Gonzaga loses charity exhibition to USC, 96-93

Tough night, sure. But the loss might be collateral damage in figuring out Gonzaga’s best lineups and player rotations.

Well, it wasn’t quite the outcome we hoped for or expected, but there are definitely more positives than negatives to take away from last night’s thrilling loss to Eric Musselman’s USC Trojans.

Unlike Musselman, I don’t think Mark Few’s goal in this matchup was actually to win. If that had been the case, we would have seen tighter player rotations, more logical minute distributions, and far fewer players on the court over the course of the game. Instead, the game seemed more about experimenting with different lineup combinations to see what worked best. In that department, it was a resounding success.

Ultimately, I think this was an encouraging outing for the Bulldogs, despite the final score, and there’s a lot to look forward to with this year’s super dynamic squad.

What a Wild Ride

Exhibition games have no right to be this thrilling. Gonzaga ultimately fell to USC, 96–93, in an absolute nail-biter that went right down to the buzzer. The game featured 8 lead changes and 10 ties, with USC’s largest lead ballooning to 11 in the second half. Yet, with 1:35 left, the Bulldogs managed to tie it up with some thrilling runs by our backcourt. Both teams pushed hard until the final whistle.

It’s worth considering that this close matchup is exactly the type of game Few wanted his players to face and play through last night. With a huge game against Baylor looming, an easy blowout against an unranked team like USC wouldn’t have done the Zags any favors going into their actual season opener. The real benefit of last night’s loss is that it hopefully highlighted some adjustments that need to be made for this team to find its rhythm.

Fouls, Fouls Everywhere

… and none where they were supposed to be. In the first eight minutes, 15 total fouls were called. The game ended with 52 fouls (25 for USC and 27 for Gonzaga) across 74 possessions for each team—roughly one foul every 46 seconds. Although the WCC refs had the night off, they were there in spirit nonetheless.

The issue wasn’t just the number of fouls; it was which fouls were called. Many were called away from the ball or on contested midrange shots with minimal contact. Some were even called for off-ball contact on in-bounds plays before the clock had started. There were questionable “moving screen” calls on the perimeter and dubious charging/blocking calls inside. A technical foul was even assessed to USC’s Josh Cohen coming out of a TV timeout. If anyone who was there could clarify what happened in the comments, I’d appreciate it—I’ve never seen anything like that before.

Meanwhile, it felt like it was open season on our bigs in the low-post. It was unclear what Ike, Huff, Gregg, or Ajayi needed to do to earn a shooting foul down low, but apparently, getting fouled a lot while shooting wasn’t enough. I’m usually okay with letting the bigs play a bit, but only if calls are consistent on both sides and only if a lack of fouls down low mean more fouls called away from the ball.

Fortunately, no one can foul out of an exhibition game; otherwise, the Zags would have been in dire straits, with both Ike and Huff racking up 3 fouls before halftime. They finished with 5 each, while Stromer had 4 and Innocenti 3.

If last night’s game indicates the officiating emphasis for the upcoming season, it looks like it’ll be patty-cake on the perimeter and no-holds-barred inside (aka the Matt-Painter-Needs-a-Win-Tonight approach). More teams than just Gonzaga will need to adjust their inside-out game.

Rough Night for Our Bigs

Speaking of Gonzaga’s big men, Ike simply wasn’t himself last night. Usually an extremely reliable scorer down low, Graham struggled to make a bucket around the rim. Granted, getting fouled a lot while shooting makes a big man’s job tough, Ike finished with a disappointing 3-10 shooting performance and only went 6-11 from the free-throw line.

Typically, Ike has time to set his feet and work one-on-one with his back to the basket. However, USC did an excellent job keeping him off balance and out of rhythm with great vertical rim protection and an emphasis on collapsing their guards to clog the paint before Ike could get situated.

Two minutes into the second half, Ike was 0-4 and pulled off the floor in favor of Braden Huff, who shot 5-9 on the night and sank both of his free-throw attempts. Both of Gonzaga’s bigs ended the night with 12 points, 5 fouls, and 3 turnovers each, but Huff tallied 9 rebounds to Ike’s 5 and played 4 fewer minutes.

I don’t think this uneven performance from Ike and Huff is cause for concern. Poor officiating, opening-night jitters, and missed shots that they otherwise make 95% of the time contributed to an off night for both. I still believe Ike will finish as WCC Player of the Year, and I still believe Braden Huff will contend for a 6th Man of the Year award.

