Gonzaga vs. San Diego State Preview

Gonzaga could find itself mired in an ugly slug-fest at Viejas Arena, it’ll come down to physicality and tempo if the Zags want to come away with a win against their future conference rival.

Battle at Viejas: Gonzaga Faces Tough Test Against San Diego State

It’s early in the season, but Gonzaga basketball is already heading into one of its toughest nonconference tests of grit and physicality. The Bulldogs will face the 2-0 San Diego State Aztecs at Viejas Arena, a notoriously tough venue where the frenetic energy of the crowd is well matched by the bruising physicality of the team on the court. The Zags, fresh off an encouraging defensive performance against UMass Lowell, will need to maintain their dominant defensive posture and continue attacking offensively in order to settle the score against an SDSU team that came into the Kennel not so long ago and left with a win in a shocking home upset.

San Diego State has reloaded despite losing four of five starters from last year’s squad. What the Aztecs may lack in continuity, they make up for with size, length, and a defensive identity that has been a hallmark under head coach Brian Dutcher. As Few aptly described it: “Just a bunch of tough, athletic dudes that kinda get you in a rock fight the way they play defense.” The Zags historically don’t fare too well in rock fights as they thrive instead on fluidity and efficiency. It’ll be worth paying attention to the ways in which the Aztecs try to disrupt Gonzaga’s ability to build out meaningful momentum, especially in the half-court.

Starting Lineup Questions for Gonzaga

The Bulldogs come into this matchup with a bit of uncertainty in their starting lineup. The big question is whether Few continues with the lineup he opened with against UMass Lowell featuring Michael Ajayi over Ben Gregg at the 4 spot. Ajayi’s athleticism and defensive upside make him a tempting choice against a physically imposing team like San Diego State. But Gregg’s sheer comfort within Gonzaga’s offensive scheme has been a major boon in maintaining its punishing tempo. Again, it seems like there are no wrong lineups with this year’s team.

The Aztecs’ frontcourt features 7-foot center Magoon Gawath—who might already own the title for best name in college basketball—and the burly Jared Coleman-Jones (6’10”), making Gonzaga’s frontcourt situation even more interesting. In the low post, Huff’s quick scoring ability could provide a useful counterpunch to SDSU’s ability to clog the paint, but Ike’s physicality and rebounding ability may be better suited to meet the challenge of what promises to be a bruising battle down low.

The Resurgence of Graham Ike?

The biggest X-factor for Gonzaga could be Graham Ike. He’s had an undeniably slow but steady start this season, and this feels like the type of game built for his skillset. Ike’s physicality on the block and ability to carve out space will be essential against a San Diego State squad that thrives on shutting down dribble penetration and contesting shots at the rim.

While Ike hasn’t quite found his scoring rhythm yet, his work on the boards has been invaluable and against a team like SDSU, limiting second-chance points on defense will be vital. With Gawath lurking as a shot-blocking menace and SDSU’s guards providing relentless ball pressure, Ike will need to play through contact and assert himself as an offensive presence early on and often thereafter.

Challenges at Viejas Arena

Few venues in college basketball are as hostile as Viejas Arena. The Aztecs have turned their home floor into a fortress, and the crowd’s intensity has made it one of the most imposing venues in college basketball. San Diego State loves to force teams into ugly games, slowing the pace and dominating second-chance opportunities. There are few things more dispiriting to watch for a college basketball game than an extremely ugly basketball game played in in front of an extremely annoying crowd (aka: The Randy Bennett Experience).

The Bulldogs’ improved defensive showing against UMass Lowell will be put to the test against an SDSU squad that thrives on offensive rebounds and capitalizing on turnovers. Gonzaga held the River Hawks to just 36% shooting, a marked improvement after an inconsistent defensive showing against an increasingly adept-looking Arizona State squad. Whether that progress carries over to a game against a tournament-caliber team like SDSU remains to be seen.

Key Players to Watch…

• Jaedon LeDee – Just kidding. LeDee has thankfully and finally graduated. LeDee torched the Zags on his own last season, and without him the Aztecs will be relying on BJ Davis (13.5 ppg), and Nick Boyd (10.5 ppg) to constitute the bulk of their scoring. Unless, of course, Miles Byrd is healthy.

• Miles Byrd – Coach Dutcher says Byrd is a game time decision after an ankle injury suffered last week. The Aztecs are a significantly better team when he’s on the floor and without him they lose a lot of length, juice, and scoring power. He opened the season with a 20-point performance against UCSD but sat out the team’s absolute drubbing of Occidental College earlier this week (go Tigers!). The signs are not particularly good that he’ll be playing, which would leave Wayne McKinney III to fill the Byrd-shaped hole in SDSU’s lineup.

• Magoon Gawath – Gawath is still raw offensively but has been dominant as a rim protector. Over two games Gawath has averaged 3.5 blocks for the Aztecs and his length will give Gonzaga’s frontcourt a lot to contend with. It’ll be interesting to see how differently Gonzaga’s offense functions with Huff vs. Ike at the 5 against a rangier rim protector like Gawath.

Prediction

This year’s SDSU squad is miles away from the one that made it to the Final 4 a couple seasons ago. They remain mired in a bit of a post-LeDee rebuilding phase but can still be expected to play a Brian Dutcher style of basketball. And unfortunately for Gonzaga, rock fights against big, physical teams in hostile home environments have been a bit of an Achilles heel in recent years (ie: last year’s matchups with UW, St. Mary’s, and Santa Clara).

If the Zags play like they did against Baylor and UMass Lowell they’ll come away with an easy win. If they come out like they did against ASU (poor perimeter defense, lazy defensive rotations, bad shot selection, etc.) they will struggle against a team that prides itself on its defensive stopping power. As much as the Bulldogs would like to walk into Viejas Arena and leave with a win in the same way the Aztecs in their trip to the Kennel last year, these are the kinds of games the Zags have struggled with in the past and we’d be unwise to totally discount a hard-nosed and physically imposing team like SDSU.