3 takeaways from Gonzaga Basketball’s historically shocking loss to LMU

1. Ineffective guard play on both ends prove costly

In the past few weeks, Gonzaga’s guards have struggled from the field. And I’m not talking about having an off-game but rather downright awful. Nolan Hickman and Rasir Bolton have been the main suspects in this but against LMU, both were “okay”. Bolton finished with 10 points in 21 minutes, while Hickman had 12 points, six assists, three steals, and a clutch three-pointer late in the game.

But the guy whose performance was bad was Strawther, who in 29 minutes, finished with six points on 1/8 shooting from the field and 0/5 from three-point range. He was the reason why the Bulldogs beat BYU but in some ways was the reason why they lost to the Lions.

The defensive end collectively wasn’t much better. Shelton finished with 27 points and nine rebounds and was the entire offense for Gonzaga down the stretch. A lot of his shots were considered “tough” but at some point, you have to force the ball out of his hands. Hunter Sallis, who had seven points in 12 minutes off the bench, wasn’t on the court to guard Shelton late. I think that was a mistake because with Timme, Strawther, and either Bolton/Hickman on the court, you have enough offense to have your best perimeter defender out there.

It’s been said repeatedly nationally that Gonzaga’s guards are a weak point on this team. And the LMU loss was the exclamation point to that take. Even if they aren’t on their “A” game, they have to find a way to contribute. Otherwise, both Sallis and Malachi Smith should be in line for more minutes going forward.