I hope you all have a fantastic night. Now officially 3 weeks from Selection Sunday on the east coast.
If you joined us tonight for this LIVE presentation I really do appreciate it. Please find me on twitter if you have any comments or concerns. @JohnMitch_Vavel
Gonzaga wins 70-60. Outscored the Gaels by 21 in the second half. They needed to be challenged and responded like a 1 seed..
2nd Half 23 seconds St. Mary's will come up short. Wiltjer made very big plays down the line...68-60 Gonzaga
2nd Half 37 Seconds Bad possession for St. Mary's. Bright with a tough look. Wiltjer to the line.
Gonzaga responding like contenders. Love the character they're showing!!
2nd Half 1:01 Karnowski with the lay in. Gonzaga with biggest lead of 4. Big possession here for St. Marys.
2nd Half 1:20 Wiltjer with a nice lay-in. Gonzaga up 2....Waldow misses the turnaround...
2nd Half 2:13 Simmons misses the 3...would have been huge.
2nd Half 2:47 Wesley ties it up from the line..What.A.Game.
2nd Half 3:01 Waldow hits the 1st and knocks down the second. Up 60-58.
2nd Half 3:01 Waldow gets fouled and will shoot 2.
2nd Half 3:22 Pangos hits both!! Tie ball game
2nd Half 3:22 Gonzaga will be shooting 1-1 when we get back. Down by 2..
2nd Half 4:00 Waldow with a tough shot. Gonzaga with the rebound with a chance to take the lead, and boom! Karnowksi and Gonzaga leads by 1 but Bright answers with a 3!!! WOWWW back and forth we go.
2nd Ball 4:32 Bell with the 3!!!! 1 point game with St.Mary's calling a timeout. 8-0 run.
2nd Half 4:55 Wesley with the rebound and putback...4 point game!! Gonzaga gets a stop. Back within 4 and the ball!
2nd half 5:40 Bright TO and Gonzaga draws a whistle.
2nd Half 6:05 Wiltjer drains a 3...THis is going to be an awesome finish!!!
2nd Half 6:12 Waldow with the left again....!!!He is feeling it
2nd Half 6:23 Waldow with a nice left hand jump hook. Up 9. Sabonis answers..back to 7.
2nd Half 7:26 Reach in foul on Gonzaga. Resets game clock. Dumb foul
Gonzaga needs to make their push soon. Time will soon become a factor.
2nd Half 7:49 Karnowski misses another lay-in and St. Mary's gets fouled as we head into a TV TO.
2nd Half 8:40 Karnowski misses both. St. Mary's has another empty trip.
2nd Half 9:09 Pangos misses the 3 but Karnowski gets the rebound and will shoot 2.
2nd Half 9:45 Bright misses the 3 and Gonzaga drops a 3. Pangos is amazing.
2nd Half 10:32 Pangos misses the lay-in and St Mary's gets the ball back.
2nd Half 11:00 Lead back up to double digits!!! 3 for St.Mary's
St.Mary's answered their first punch!! Very good sign.
2nd Half 11:35 Sabonis misses and St.Mary's comes down and gets fouled. TV TO.
2nd Half 12:10 Timeout Gonzaga. Lead back up to 7 for St. Mary's. Gonzaga has missed 6 straight shots since starting the half on a 10-0 run.
2nd Half 12:40 St. Mary's turns it over.Gonzaga can't convert again...gone a little cold
2nd Half 13:19 Waldow misses the lay in but Gonzaga quickly turns it over.
2nd Half 13:40 Momentum working back towards the home team. Gonzaga misses another bunny.
2nd Half 14:30 Bright misses the 3...Karnowski misses the layup on the other end and Waldow converts to put St. MAry's back up 5.
2nd Half 15:30 Bright has been huge for St. Mary's. Knocks down a mid range jumper. Gonzaga cant score on the other end.
2nd Half 15:58 Wesley knocks them both down 42-41, St. Mary's.
2nd Half 15:58 TV TO...Wesley will go to the FT line when we return. Great start to the half for Gonzaga. If St.Mary's isn't careful Gonzaga can sieze this lead and then run with it.
2nd Half 16:10 Pangos misses the triple and Gonzaga gets another stop.
2nd Half 17:25 Bright ends the run...nice lay in to put St.Mary's up 3 and then they get a stop.
2nd Half 18:00 Wiltjer for 3....1 point game.
2nd Half 18:13 Waldow with the steal but couldn't convert. Gonzaga's ball still down 4.
2nd Half 18:32 10 second call on St. Mary's. Wow, Gonzaga ramped it up!
2nd Half 18:42 Rut-Roh, St Mary's. 40-36. Quick 7-0 from Gonzaga to start off the half.
