Gonzaga Basketball: Bulldogs are unmatched in the West

By Stuart Gill | Feb 12, 2017

Feb 11, 2017; Moraga, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Josh Perkins (13) and Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nigel Williams-Goss (5) speak with the coach during the second half of the game against the St. Mary's Gaels at McKeon Pavilion. The Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the St. Mary's Gaels with a score of 74-64. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 1 Gonzaga basketball beat No. 20 Saint Mary’s 74-64 on Saturday night to remain undefeated and in sole possession of first place in the WCC.

McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, CA was at full capacity from morning until night as ESPN’s College Gameday crew discussed the evening matchup between the No. 20 Saint Mary’s Gaels and the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs.

One major part of that discussion centered around Gonzaga’s Przemek Karnowski, and how the Gaels would attempt to slow him down.

In the early minutes of the game, Karnowski showed that it just wasn’t going to happen.

At 7-1”, 300 pounds, Karnowski is a bruiser. The senior is seemingly impossible to stop down low due to his ability to bump defenders out of the way for better positioning to hit jump hooks and grab misses. His play also slows down the game for Gonzaga and allows them to play within their system. They aren’t a team that relies on fast breaks and 3-point shooting, so Karnowski’s reliability in the paint acts as an anchor for this Bulldogs offense, which is loaded with other weapons.

Each member of this team knows that if they play through their mismatch at the center position, Karnowski will effectively take other team’s bigs out of the game and everyone will have opportunities to score.

Karnowski finished 9-of-13 from the floor to total 19 points. He also grabbed nine rebounds, helping Gonzaga to a +2 rebounding margin overall. Johnathan Williams scored 17 and grabbed nine boards of his own, and Silas Melson came off the bench to chip in 12 points while going 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.

Saint Mary’s had no trouble staying in this game, but they seem to lack a dominant guard who can play off of the constant stellar performances of center Jock Landale. Guards Emmett Naar and Joe Rahon, who logged 39 and 40 minutes respectively, combined for just 14 points on 6-of-21 shooting.

The Gaels were also only able to hit four out of 15 attempted 3-pointers on the night, which allowed Gonzaga to rely fully on their interior game. It also made a six or eight point Gonzaga lead feel like a major advantage down the stretch, as opposed to a two-possession ballgame.

Landale scored 24 points and added eight rebounds in the loss, though no one else on Saint Mary’s was able to reach double digits. The loss puts them at 12-2 in conference play, three games ahead of third-place BYU.

Next: Three takeaways from the NCAA Tournament top 16

Gonzaga, the last undefeated team in Division I basketball, is now an obvious selection for a top seed in March’s bracket. Their last four games feature favorable matchups against San Francisco, Pacific, San Diego and BYU.