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 forward Ben Gregg Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Ben Gregg’s impact has been clear as of late

After his breakthrough moment against Purdue, the junior forward has found his way in every game for Gonzaga, replacing LSU transfer Efton Reid in the rotation. He played a combined 44 minutes in the three road games, scoring 18 total points.

10 of them came against BYU in 12 minutes on 4/5 shooting. He got a couple of steals and made some great plays to the basket to keep the team in the game whenever Timme or Anton Watson was on the bench. Against Santa Clara, Gregg had five points and eight rebounds, including three on the offensive end. He played more than expected due to Watson dealing with foul trouble that night.

Gregg played just nine minutes against San Francisco but an argument can be made that he should’ve been in there more for Timme, who had an awful 3-16 shooting night. It’s ultimately hard to say that the junior should be on the court more because Timme is an All-American talent, while Watson has played great as well. But what Gonzaga does know is that there won’t be much of a drop-off whenever one of them goes to the bench in favor of the energetic and effective role player.