WCC Game Preview: Gonzaga vs. San Francisco
By James Pigott
Jan. 26, 2013; Spokane, WA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Drew Barham (43) is fouled by San Francisco Dons guard Tim Derksen (32) during the first half at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Gonzaga Bulldogs (11-2) vs. San Francisco Dons (8-5)
Date: Monday, December 30, 2013
Location: McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, WA
Time: 6:00 PM PST
TV: ROOT Sports NW & RM
Video: theW.tv
Last Season: Gonzaga won both meetings. They defeated the Dons
PROJECTED STARTERS
Gonzaga
David Stockton, 7.3, PPG, 4.5 APG
Kevin Pangos, 18.2 PPG, 4.2 APG
Gary Bell Jr, 12.7 PPG, or Kyle Dranginis 6.8 PPG, 2.8 APG
Drew Barham, 6.4 PPG or Sam Dower Jr, 13.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG
Przemek Karnowski, 9.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG
San Francisco
Matt Glover, 9.4 PPG, 4.o APG
Avry Holmes, 9.8 PPG, 2.5 APG
Tim Derksen, 9.6 PPG
Cole Dickerson, 14.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG
Mark Tollefsen, 12.7 PPG
KEYS TO THE GAME
Gonzaga
Utilize Nunez and Coleman: These two Big East transfers will have to step up, especially if Sam Dower Jr, and Gary Bell Jr. are unable to play. While Angel Nunez played well against Santa Clara in his first game of the season, Gerard Coleman hasn’t scored a single point in the past 20 days. These two players will be weapons and possess the quickness and athleticism that is hard to come by in the West Coast Conference, and if Gonzaga can utilize these two pieces, they should be able to win against San Francisco.
San Francisco
Solid point guard play from Matt Glover: He did not transfer to San Francisco from Penn State expecting to play point guard this season. But he was thrust into that role after Cody Doolin left the program. He needs to limit his turnovers and look to get the ball down low to Cole Dickerson and Kruize Pinkins. Avry Holmes also needs to be steady with the ball in his hands as he can provide ball handling on the perimeter as well.
PREDICTION
If Dower and Bell were fully healthy, I would say that the Zags would easily win this game at home. But if those two are a no show and Gonzaga cannot guard San Francisco’s big three on the front line (Dickerson, Tollefsen, and Pinkins), it is going to be a long night for the Zags. I predict a 74-70 victory for San Francisco because I believe their front line will just beat up Gonzaga’s front line, as Przemek Karnowski will not be able to match up with anyone on USF’s front line (except the sparingly used Tao Xu).