Gonzaga Puts Away Davidson, 90-65

If you’re a fan of Gonzaga basketball, there’s a lot to be excited about despite the team’s 5th-place finish in this year’s Battle 4 Atlantis.

Well, That Was Just Some Good, Clean Fun, Huh?

The Zags took the court for their third game in as many days and played some of their best basketball all season. They comfortably put away the Davidson Wildcats, 90-65, powered once again by their unbelievably talented bench, another jaw-dropping performance from Ryan Nembhard, and a major bounce-back game from Graham Ike. It’s a testament to this year’s team that even with intense fatigue setting in—and despite some lackluster performances from a handful of starters—they still managed to cruise to an easy win over a deceptively talented opponent.

No, the Zags did not win the Battle 4 Atlantis. But they may have given fans something even more important than an early season tournament championship: reassurance that this team does, in fact, have that dog in ‘em.

Moral Victory in the Bahamas

It’s not every day you walk away excited about how your team played, even though the box score is peppered with eye-poppingly troubling stats. The Zags had a tough three days in the Bahamas, stumbling early and only beginning to look like themselves once it was too late to leave with a championship.

But after an ugly, gritty win over Indiana—defined by an overeager officiating crew and constant struggles to capture momentum—and a stellar final performance against a surprisingly scrappy Davidson squad, 5th place in a loaded field of talented teams probably feels like a huge win for fans.

The opening-round loss to West Virginia wasn’t just a bump in the road—it was, thankfully, a wake-up call, the kind that forces a team to take a long, hard look in the mirror. Going on to beat Indiana or Davidson was never really in question; we all knew the Zags had the talent to beat any team in the country. The real challenge was whether they could recalibrate quickly after an ugly defeat, pull themselves together, and reemerge as a stronger, more cohesive unit before things spiraled—unlike some other top-5 teams who lost once, then totally fell apart, thanks mostly to the antics of their clownish head coach and the poor play of their overhyped point guard, leaving Feast Week 0-3 and headed back to Storrs, Connecticut (or wherever this hypothetical team happens to hail from) with their proverbial tails between their legs.

After today’s dismantling of Davidson—a team that, to their credit, played quite well—that challenge has been met. Questions about the Zags’ grit, resilience, versatility, and depth? Answered.

It’s still November. There will be ups and downs. Deep, talented teams like this always face growing pains, especially when figuring out roles for players who can contribute in so many different ways. But one thing is clear after these three days: when this Gonzaga team falls, they won’t stay down for long. And when they get back up, they can climb high—terrifyingly high.

Respect for Davidson

Davidson isn’t a bad basketball team by any stretch. Yes, fatigue, a shallow bench, and a deficit in athleticism stacked the odds against them, but they didn’t roll over. Big man Reed Bailey was exceptional, putting up 19 points and grabbing five rebounds. Lithuanian guard Robert Blums provided valuable minutes off the bench and reached double digits in scoring as well. Despite taking haymaker after haymaker straight to the chin, Davidson never really went away. Kudos to the Wildcats for showing up ready to fight and grinding it out until the end.

Sometimes, though, your fight for 5th place just happens to be against a team that knows they should be fighting for 1st—and wants everyone else to know it too.

The Bad News / Good News Breakdown

Tonight’s game was a classic case of “Bad News, Good News,” with far more to be thrilled about than concerned. It’s a testament to how good this team is that so many scary bad stats could pile up, and yet it didn’t matter in the least. The Zags still looked like one of the best teams in the country, even when some of their best players had—there’s no kinder way to put it—just plain bad nights.

For example…

• Bad News: Nolan Hickman and Khalif Battle, Gonzaga’s two biggest scoring threats, combined for just 12 points on 4-14 shooting, including 2-8 from deep.
• Good News: Ryan Nembhard set a new career high with 14 assists and played 36 minutes without showing any signs of fatigue. To still rack up 14 assists when your two biggest bucket-getters are simply not out there getting buckets is a testament to Nembhard’s ability to find the right man at the right time. Nembhard is having a borderline superhuman season, and because of him, the Zags can afford to have multiple players having off nights. He’ll find the ones who aren’t and make sure they get a chance to put points on the board.

• Bad News: Michael Ajayi pulled another disappearing act. In 17 minutes, he looked rushed, out of rhythm, and uncertain once again. He finished with just 6 points, 4 rebounds, and a handful of defensive lapses and turnovers. It wasn’t pretty.
• Good News: It didn’t matter. Not one iota. Ajayi could join Hickman and Battle on the Struggle Bus and still not give fans any reason to panic. Ajayi is too talented to stay in this funk for long. We’ve seen what he can do when he’s comfortable and confident in his role. With Nembhard running the show and Coach Few now apparently emphasizing scoring from the power forward spot, he’ll figure it out sooner rather than later.
• Even Better News: Enter Ben Gregg. Coming off the bench to replace Ajayi, Gregg delivered a career-high 24 points on 8-10 shooting, grabbed 8 rebounds, and did it all in just 23 minutes. He looked like a completely new player—confident, aggressive, and sharp. Or rather, a new and improved version of the player he was last season. Credit to Coach Few for drawing up plays to get him clean looks around the rim and on the perimeter. After a slow start, the power forward position is once again a viable scoring option in the post-Anton Watson era.

• Bad News: All 5 Gonzaga starters committed at least 1 turnover.
• Good News: The bench committed exactly zero.
• Bad News: Braden Huff took a bad elbow to the face and left temporarily with a gnarly looking shiner.
• Good News: Now Braden Huff will look really cool and tough for a little while.

• Bad News: Four of Gonzaga’s five starters combined for just 24 points.
• Good News: The bench trio of Braden Huff, Dusty Stromer, and Ben Gregg more than doubled that, combining for 48 points. Once again, the depth of Gonzaga’s bench carried them across the finish line despite the starters’ fatigue.

• Bad News: Graham Ike missed several easy shots—again. Around the rim, his hands seemed to turn to stone at key moments in the opening minutes of tonight’s game.
• Good News: He also connected on more than several spectacular shots. Ike finished with 18 points on 50% shooting and led the team with 10 rebounds. The highlights are starting to outweigh the lowlights, and soon those missed shots will be just a footnote. It’s hard to complain about 18 points on 50% shooting, even if the misses were occasionally brutal.

A Team Poised for Greatness

This was no ordinary 5-place game. It was a showcase of what Gonzaga can be—a deep, resilient, and dangerously talented team that doesn’t stay down for long. Sure, they have some kinks to work out—chemistry, roles, consistency. Those will come with time.

What they’ve already shown, though, is that they can take a hit, brush it off, and get back to the business of winning basketball games. When this team is playing at its best, it is the best team in college basketball.

Fifth place? Fine—for now. But don’t get comfortable. This team isn’t aiming for moral victories. They’re aiming for something much bigger.