Gonzaga Faces Indiana in Round 2 of the Battle 4 Atlantis

So, You Misplaced to an Unranked No person? Don’t Panic!

I’ve give you a small guidelines for any top-5 faculty basketball group to seek the advice of in the event that they’re contemplating coughing up a loss to an unranked group however nonetheless don’t wish to give their fanbase any precise cause to panic about their less-than-stellar efficiency.

If You’re Going to Lose, Make Certain You…

Lose to a Group Enjoying Out of Their Minds – We’re speaking profession highs, circus photographs, and a stage of play they’ll most likely by no means replicate. Principally, make them appear like the 2015 Golden State Warriors for one evening solely.

Play Your Worst Recreation of the Season – Everybody—starters, bench, teaching workers—must have an off evening. Apart from possibly one man. Let him completely go off so followers can cling to one thing optimistic.

Hold It Shut – Take it to time beyond regulation. Make it come right down to a few dangerous possessions or some questionable 50/50 calls.

Discover Refs Who’ve By no means Seen a Basketball Recreation – The more strange the officiating, the higher. It ought to appear like the refs have cash on the road.

Ensure that it’s not simply the gamers – It’s simple for followers to overlook that the blokes on the courtroom are 18-21 years outdated. Attempt and ensure some portion of the blame might be shared along with your Corridor of Fame head coach. If even the most effective coach within the recreation can present some late recreation lapses in focus it should simply be a type of nights, proper?

Lose at a Impartial Web site in a Bizarre Venue – Bonus factors if the sport occurs in a completely completely different nation and in a time zone that messes with everybody’s sleep. Losses at house sting, losses on the highway are extra comprehensible, shedding within the tropics in a venue not meant for taking part in basketball simply provides a further layer of weirdness to the entire disastrous spectacle.

Flip It Right into a “Studying Expertise” – It’s all about grit, cohesion, and depth after this. Spin the loss as a priceless instructing second and ensure there are some very clear and simply made changes to prioritize.

Do It in November – Ideally on a brief week through which a lot of excellent groups are additionally coughing up dangerous losses to unranked groups

Get Again within the Saddle – Schedule a recreation in opposition to a top-25 group instantly after your loss

Win – Crush that group by 30+. Disaster averted.

The Zags Have Checked All of the Bins… Besides 2

Now it’s time to burn the sport tape, relaxation up, and work out what precisely a Hoosier is. Tomorrow, they face Indiana College, and it’s time to show that their ugly time beyond regulation loss to a West Virginia group enjoying like their lives relied on it was only a bump within the highway and never an indication of issues to return.

Meet the Hoosiers

In a weird coincidence, Indiana, ranked 14th, are additionally coming into tomorrow’s matchup following their very own humiliating loss. The Hoosiers have been dismantled by Louisville of their opening recreation on the Battle 4 Atlantis, falling 89-61. Louisville dominated each aspect of that recreation, scoring 52 factors within the second half and capturing 57% from the sphere. They crushed Indiana within the paint, outscoring them 48-20, and compelled 23 turnovers from the defensive facet of issues. The Hoosiers by no means led in opposition to the Cardinals and trailed by as many as 38 factors. If Gonzaga’s loss to West Virginia appeared dangerous, Indiana’s defeat was a full-blown Hindenburg-level disaster.

This implies Gonzaga might face considered one of two variations of Indiana: a group demoralized and exhausted, or a squad with one thing to show and a burning want for redemption. The group with extra fireplace—and composure—will come out on high.

Indiana’s Threats

If we think about Indiana’s blowout loss an outlier and never the norm, Gonzaga can have their fingers full. The Hoosiers rely closely on the inside-out recreation of level guard Myles Rice and heart Oumar Ballo to energy their offense. It’s a really meat and potatoes old style model of half courtroom offense they usually run it effectively. There’s little or no protection obtainable for stopping a participant like Oumar Ballo and Gonzaga might want to dig deep into its bag of methods to sluggish him down.

