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 Nolan Hickman James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Nolan Hickman’s up-and-down play continues

It’s not fully fair to pin games on one player, especially when Drew Timme is the player that gets all of the attention for Gonzaga. But the belief of whether the team is a Final Four contender from many folks comes down to whether they believe in the sophomore starting point guard.

The results were either very high or very low. In the win over San Francisco, Hickman scored eight points on 4/7 shooting in 33 minutes and had three assists. He was also thoroughly outplayed by the Dons’ guards, Tyrell Roberts and Khaliel Shabazz. He wasn’t “bad” in this game but was a non-factor overall.

But in the Santa Clara game, Hickman was fantastic. He tied a team-high 20 points on 8/9 shooting, including 4/5 from three-point range. One of those threes came in a clutch step-back shot late in the game to give Gonzaga the lead, which they held the rest of the way.

Hickman didn’t make a single shot in the first 38 minutes against BYU and was outplayed by Rudi Williams off the bench. But he made a huge three-pointer off a turnover to keep the Bulldogs in the game, allowing them to eventually win it in the end.

If I had to give Hickman a grade, I’d give him a C. The performance against Santa Clara is why Gonzaga Basketball is still unbeaten in WCC play, as well as that key shot against the Cougars. But he’s going to have to be better going forward against what will be better backcourts in the NCAA Tournament. If nothing else, he’s proven he can hit a shot when it matters.