SAN DIEGO -- Do you hear that sound? Listen closely. That's the sound of somebody's bubble bursting as San Diego just stunned No. 20 Gonzaga, 69-62 to win the WCC Championship and the automatic NCCA bid that comes with it. With Gonzaga a virtual lock to earn an at-large bid, somebody will be left out in the cold.

But that's of no concern for the Toreros, who are going dancing for the first time since 2003 when Jason Keep trolled the middle to lead USD past the same Gonzaga program for the conference title. Neither is it any concern of the USD students, who stormed the floor of the Jenny Craig Pavilion for the second straight night, thrilled at a conference title won on their home court.

USD capped off the win with a fast-break two-handed slam by Trumaine Johnson with 7.9 seconds left. He got a technical for hanging on the rim, but it was of no consequence as Gonzaga could get no closer than final seven-point margin.

"We got beat tonight," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "It shows up in the rebounds and the hustle plays. Outside of the first five or seven minutes, we just could not match their desire."

Continue reading "WCC: They're Dancing in San Diego" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

SAN DIEGO -- It's go time for Gonzaga. Trailing 59-51 at the final media timeout, the Gonzaga students are trying to will their team to the comeback. USD has the ball with 3:35 and the Zags need a rally.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- In a situation that looks eerily similar to San Diego's win over Saint Mary's on Sunday, the Toreros are locking down on defense as the game winds down. Gonzaga has scored just one field goal in the last six-plus minutes as the Toreros have pulled away for a 57-47 edge with 5:30 remaining.

The Toreros won last night by holding Saint Mary's to one field goal over the final 11:31 of regulation to take it to overtime. The USD crowd can smell blood and bubble teams everywhere are worried. But I'm guessing Gonzaga has another run before we're done here.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- After a semifinal round that saw one game come down to the final possession and the other go to two overtimes, it looks like the WCC Championship will live up to the billing. With 10:56 left in regulation, San Diego has taken a 49-45 lead over top-seed Gonzaga with both teams throwing body blows and long range daggers at each other.

The Toreros just got back on top with a newfound 3-point proficiency. They missed their first four from behind the arc, but are 5-of-13 for the game, including one on each of the last two possessions. They're doing it with balance too with five players scoring between 8-10 points each.

And again -- in case you forgot -- the Toreros are playing for their season with an automatic NCAA bid at stake on the outcome.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- After relinquishing control to close the first half, Gonzaga has jumped back out to a 39-34 lead at the 15:35 mark of the second half.

San Diego took the lead in the first by dominating the boards, 23-13, including nine on offense. It looks like Mark Few made some halftime adjustments as the Zags have a 5-3 edge on the board through the first few minutes of the second stanza. Star guard Jeremy Pargo is getting into his game too, scoring four quick points after tallying six in the first.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- Sparked by a 9-2 run to close the half, San Diego has seized momentum in the WCC Championship with a 30-27 halftime lead. But the Zags caught a break in the closing seconds when the officials allowed a Micah Downs jumper that appeared to come after the shot clock expired.

Either way, bubble teams are sweating everywhere.

Posted by Jason Owens at 09:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- After four San Diego misses from behind the arc, De'Jon Jackson pulled up for a transition long ball to put the Toreros on top for the first time, 28-25 in the final two minutes of the first half. The Toreros have an NCAA tourney bid on the line. It looks like they're starting to figure that out.

Posted by Jason Owens at 09:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- USD weathered an early Gonzaga storm and has kept things close with the Bulldogs holding a 19-16 edge with 7:40 left in the first half. The Zags have had no trouble scoring, hitting at a 58 percent clip from the field while USD has kept things close working the offensive glass. The Toreros' four early offensive rebounds have made up for 37 percent shooting from the field.

Posted by Jason Owens at 09:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- With Gonzaga grasping early control on the court and in the stands, the Toreros got a timeout and stopped the bleeding with two straight baskets to cut their deficit from 13-6 to 13-10. We'll see if they can maintain focus in an almost hostile environment.

