Notre Dame 53, #19 Gonzaga 73

Just finished watching this game.



First off, switching from a game on BYUtv to a game on ESPN in HD is like night and day.



Gonzaga looked pretty good. ND looked flat footed. ND warmed up late in the 1st half, but it was too little too late.



Gonzaga moves around without the ball really well. Lots of cuts and screens to get people open. We're going to have to play lights out on defense.



Where I think we have an advantage is moving up and down the court. Gonzaga is slow to get back and appears to tire quickly, particularly Sacre. I don't think I saw Sacre run once. If this becomes a half court game we'll have our work cut out for us.



Harris is a beast on the boards. He had something like 15 rebounds. I imagine Noah or Abouo will take him. That will be a fun match up.



I wasn't overtly impressed with Sacre. He doesn't have the greatest foot work and probably gets all of 8 inches off the ground. He uses his big body to create seperation. The vast majority of his shots are hook shots akin to Trent Plaisted. Facing the basket his accuracy drops. On defense, he doesn't do much and a post player with some decent post moves can get around him quite easily. His feet are practically nailed to the floor so the post player doesn't need to worry so much about getting blocked. I imagine Noah with his much improved post play will be able to get around him. Davies should fair well too and if I were Davies I'd put the ball on the court, take a dribble, get around Sacre and lay it in. Money every time.



Gonzaga has shooters and their guards, particularly Stockton are great at getting open and cutting to the basket.



We have a lot more speed on the court than ND and our guys do a lot better job with getting their hands in the passing lanes, so we'll be able to make a game of it. Gonzaga is beatable, especially if we get them to play our pace.

In knowing that your sample size on Big Rob is limited about the only thing you got right is the vertical and 8" might be generous.



We'll have the pleasure of seeing Carlino and you will get a big dose of Guy Landry Edi. Guy is the difference between this Zags team being good or becoming dominant.



These Zags would rather run than not. Half court games are not the preference of coach and staff. Let's run and see which team is deeper and runs out of gas first sounds like a fun game.



I really hope BYU sticks around the WCC I think the Zags and Cougs could develop a good rivalry.



A 7-0 Illinois team this Sat in Champaign in front of 20,000 plus will be another stiff test. If the Zags pull that one out we then get Sparty at home. Incredible schedule this year for the home fans. Dr. Krause outdid himself.



Kick some OOC butt and we''ll get to each other soon enough.



Go!! Zags!!!

bigblahla wrote:
In knowing that your sample size on Big Rob is limited about the only thing you got right is the vertical and 8" might be generous.



We'll have the pleasure of seeing Carlino and you will get a big dose of Guy Landry Edi. Guy is the difference between this Zags team being good or becoming dominant.



These Zags would rather run than not. Half court games are not the preference of coach and staff. Let's run and see which team is deeper and runs out of gas first sounds like a fun game.



I really hope BYU sticks around the WCC I think the Zags and Cougs could develop a good rivalry.



A 7-0 Illinois team this Sat in Champaign in front of 20,000 plus will be another stiff test. If the Zags pull that one out we then get Sparty at home. Incredible schedule this year for the home fans. Dr. Krause outdid himself.



Kick some OOC butt and we''ll get to each other soon enough.



Go!! Zags!!!

Fully admit my sample size is limited. However, it appears based off of the two games I've seen him play I'm not that far off:



"His post game, while still not overly diversified, has seen slight improvement. He's showing more over his right shoulder and has added a baseline spin move to go along with his more preferred moves, a right handed hook shot and turnaround fade-away jump shot. It's still fairly methodical and slow developing, but if he can continue to show increased diversity it will help him offset some of his athletic limitations.



His lack of explosiveness is the biggest question mark in projecting his post game to the next level, as he is neither overly quick out of his moves or explosive as a leaper, and he has his shot blocked more than you would hope for considering the size advantage he has on most nights. With the increased length and athleticism at the next level, and not having the kind of offensive diversity to date that would offset a drop in his productivity in the post, it brings into question how much of an offensive factor he could be at the next level."



http://ww.draftexpress.com/profile/Robert-Sacre-5814/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Good luck in Illinois. Will certainly be a test for the Zags.



I too am real glad BYU is part of the WCC and I hope we stick around. I think BYU is a good match for the conference. Looking forward to seeing how BYU matches up with the WCC. By no means do I think it will be a cake-walk.