In the start, Graham Ike and Nolan Hickman played just 12 minutes apiece for the Zags. The two combined for 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 4 turnovers in the 77-71 loss to the Huskies.
On the biggest stage in the world that is Madison Square Garden, Gonzaga was not ready for that type of East Coast atmosphere. It felt like an old school Big East tournament game in New York City with the UConn fans taking over. Don’t get it twisted cause that was as entertaining as a college basketball game can come.
The Zags are still looking for an offensive identity late in the second half. No field goals were made in the final 3 minutes, 25 seconds. Khalif Battle (21 points on 6-12 FG/4-6 3PT/5-6 FT), Ryan Nembhard (16 points on 6-15 FG/1-4 3PT/3-4 FT, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 turnovers), and Michael Ajayi (14 points on 6-6 FG, 6 rebounds) seemed to be the only source of offense for Gonzaga until crunch time. This is the story that was seen against West Virginia and Kentucky, offense goes dead silent in the closing moments with no one stepping up. Who will heed the call?
A rotation change from coach Mark Few must be on the horizon when he starts Graham Ike (3 points on 1-3 FG, 0 rebounds, 4 turnovers) as well as Nolan Hickman (0 points on 0-2 FG, 0 assists) and plays them just 12 minutes apiece. Through the first quarter of this season, Ike seems to be a liability as a rim protector and is on and off as an offensive threat near the basket.
One positive to takeaway from the loss is the reliability of Dusty Stromer as a defender and a rebounder. He played his tail off on that end of floor for the 30 minutes he was out there. Should Stromer be pushed up into the starting lineup and Hickman comes off the bench, possibly opening up his scoring opportunities? Maybe plug Ben Gregg back in? More from the versatile Braden Huff (8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) over Ike? It’s been tough recently to find the right balance against quality opponents like Kentucky and UConn for 40+ minutes.
This 2024 freshman class in college hoops has a ton of talent. UConn’s Liam McNeeley (26 points on 7-13 FG/2-7 3PT/10-12 FT, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) looks to be a very underrated player out of the bunch, someone that should end up as a 2025 NBA Draft lottery pick. Gonzaga had no answer for him.
Off the bench, Aidan Mahaney contributed just 8 minutes and scored a mere 2 points for coach Dan Hurley’s Huskies. The move from Moraga to Storrs has been seen as a questionable one due to his fit with UConn/the completely different styles of play the two programs have. The former Saint Mary’s Gael is still enjoying the moments when beating the Zags. Throughout his collegiate career, the junior holds a winning record of 4-3 against Gonzaga.
It’s hard to deal with the fact that the Zags lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2018. Especially when it’s coming against two elite programs like Kentucky and UConn. Scheduling these challenges in November/December only prepares this group more for March/April.
Gonzaga falls to 7-3 and UConn improves to 8-3. After the winless trip at the Maui Invitational, Hurley has grabbed three straight Quad 1 victories against Baylor, at Texas, and in a neutral location over the Zags. Few’s coaching staff has some thinking to do and are headed back to Spokane to host Nicholls State on Wednesday at 6 PM PT on ESPN+.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho