Gonzaga Basketball: 5 takeaways from Bulldogs tough 3-game road trip

PROVO, UT- JANUARY 12: Drew Timme #2 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs leads the team in celebration at mid court after beating the Brigham Young Cougars in the final seconds of their game January 12, 2023 at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images) /

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Gonzaga Basketball (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

Few teams had a more difficult past couple of weeks than Gonzaga Basketball, who did go 4-0 in the last four games but easily, and maybe should’ve gone 1-3. They had a trio of road games against top-100 caliber opponents in San Francisco, Santa Clara, and BYU. None of those teams have true NCAA Tournament aspirations but all are very capable of giving a team like Gonzaga a game.

And that’s what each of them did. At one point, all three opponents had a double-digit lead against the Bulldogs. Santa Clara’s was in the first half, while both the Dons and Cougars were up by 10+ in the final 10 minutes of their respective matchups.

In the end, Gonzaga Basketball pulled off the victory each time, including a game-winner from Julian Strawther in the final seconds to beat BYU in Provo. After that draining set of games, the Bulldogs made sure to not have another close game, beating Portland last Saturday right out of the game. They were up by 30+ points in most of the matchup, en route to winning, 115-75.

The team shot 56% from the field and made 17/38 from three-point range. Six players were in double figures, led by 27 points, eight rebounds, and five assists from Malachi Smith off the bench. It was the kind of performance that shows that Gonzaga is capable of but the three games prior also show that they’re vulnerable for the rest of WCC play.

A lot happened, both good and bad for the Bulldogs in the last few games. Here are the takeaways that came to mind and how they’ll impact the team for the rest of the season.