Posted by Jason Owens at 09:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- The Toreros have the ball on offense next to the Gonzaga student section which, judging by its call and response, has officially declared the Jenny Craig Pavilion as their house. It's hard to argue as it feels like a Gonzaga home game -- at least from where I'm sitting (directly in front of the students).

So far the Toreros have committed three shot clock violations and we're only six minutes into the game. They didn't commit any last night against Saint Mary's. The Zags have an 13-6 edge at the 13:57 mark and the USD fans already look downtrodden.

Posted by Jason Owens at 09:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- While tonight's WCC championship between top-seed Gonzaga and 3-seed San Diego is drawing a lot of local buzz, there may be even more interest nationwide.

The Floridas, Virginia Techs and Marylands of the college basketball are all Bulldogs fans tonight as a USD win would take one more coveted NCAA tourney spot away from a bubble team.

The biggest question inside the arena tonight is who will actually have the home court advantage. USD is playing in its home gym, but Gonzaga travels well and had a considerably stronger presence in the stands during Sunday's semifinal round. Torero fans will have to step up to give their home team an edge.

Continue reading "WCC: Zags, Fans Look to Overtake USD's Home Court" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- The USD offense has woken up a bit, but Saint Mary's is still running away with this one. USD has no answer for the Saint Mary's offense, which is shooting 58 percent from the field and 56 percent from long distance en route to a 35-19 lead with 3:21 left in the first half.

The Torero fans are still making noise, some of it inappropriate and obnoxious, but they're not going to have much to cheer about if USD doesn't close the gap before halftime.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- The sellout crowd full of Gonzaga fans got what it wanted as the Zags pulled off a hard-fought 52-48 win over Santa Clara to advance to Monday's WCC championship game.

The game was in doubt in the :12 mark when Santa Clara's Brody Angley launched an ill-advised fall-away 3-pointer to try to tie the game at 51. Abdullahi Kuso got the rebound for Gonzaga and picked up John Brant's fifth foul to go to the line. He missed the first, but hit the second to give the Zags a four-point lead and put the game out of reach for the Broncos.

The Zags advance to faced the winner of tonight's matchup between top-seeded Saint Mary's and 3rd-seeded San Diego, which is playing on its home court. Santa Clara goes home to regroup for next season.

Continue reading "WCC: Zags Hold On, Advance to Championship" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- With about five minutes remaining, Gonzaga led Santa Clara 49-44. Santa Clara center John Bryant returned to the game with four fouls and has changed the complexion on both ends of the court. Gonzaga's struggling to get open baskets and Santa Clara is working the ball inside to cut the deficit to 49-48 with 2:00 remaining. This one's going down to the wire.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- It didn't take John Bryant long to pick up his fourth foul after spending four minutes on the bench when he got his third. Santa Clara's All-WCC center returned to the game returned to the game with his Broncos leading 37-36 at the 10:15 mark of the second half, but went right back to the pine about two minutes later when he picked up his fourth.

But Santa Clara has been playing well without him and trails 43-42 with 7:26 remaining thanks to a Mitch Henke 3-pointer. So far, they've hit 6-of-12 from long range. They'll need to keep it up; I doubt we'll see Bryant again until the game is under four minutes. They'll also need to figure out a way to slow center Josh Heytvelt, who leads Gonzaga with 13 points.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- Santa Clara center John Bryant scored the first four points of the second half but also picked up a couple of quick fouls for a total of three with about 14 minutes left in regulation. Now he's riding the pine, but don't expect him to be there long as the Broncos need their All-WCC center down the stretch to beat the Zags.

With 13:27, the Broncos have kept the score low and hold a 35-34 lead with 13:27 left in the game. They've done it by pressuring the ball and forcing 13 turnovers, leading to 11 Santa Clara points.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- If the Zags expected to coast tonight, they were wrong. After facing an early 11-3 deficit, Gonzaga has battled back to take a 28-25 halftime lead with a strong inside-out game that's led to five 3-pointers and nine point inside from center Josh Heytvelt off the bench.

