Gonzaga basketball players and coaches cringe at the “midmajor” label still slapped on the Bulldogs in some circles despite 13 consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament.
Gonzaga does what it can to gain national respect by scheduling quality nonconference opponents, including Arizona today in the school’s ninth annual “Battle in Seattle” at KeyArena.
The Bulldogs stayed busy this week with final exams and a Thursday home win over Oral Roberts. Senior center Rob Sacre promises GU will be ready for today’s nationally televised contest (1 p.m., Channel 7) against the talented Wildcats.
“I didn’t come to Gonzaga to play (Spokane Community College),” Sacre joked. “I’m excited to play these games. That’s why I came here.”
Sacre is also excited about the season debut of junior college transfer Guy Landry Edi. A 6-foot-6 wing, Edi sat out the first eight games due to an NCAA suspension for playing in a pro league in France.
“The beast is gettin’ off the chains!” Sacre exclaimed. “Guy Landry’s comin’ out! Break-out game, y’all! No pressure!”
Edi’s athleticism could come in handy against the Wildcats.
“They’re very athletic … a bunch of 6-6, 6-7, 6-4 guys who can really attack you off the bounce,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said about Arizona.
Similar to Gonzaga, the Wildcats rely heavily on talented freshman guards who make freshman mistakes from time to time. Both teams shoot 3-pointers often and well and have balanced scoring led by inside players – Sacre (a 7-foot center averaging 15.5 points per game) and Solomon Hill (a 6-6 forward averaging 11.7 ppg for Arizona).
Hill is one of three starters back from a 30-8 team that reached the Elite Eight. The Wildcats lost their most dominant player, Pac-10 Player of the Year Derrick Williams, to the NBA. He was the No. 2 overall draft pick by Minnesota.
Gonzaga freshman guard Gary Bell Jr., who has started the past two games, will have plenty of family and friends on hand to watch him play his first collegiate game at KeyArena. Bell, the former Kentridge High star, grew up watching the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics play at the Seattle Center venue.
“I was a big Sonics fan when they were here,” Bell said.
FASTBREAKS
Gonzaga (6-2) and Arizona (7-3) were ranked in the Top 25 earlier this season. Each team received votes in one of the two major polls this week. … The Bulldogs are 4-4 in the “Battle in Seattle” after losing four of the past five … Gonzaga shoots 39 percent from 3-point range, but Arizona opponents sink only 28 percent of their 3’s. “We are getting better on defense,” Wildcats coach Sean Miller said. … Gonzaga has averaged 18 turnovers the past three games.
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