) rides a 14-game winning streak, a 44-game home win and a 22-game WCC home win. This season, the Zags took a win at No. 3 Iowa, No. 5 in Kansas, no. 11 in West Virginia and no. 15 Virginia.
Gonzaga in his first four games became only the third team ever to beat three top-15 opponents. That beat San Francisco 85-62 at home last week.
“They are remarkable,” Pope said. ‘Maybe it was back … UNLV with Larry Johnson and (coach Jerry) Tarkanian that there was a team that was so complete, 100% dominant over everyone in college basketball. What they are currently doing is extraordinary. ”
When was Gonzaga last lost?
Well, that happened almost a year ago, on February 22 in a sold-out Marriott Center, where the no. 23 Cougars defeating No. 2 Zags 91-78.
That night, BYU unleashed Gonzaga’s 19-game winning streak, as well as his 39-game WKC winning streak.
Meanwhile, no other team has had as much success at the Kennel as BYU over the past few years.
The Cougars won there three years in a row from 2015-’17. In 2015, BYU ended the Zags series with 22 games and 41 games at home. In 2017, the Cougars shocked Gonzaga when he was the No. 1 in the country and had a perfect 29-0 record. BYU trailed 18-2 in the early moments of the game and won 79-71.
As for the Gonzaga team, some say it might be the best of coach Mark Few. Some national experts predicted that the Zags could be undefeated and win their first national championship.
Gonzaga is so good.
The Zags boast a star-studded series with Corey Kispert, averaging 21.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game; Drew Timme (18.4 points, 7.3 rebounds), Jalen Suggs (13.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists); Joel Ayayi (12.2 points, 8.8 rebounds); and Andrew Nembhard (9.8 points, 4.7 assists).
“Every time you talk about the Zags, it’s incredibly in transition. “One to five can repel it from the refusal,” Pope said. ‘This Drew Timme is really amazing because he’s a point center. You hear about forwards all the time. But he doesn’t just push transition one or two or three dribbles. He pushes in the transition, makes one or two movements off the bounce, and then throws thumbs through the back as if completely downhill. ”
Pope praised Few’s ability to recruit and develop the talent through a pipeline that has flowed to Spokane over the years.
“It’s an honor to their staff, their team, their program and coach Little and everything they did,” Pope said. “They bring in really talented players. What’s amazing is that they have guys who not only played as a freshman, but were also a freshman, and then next season they’ll be an All-American. ‘
Pope called Suggs, a five-star recruiter, “probably a top-3 lottery pick” in the NBA draft. Nembhard is a graduation ceremony from Florida.
The Zags shoot 55% off the field and score 95 points per game. They scored at least 85 points in all ten of their matches.
BYU (9-2) has not allowed 80 points for an opponent this season.
The Cougars have not played since December 23, an 87-79 victory over Weber State. The cougars say goodbye on Saturday. Their next game is next Thursday in Saint Mary’s.
For now, BYU is happy to play a game.
‘I’m very grateful to the Zags. I say that now, ‘said the coach. “We’ll see how I feel on Thursday night after the game. I can not say enough good things about it. ”
Cougars in the air
BYU (9-2, 0-0) at no. 1 Gonzaga (10-0, 1-0)
Thursday, 18:30 MST
The Kennel
TV: ESPN
Radio: 1160 AM, 102.7 FM