Santa Clara has countered with strong perimeter play of its own, led by Calvin Johnson's nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc. Gonzaga has limited the effectiveness of center John Bryant, who has six points and three rebounds at the half and has missed 6-of-9 field goal attempts. The All-WCC center averages 18.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game; if the Broncos want to pull off this upset, they'll need better production from Bryant in the second half.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- After a slow start, Gonzaga is settling into its game, but Santa Clara is not backing down and still maintains a 19-18 lead with 6:48 left in the first half. Even though the Gonzaga campus if the farthest from San Diego of any of the WCC teams, this is essentially a home game for the Zags, with their red-clad crowd cheering along with the cheerleaders to drown out the Santa Clara faithful.

Instead of going into All-WCC center John Bryant, the Broncos have been attacking the Bulldogs from the perimeter, catching them off guard. They've hit 3-of-6 3-pointers so far, which should open the inside up for Bryant to do his work as the game continues. The Zags have countered with three 3-pointers of their own while owning the glass, 12-8 in the early going. They've got their crowd behind them; now they need to figure out out to slow the Broncos down.

Posted by Jason Owens at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN DIEGO -- After two days of sub-.500 teams and sparse if not non-existent fan support, we officially have a conference tournament on our hands. It's the WCC semifinals, featuring two nationally prominent teams in No. 22 Gonzaga and top-seeded Saint Mary's, which has spent plenty of time in the top 25 this season.

No. 2 seed Gonzaga tips the night off against 4th-seeded Santa Clara and the Zags came fully equipped with a jam-packed student section and rowdy crowd. Few expect the Broncos to give Gonzaga a game, but they'll have their hands full with Santa Clara center John Bryant, who schooled USF last night to the tune of 25 points and 17 rebounds. The Zags have an at-large bid wrapped up while Santa Clara, with a 15-15 record has its eyes on the WCC automatic bid. The atmosphere is electric. Let's see if the game is too.

Posted by Jason Owens at 09:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MEMPHIS -- Welcome to the FedEx Forum for today's match-up between No. 1 Memphis and Gonzaga. The 60:00 until game clock has yet to start ticking but four Memphis Tigers are shooting around on the Forum floor (Robert Dozier, Doneal Mack, Derrick Rose, Antonio Anderson and Andre Allen). Rose is being stretched out at half court and a few other Tigers are currently taking the floor.

The student section to our left, in the endzone, is filled in. We're ready to roll.

Memphis game notes

Gonzaga game notes

Posted by David Scott at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Gonzaga earned a well-deserved 85-82 win with a 11-8 closing run over the game's final three minutes to put away the not-quite-there-yet UConn Huskies.

The Huskies did not go quietly as AJ Price nearly banked in a three-pointer with 21.6 seconds left and was fouled on the attepmt. He proceeded to hit two of three fouls to cut the lead to 82-80, a mad scramble for the rebound ensued and a tie up gave the ball to the Zags. Austin Daye was fouled on the in-bounds and the freshman calmly hit two free throws for his third and fourth points of the game (all from the line). Daye returned to the line with 4.2 seconds left and sank one of two to keep the lead at three points. A last second attempt to tie by A.J. Price for the ties barely touched rim and the Zags escaped.

The road weary Zags will no return home for in-state rival Washington State on Wednesday the 5th. UConn hosts Northeastern on Thursday at Gampel Pavillion.

UConn led 75-74 with 3:23 left but never again after a Pargo reverse layup with 3:00 left put the Zags up, 76-75.
Pargo was named the game's MVP with 23 points, five assists and four rebounds in 40 minutes.

Price led the Huskies with 24 points. Micah Downs had 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for Gonzaga.

. . . Kuso fouled out with 2:45 left in the game, finishing with no points and one rebound. He came in averaging 9 and 4.

Thabeet then fouled out on a fairly questionable call where Pendergraft got entangled with the big fella with 2:05 left. He finished with six points and five rebounds. he came in averaging 10.5 and just under 10 boards. Pendergraft made one of two free throws and then Gonzaga got the offensive board that led to a Pargo jumper and a 79-76 lead.