2nd Half 19:00 St. Mary's misses the lay in and Gonzaga gets a quick layup. Just like that a 6 point game.
2nd Half Gonzaga strikes quick. Pangos for 3....
These first 4 minutes will be very crucial for Gonzaga.
2nd Half...Here we go! Let's see what you got, Gonzaga.
College basketball is the best!! Just 22 days from Selection Sunday.
St.Mary's would move up the bubble ranks but would still be on the outside looking in with a win.
Gonzaga's hopes for a #1 seed would be all but gone if they lose tonight. Just too many good resumes that they couldn't match up against.
Gonzaga needs a lot more from Wiltjer in the second. He had 45 points on Thursday but just 2 points in the first half tonight.
Waldow and Bright were fantastic for St.Mary's. 21 combined points.
Halftime: 40-29 St. Mary's. They couldn't ask for much more. Let's see what adjustments Few makes.
1st Half 30 secs Lay in by Karnowski.40-29.
1st Half 55 secs Waldow looks gassed. St. Mary's turnover.
1st Half 2:00 Great defense as Bell misses a lay-in. St.Mary's goes back up 13 as Waldow converts.
1st Half 3:00 Circus layup by Bright. Bell counters with a 3. Gonzaga starting to find their groove. Waldow misses lay in on other end. 38-27.
1st Half 3:30 St. Mary's clunks their free throws. Pangos with a jumper and a foul. This is a big few minutes for Gonzaga. Let's see if they can grab some momentum going into the half.
Sabonis seems like Gonzaga's best option at this point. Let's see if they exploit it.
1st Half 3:53 TV TO. St. Mary's will shoot free throws when we return. 36-21.
1st Half 4:07 Sabonis with a nice lay-in.
1st Half 4:20 Another 3!!!! Bright babyyyy.....36-19 St Mary's and Few calls another TO.
1st Half 4:30 Bright converts the pair 33-19. Gonzaga still looks sluggish. Pangos really trying to get things going.
1st Half 4:55 Pangos fouls the cutter and Bright will go to the line for 2.
1st Half 5:35 Waldow misses badly and Gonzaga scores...31-19.
1st Half 6:00 Nice effort by Gary Bell. 31-17.
1st Half 6:50 Gonzaga turnover but St. Mary's cant convert. Gary Bell then misses 3. Up and Down we go
1st Half 7:30 Waldow converts the free throw. 31-15. Gonzaga cannot answer. Wiltjer misses again.
This is a good opportunity to see what Gonzaga is made of. They haven't been in this situation all year. In their one loss against Arizona they were pretty much in control throughout.
1st Half 7:50 And 1!!! Waldow will go to the free throw line and it is getting ugly for Gonzaga..WOW! 30-15!!
1st Half 8:00 Gonzaga misses another lay-up and St. Mary's now calls a time-out. Very faced past game.
1st Half 8:40 Pangos splits the pair. St Mary's gets an easy 2. 28-15.
1st Half 9:29 Pangos draws some contact and he will go to the line. 26-14 St. Mary's.
Gonzaga clearly a little rattled. Haven't been challenged like this is a while.
1st Half 10:15 Another 3 for the Gaels!!! 26-14..And they get a stop. Sabonis misses
1st Half 10:57 Another 3!!! Naar! 23-11. Gonzaga responds with a 3. 23-14.
1st Half 11:33 Wiltjer misses both free throws. He seems off tonight.
Six players have scored for St. Mary's. They have looked great so far and the crowd is still very much engaged!
1st Half 11:40 St Marys now 4-5 from behind the arc. Extend lead to 20-11..Wiltjer fouled on other end..Timeout.
1st Half 12:14 Wiltjer and Sabonis miss a couple bunnies. St. Marys ball after a foul.
1st Half 12:30 Pangos misses a 3 but Gonzaga gets a stop on the other end.
1st Half 14:00 Big 3 by Wright. Needed that..Lead pushed to 9 for St.Marys. Gonzaga responds with a 3 of their own from Wiltjer. 17-11
1st Half 14:30 Pangos drills a jumper. Looked like an offensive foul 14-8.
Have to think teams like Wisconsin, Duke and Villanova are watching this game closely. All would benefit from a St. Mary's win.
Good response by Gonzaga out of the early time-out. Score then a stop and Pangos will go to the line and shoot 2 when we return. Still 14-6
1st Half 14:50-Wesley with a lay in and its 14-6.
Perfect start here for St. Mary's. They have the crowd engaged. Up double digit not even 5 minutes in.