Credit Where Credit’s Due…

As much as it pains me to say, the Trojans looked pretty good… Eric Musselman’s highly-ranked transfer class, one of the oldest in the NCAA, showcased poise and efficiency uncharacteristic of a team with such tenuous chemistry, shooting 55.4% from the field (31-56), 47.1% from beyond the arc (8-17), and 78.8% from the line (26-33). They moved the ball well, pushed the pace in transition at crucial moments, played solid perimeter defense, and staunchly thwarted the Bulldogs’ many attempts to close the gap. They made big shots when it mattered and nailed their free throws along the way.

They weren’t “rip your shirt off” good, but they exceeded my expectations in terms of cohesion and efficiency. I’m curious to see how their season unfolds under Musselman; they definitely have the veteran leadership and the rogue’s gallery of bucket-getters necessary to surpass expectations.

Who Will Actually Play… and When?

The big surprise before tip-off was Khalif Battle getting the starting nod over Nolan Hickman. Most assumed Battle would continue in the spark-off-the-bench role he played at Arkansas last year but that was not the case as the Zags took the floor in Palm Desert. The game opened with Nembhard, Ajayi, Gregg, Ike, and Battle, leaving some to wonder if Hickman was hurt or ill or if he really had lost his starting spot to the experienced transfer guard.

However, it quickly became clear that this game shouldn’t be used to gauge Gonzaga’s actual starting-5 or player rotations for the season. Few implemented a “platoon substitution” strategy just 5 minutes into the first half, swapping everyone on the court for a new lineup of Hickman, Huff, Stromer, Diagne, and Innocenti. I suspect that because only Hickman and Nembhard are comfortable running the point, the “second team” needed a true point guard, and Hickman was the only candidate. I still believe Hickman will start over Battle in the season opener, and I highly doubt Few will use a five-for-five substitution strategy again this season. It was anxiety-inducing but also thrilling to see guys like Diagne and Innocenti get big minutes in the first half of a close game, but I don’t think we’ll see it happen again.

Ben Gregg and Dusty Stromer were also suspiciously limited in last night’s outing, totaling only 14 and 15 minutes of action, respectively. But I expect Gregg’s minutes to see an uptick once his conditioning catches up and the season gets rolling. With so much talent and depth, it could be an uphill climb for Stromer, though.

The lineup that ultimately captured some momentum for the Zags was Battle, Nembhard, Hickman, Huff, and Ajayi. This three-guard setup, with Battle on the wing and Ajayi at power forward, kicked things into high gear for Gonzaga and for an all-too-brief stretch, the Bulldogs looked like the Bulldogs. Unfortunately, it may have been too little, too late as the final seconds ticked away and USC’s offense heated up from outside. It was a valiant offensive effort, but USC could just not miss from deep and Gonzaga’s perimeter defense faltered when it was most needed.

Battle Tested

As advertised, Khalif Battle is a bucket-getter—at all three levels and the free-throw line. He finished as the Zags’ leading scorer with 20 points on 6-13 shooting and 4-6 from beyond the arc. He also applied significant foul pressure on the Trojans and went 4-4 from the free-throw line. Battle delivered on everything he was brought in to do, and then some. You can’t ask for a more effective offensive performance from a player.

I don’t think the Zags will be at their best if they have to choose between Battle and Hickman at shooting guard spot. Getting Battle comfortable on the wing with Hickman/Nembhard in the backcourt could be the secret sauce this season to maximize our scoring potential. What this means for Gregg and Ajayi remains to be seen.

Battle played at full speed all game and had a lot to show for it by the end. He’s going to be a key playmaker for the Zags this season, and as his role solidifies, he’ll become even more lethal.

Ryan Nembhard: That is All…

Lordy, lordy, Ryan Nembhard! By the end of the first half, Gonzaga’s point guard had taken only one shot but notched five assists. He’s never been Gonzaga’s primary scoring threats so it’s not necessarily unusual for him to tally more assists than points at halftime, but that wouldn’t hold true for long.

He exploded in the second half, finishing with 19 points and 8 assists, going 9-10 from the free-throw line.

Nembhard apparently has a new gear to shift into this year, and he showcased it last night. As he’s previously mentioned, much of his offseason was focused on applying foul pressure on opposing guards and getting to the free-throw line with dribble-drive penetration. He did just that in the second half and even made a few highly contested shots at the rim.

When the team needed a boost, Ryan picked up the pace, made the right passes, took the right shots, and single-handedly pressured the defense in transition. I suspect he’ll likely break the Gonzaga single-season assist record again this year and go down as one of the best play-making point guards of the last few decades.

As I predicted, he was more than just “the straw that stirs the drink” last night By season’s end, Ryan Nembhard may well be in the conversation for “best point guard in the nation.”

I, for one, couldn’t be happier to be back watching Bulldog basketball. I hope you’re as excited as I am for the rest of this season. Put your thoughts in the comments below! Go Zags!