NCAA Basketball: Tennessee, Baylor, Illinois rise in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
24. Gonzaga (20-6)
Things haven’t exactly gone as expected in Spokane for these Bulldogs, yet their still in pretty decent shape on the season. They didn’t win the big nonconference games they need to win, at least before last weekend’s win at Kentucky, but have still been pretty solid against a weak WCC. What exactly do the Bulldogs need to do to secure their place in the Big Dance?
They began their week with a 91-74 road win at Loyola Marymount against an injury-riddle Lions squad. Graham Ike had 23 points and Nolan Hickman added 22 as the Bulldogs shot nearly 60% from the field. Saturday was another fine performance, as the Bulldogs won 102-76 at home over Pacific. Ike led again with 21 points and 6 rebounds while Ryan Nembhard had 18 points and 10 assists as Gonzaga this time shot 66%.
The past weekend they got the important win over Kentucky and this week saw them crush a couple of their conference foes. The defense wasn’t the best but that offense was elite for the Bulldogs, who have been shredding the weaker teams in their league. These last couple of weeks will show us a lot more about this Gonzaga team, though next week features a change for revenge against Santa Clara.