1st Half 15:07- Waldow again! 12-4 St. Marys. Gonzaga cannot convert on the other end. Gonzaga looks sluggish on offense. Waldow again!! 14-4 Gaels and Few calls a TO!
1st Half 16:40- St Mary's playing with great energy early. The crowd is really into it. I love it!! Carter for 3! 10-4 Gaels with the ball.
1st Half:18:10- Karnowski gets the Zags on the board but Simmons responds with a 3. 7-2 Gaels.
1st Half: 19:35-Brad Waldow gets the St. Mary's off to a great start. And then scores on the second possession. 4-0 Gaels.
Tip-Off and we are off!
Looks like the game will start on the WatchESPN app. Lucky for you, I will have play by play right here if you do not have it!
Game will tip in 5 minutes. Excited to see this atmosphere.
St. Mary's will be much more competitive tonight then they were a few weeks ago at Gonzaga.
Just under an hour away from tip-off. Have to think McKeon Pavilion will be rocking tonight! Gonzaga better bring it because St. Mary's will bring it tonight.
If St.Mary's wants to be competitive tonight they will need to get off to a quick start so the crowd is engaged.
This game starts in just under 2 hours, so keep it right on this LIVE for more before the game and throughout the matchup to stay completely updated.
This team is good enough to play in Indianapolis but they need to worry about the task at hand. The environment tonight will be a good test for Gonzaga and one that they should pass. They will get St. Mary’s best shot, but that’s something they get each and every game in conference. This will be tougher then any game Gonzaga plays in the WCC tournament. If Gonzaga wins they will check something off their list however because with a win tonight Gonzaga will clinch the outright WCC regular season championship and will be the one seed in the conference tournament.
What Gonzaga needs to worry about is maintaining their focus and staying healthy and if they find themselves in a tight game then they can use that to build off of. In three weeks none of this chatter about their schedule will matter. Gonzaga will ultimately be judged on this season by how they do in the tournament.
If you ask me, it doesn’t matter what seed Gonzaga gets. It will be great for the program but I do not think it will have any effect on their Final Four chances. Whether they are a 1 seed or a 2 seed Gonzaga will more then likely be in the West Region and will play their first and second round games in Seattle.
No matter what Gonzaga does tonight their will still be debate on if they should be a #1 in seed in the NCAA tournament. Gonzaga is essentially in a lose-lose situation if you really think about it. They can win by 50 and people will blame the opponent or they could slip up and falter down the stretch and they would most likely not even be in consideration for a one seed.
Kyle Wiltjer, a Kentucky transfer, leads the Zags in scoring at 17.4 ppg, and is coming off a 45 point outburst against Pacific. Senior Kevin Pangos is one of the best point guards and his running mate Gary Bell Jr is also very productive. Gonzaga also has something that many teams do not and that is a true banger. At 7-1 and 288 pounds Przemek Karnowski is a handful for anyone to cover. Gonzaga’s x-factor may be their 6-10 freshman from Lithuania. Domantas Sabonis keeps getting better and better and is a true treat to watch. He has also been very efficient on the year shooting just under 69% from the field.
Many people overlook how good this Gonzaga team is when discussing them and instead just choose to only harp on the schedule. Let’s remember, Gonzaga’s only loss this year was at Arizona and that was an overtime game that Gonzaga let slip away. This is arguably Mark Few’s best team and that is saying something considering how successful his tenor has been.
St. Mary’s tournament hopes aren’t nearly as bright as their conference foe. If St. Mary’s wants any consideration for an at-large bid they need to beat Gonzaga. The Gaels do boast a top 50 RPI and this would only help but one still must think that the only way the Gaels will get into the field is if they win the WCC tournament in a few weeks.
For St. Marys, similar to any other year, this will be their Super Bowl when Gonzaga crosses enemy lines tonight. The Gaels, led by senior Brad Waldow who averages 19.7 points and 9.1 rebounds, will look for their third straight win this evening.
Gonzaga’s case for a number one seed is unique and different in many ways then the Wichita St team last year. First of all, Gonzaga did play a difficult non-conference schedule. Gonzaga’s non conference schedule ranked #15 and do boost a couple good wins including being the only team to win at UCLA this year. The West Coast Conference is not a great conference but it is not as poor as many people would think. According to KemPom, the WCC ranks as the 7th best conference in America.
Hello, and welcome to VAVEL USA's live coverage of the key WCC matchup of the year, Gonzaga - St. Mary's LIVE. I'm John Mitchell, and I'll be your host tonight. For the next three weeks there will be many debates across the college basketball world about Gonzaga as a number one seed. Many people believe this trip to St. Mary’s is the biggest remaining hurdle for the Gonzaga between now and Selection Sunday.