Had someone told me before Gonzaga's 68-64 upset of #9 Baylor that they would figure out a way to finish the game without the help of Steven Gray or Elias Harris, I would never have believed it.
And that they pulled out the win under those circumstances plus a less than efficient ball handling performance from starting point guard Demetri Goodson is what makes their upset so impressive, as described by Zach Bell of The Slipper Still Fits.
POSTGAME VICTORY THREAD: Zags upset #9 Baylor - The Slipper Still Fits
Let's take a quick look at some of the things that went against Gonzaga today:Steven Gray leaves the game before halftime with back spasms
Elias Harris fouls out with six minutes left in the game
Demetri Goodson turns the ball over 8 times...some forced, most not.
Awful Refereeing....don't get me started.
How the Zags won? How about the defense. Unofficially, Gonzaga forced 17 turnovers and Baylor only had six assists for the game. Demetri Goodson, my goodness. His offensive was downright putrid but he keyed the Zags on defense.
Something also has to be said for Gonzaga's spacing on the offensive end as well, which was far superior to past games and gave them the type of passing lanes that allowed center Robert Sacre to go to work in the post and ultimately carry the team with the team's star scorers out.
Most of all, it was obvious before this game that Gonzaga absolutely needed a win - for confidence if nothing else - and they finally managed to pull out a tough one. That alone means something.