Ballo, standing at seven ft tall, is averaging 12 factors and 10 rebounds whereas capturing 70% from the sphere to this point this season. Among the finest true facilities within the recreation, he presents a major matchup drawback for Gonzaga’s frontcourt, a part of which lacks dimension and the opposite a part of which lacks defensive consistency. Former Coug Myles Rice, in the meantime, is capturing 47% from past the arc and averaging 15 factors per recreation. Nevertheless, he was neutralized by Louisville, capturing simply 1-for-11 and scoring solely three factors.

Ahead Malik Reneau was the lone shiny spot for Indiana of their loss, scoring 21 factors and grabbing seven rebounds. One other key participant is sophomore Mackenzie Mgbako, who began the season on fireplace however has cooled off lately. He managed simply 8 factors in opposition to Louisville, however he’s able to exploding for 30-plus on any given evening. Regardless of his inconsistency, Mgbako is averaging a powerful 18.5 factors on 59% capturing. Like WVU’s Haysberry, Reneau is an athletic rebounder who likes to assault on the rim. It’ll be as much as Ajayi and Gregg to comprise him with out getting themselves into foul bother.

Measurement is a major benefit for Indiana. Reneau and Mgbako stand at 6’9”, whereas Ballo is a towering 7’0”. The Hoosiers play quick, apply relentless defensive man-on-man strain, and thrive within the half-court. Zag followers ought to take zero solace in the truth that they’re rather a lot like West Virginia, simply much more expert and means larger.

What Gonzaga Must Do

Shake it Off – Gonzaga can’t afford one other efficiency just like the one in opposition to West Virginia. They gained’t win one other recreation within the Bahamas in the event that they play that poorly once more. It’s necessary to recollect, although, that that is simply November. The group isn’t going undefeated, they gained’t go away the Battle 4 Atlantis as champions, and their rating will drop. None of that issues. What issues is how they reply.

Go at their Bigs – The Zags are going to want to discover a option to get Reneau, Mgbako, and Ballo off the ground for as a lot time as attainable. I think about some artful iso-ball dribble drives for Nembhard and Battle aimed straight on the chests of Indiana’s larger frontcourt. This might assist get the Hoosier bigs in some foul bother and permit Huff/Ike to assault within the low put up with slightly extra consolation.

Get Buckets – The Zags simply should make the photographs they normally make. Hickman, Nembhard, Ajayi, and Ike going a mixed 9-32 as they did in opposition to West Virginia is a stat so dangerous and out of character that it’s hardly price dwelling on. There’s no want to regulate the offensive recreation plan. It was a nasty recreation stuffed with dangerous photographs, dangerous calls, dangerous misses, dangerous chemistry, and dangerous effort. The faster the Bulldogs can get the style of that recreation out of their mouths the higher.

Get up the Bench – Depth is one other essential issue. Gonzaga boasts one of many deepest benches in faculty basketball, but it surely gained’t matter if solely Braden Huff is contributing. Ben Gregg and Dusty Stromer mixed for simply two area objectives in opposition to West Virginia, and Gregg picked up 4 fouls in 26 minutes and nonetheless hasn’t related from deep this season. Each gamers must step up and supply dependable scoring when Gonzaga’s backcourt is both neutralized defensively or just out to lunch.

The Backside Line

This recreation will check which group has essentially the most grit and the shortest reminiscence. Each Gonzaga and Indiana out of the blue have much more to show than they anticipated needing to. For the Bulldogs, it’s about discovering their offensive rhythm and remembering how one can lock in on their defensive assignments and rotate to their new ones throughout the circulation of the sport. For the Hoosiers, it’s about controlling the paint, offensive rebounding, and protecting Ryan Nembhard as uncomfortable as attainable.

Finally, there’s completely no cause for followers to enter hysterics. This Gonzaga group stays extremely promising and only a few days in the past have been enjoying like the most effective group within the nation. They’ve proven they’re mortal, sure, however they haven’t proven the blueprint for beating them. Extra importantly, they could have made it clear that the one group actually able to defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs is themselves.

This 12 months’s group is solely constructed completely different, and the matchup with Indiana presents a shot at some much-needed redemption. Tomorrow, followers ought to count on their Bulldogs to return out swinging, bringing the combat on to the Hoosiers.