Gonzaga can’t win. All the Bulldogs have done is remain unbeaten, but the questioning of how they’ve done it remains steady.
Yes, they beat Arizona, but the Wildcats didn’t have Allonzo Trier. Sure, they beat Florida, but do November wins even count?
Skeptics will keep finding ways to doubt the Zags, short of the program reaching the Final Four. But the Bulldogs’ 85-75 win over BYU gave all the reasons why they should be embraced both as the No. 1-ranked team and one that has a legitimate shot at winning the national title.
Let’s start with Nigel Williams-Goss.
If you’ve only got time for a snapshot of what the 6-foot-3 guard can do, replay the game and start at the point the Cougars had cut their 19-point deficit to nine and had the ball.
Williams-Goss found himself in the post guarding 6-10 center Eric Mika by himself. But when the pass was made, he used his quickness to get around Mika for the steal then took the ball coast-to-coast, finishing with his left hand in traffic while drawing a foul.
It started a personal 9-0 run and he scored 11 consecutive points for the Zags in all. He finished with a game-high 33 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few has had his share of great guards in Spokane, Washington before. But Williams-Goss brings a uniqueness to change the game in many areas that guys like Kevin Pangos and Jeremy Pargo before him could not do.
Let’s talk balance.
Even though Williams-Goss had the big night scoring, he doesn’t have to produce that way every game. The Bulldogs have five players who average double-figures scoring. Against BYU, six different players had a hand in scoring their first 20 points.
If they want to pound it inside, 7-footer Przemek Karnowski is shooting 71 percent from the field in West Coast Conference games. If opponents want to play him close, like the Cougars who kept double-teaming him in the first half, then the Zags can light it up outside.
Josh Perkins made three 3-pointers for the eighth time this season. He led a 6-for-10 effort from beyond the arc in the first half.
The Zags are versatile, too.
They can go big if they need to with 7-foot freshmen Zach Collins and Killian Tillie coming off the bench to complement Karnowski. Collins had three blocked shots against BYU to add to his team-leading total that has reached 34.
They can go small with 6-9 Missouri transfer Johnathan Williams serving as center. Though they don’t have a dominant rebounder, four players average more than five per game. Williams, Karnowski and Collins led the team with eight each against the Cougars.
Few has many options. If he needs to play a group that can get out in transition, he can do that. If he has to win a half-court, grind-it-out type of game, he has the personnel to do that, too.
And you can’t forget about their experience.
Knowing how big of a game and atmosphere it would be in Provo, Utah, the Zags didn’t give the home crowd anything to get excited about early. They jumped out to a lead and never trailed.
But when the Cougars inevitably made a comeback, the Bulldogs didn’t get rattled.
A younger team might have caved when BYU cut the deficit to 66-58 with seven minutes left. Instead, the Zags didn’t commit another turnover the rest of the game.
Gonzaga is the only team currently ranked in the top 10 of offensive and defensive efficiency, according to Ken Pomeroy.
The Zags have proven they are a complete team. The skeptics have to be running out of reasons to disagree.
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