Gonzaga Bulldogs: Three thoughts as Bulldogs survive at BYU

The Gonzaga Bulldogs jumped out to a nine point first half lead against BYU, but needed a second half rally to pull off a 87-80 win over the Cougars. The Bulldogs led 33-24 before a BYU run late in the first half sent the game to halftime tied at 43. On paper, this is the toughest game Gonzaga will play in conference this year. Here are three thoughts on Gonzaga’s West Coast Conference opener:

Foul trouble plagued Gonzaga’s guards early

Starting guards Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell struggled to get going in the first half, largely due to being saddled with a pair of fouls each. Bell missed most of the first half with his foul trouble, while Pangos had to avoid picking up a third foul and suffered for it. Pangos lacked aggression offensively, and gave BYU’s shooters too much room to operate defensively. Early foul trouble on the perimeter allowed the opposing shooters to erase the early deficit.

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Byron Wesley, the only starting guard to escape the first half with fewer than two fouls, is also the only one who played well for the team early. Wesley went to halftime with 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting. Two quick fouls in the second half put him in the same situation as Pangos and Bell, and forced Mark Few to make a difficult decision. Few opted to keep his starters in with three fouls each for most of the second half, and it paid off. The trio managed to go without another foul until Gonzaga held a 7 point lead with under three minutes to go. Pangos eventually fouled out, but the game had already been decided.

Kevin Pangos needs to play aggressively

The first half fouls affected Pangos’ play early, and he went into the half with just five points on 2-for-4 shooting. He knocked down one shot in the first five minutes of the second half before taking the game over. With 15:09 remaining in the second half and Gonzaga trailing 55-49, Pangos knocked down a 3-pointer to begin a three minute stretch in which he scored 11 points and took back the lead for the Bulldogs. Gonzaga only trailed for 15 seconds in the final 12 minutes.

Most of the Bulldogs’ conference games will be winnable even if Pangos doesn’t aggressively look to score, but when the team faces stiffer competition in the NCAA Tournament he’ll need to look for his own shot. After missing a jumper early in Gonzaga’s matchup with Arizona, Pangos went 12 minutes without another attempt from the field. While Arizona’s stellar defense undoubtedly contributed to this, Pangos is such a threat as a shooter that the Bulldogs can’t afford to have him playing passively when the competition ramps up.

Gonzaga might not lose another game in the regular season

It wasn’t pretty, but Gonzaga started conference play on the road against the biggest contender for its title and came away with a victory. With its toughest conference game in the rearview, Gonzaga could be on its way to an undefeated run through the West Coast Conference. Mark Few’s squad is too talented, too deep, and too big for just about every team in the WCC this year.

Dec 27, 2014; Provo, UT, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Domantas Sabonis (11) blocks the shot by Brigham Young Cougars guard Anson Winder (20) in the final seconds of the second half at Marriott Center. The Bulldogs won 87-80. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

Saint Mary’s, San Diego, Portland and San Francisco look like the teams that’ll fight for third place in the conference. Of that group, San Diego and San Francisco rely heavily on post players shorter than 6-foot-8. It’s unlikely that either has the size to contend with a front court featuring 6-foot-10 Kyle Wiltjer, 6-foot-10 Domantas Sabonis and 7-foot-1 Przemek Karnowski.

Portland might have the size and balance to give Gonzaga a scare at full strength, but the team is currently without its second leading scorer and hosts Gonzaga in just a week. Saint Mary’s is used to being the top contender for the WCC crown, but hasn’t been the same since being dealt sanctions in 2013.

Barring unexpected setbacks, Gonzaga should enter every game until the NCAA Tournament as a substantial favorite. It’s difficult to see more than one or two losses on Gonzaga’s remaining schedule with a talented, deep, veteran squad and several post players that can overwhelm WCC foes.