#9 Gonzaga vs. Southeastern Louisiana Preview
The Zags are coming off of a great stretch of wins in the early season. They have had some rest over the past few days and they look to continue their stretch of excellent play against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions.
The Lions are 2-5 on the season. They have lost to some good teams, including current #22 Oklahoma. The Lions are led by junior guard, Zay Jackson. Jackson is averaging 15.9 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, and 4.0 assists per game. Senior center, Devonte Upson is leading the team in rebounds with 8.1 per game.
Nov 22, 2013; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Southeastern Louisiana Lions forward Devonte Upson (2) is defended by LSU Tigers center Darcy Malone (22) and Jordan Mickey (25) in the second half at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. LSU defeated Southeastern Louisiana 89-66. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2014; Spokane, WA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs students cheer during a game against the Saint Thomas Aquinas Spartans during the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
The Lions are being penalized by the NCAA for allowing players to play while they were academically ineligible. Two of their available scholarships have been taken away this season, so this is a blow that can be tough to recover from.
Gonzaga looks to continue firing on all cylinders. Currently the Bulldogs are third in the nation in field goal percentage at 54.8%. The Zags have a lot of players who can score. It will be interesting to see who scores big this game. It’s also possible that the scoring will be evenly distributed as it has been for some of the games this season.
The key for Gonzaga is to not overlook this opponent. They have big games coming up, especially against #3 Arizona on Saturday. This game gives Gonzaga a great opportunity to refine their fundamentals and stay sharp. It seems that often times the Zags will play down to opponents with weaker records and make games closer than expected. This cannot happen in this game.
This game is also a great opportunity for Silas Melson to get some playing time. This will only be his second game of the season, so this game will be a perfect time for him to get accustomed to getting some more minutes.
I expect this game to be a win for the Zags. The game is December 2 at 6 p.m. PT.