. . . We'll work the post-game interviews and then be back with you for the tip of the nightcap between Providence and Boston College.

Posted by David Scott at 05:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- The Zags maintain a 74-73 lead with 3:46 left in regulation.

. . . Thabeet picked up his fourth personal with 6:38 left in the game and was replaced by Curtis Kelly. He'll probably stay on the bench until after the 4:00 media timeout. (And is.) Kelly had a nice putback right away for the Huskies in the midst of a UConn mini-run that saw them take the lead back, 73-72.

. . . Gonzaga junior Jeremy Pargo is something to behold in the open floor. Great ball control and he really attacks the rim. A driving lay-up with 4:13 left in the game gave him 17 points and the Zags a 74-73 lead.

. . . Doug "Dougie" Wiggins has had a rough afternoon for the Huskies. A three-point air ball with just under 4:00 left in the game wound up right in the arms of Pendergraft. WIggins has two points on 1 of 8 from the field

Posted by David Scott at 05:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Matt Bouldin is on fire for th Zags, hitting back-to-back three-pointers for Gonzaga to put the Zags back out in front by two, 69-67. Bouldin has 13 points in the second (15 for the games). Gonzaga leads, 69-67, with 7:59 left in the game.

. . . Jeff Adrien has come alive a bit for the Huskies a bit and now has 13 points, four rebounds and two assists after a six-point first half.

. . . The Gonzaga bench is outscoring the UConn bench, 28-5. The Huskies have 20 second chance points to nine for the Zags and the Zags are leading the fast break battle, 11-4.

. . . The Zags are already in the double bonus with 10 team fouls; UConn has five. Robinson and Kuso have four fouls each (not to be confused with Robsinson Crusoe, who has zero fouls).

Posted by David Scott at 05:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- It's an FX special, as we're in for a tight finish as the Zags now lead, 63-59, with 11:32 left in the game.

. . . Kuso picked up his third foul of the game with 16:02 left and was replaced immediately. Thabeet got his third foul with just over 13:00 left in the game and was also replaced on the floor. Robert Sacre picked up his third a few seconds later.

. . . Donyell Marshall, also an ex-Husky, is in attendance as well.

. . . Ray Allen is seated next to fellow Celtic and ex-USC Trojan Brian Scalabrine. Scal is holding a baby. Gently. Allen participated in the holding-of-the-ball-somersault dunk by Lucky the Loser Leprechaun. Jesus should not have to stoop to such indignities.

. . . Tough crowd -- an older, female Zag fan in a Bulldog sweatshirt was roundly booed by the partisan Husky crowd. A mom for crying out loud!

. . . Refs did a good job reviewing a shot by Matt Bouldin from top of the key that was in fact a 3-pointer, after originally being credited as a two. It gave the Zags a five point lead.

Posted by David Scott at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Gonzaga has come out on a 9-4 run to lead 54-48 with 17:16 left in the game. Stanley Robinson picked up his third foul of the game with 17:38 left, leading to a technical foul on Jim Calhoun, who slammed his hand on the scorer's table and probably violated all sorts of decorum.

. . . Jerome Dyson came out with a three-pointer to start the second half, his fourth of the game. Pargo answered with a three of his own for his fourth of the game.

. . . The referees today are John Hampston, Steve Pyatt and Hal Lusk.

. . . We were a bit surprised to learn that UConn was a slight favorite in this game, but as always, the Wise guys know something. Providence is a two-point favorite in the second game.

Posted by David Scott at 04:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Gonzaga took its first lead of the game on halftime buzeer-beating three-pointer from Pendergraft to head into the locker room up, 45-44. UConn lost a lot of its momentum when Thabeet went to the bench and the Zags settled into their offense.

Pargo leads the Zags with 11 points, Micah Downs has 10 and Pendergraft has nine. UConn is paced by Price's 13, followed by Dyson's nine and eight from Stanley Robinson.

. . . Both teams attempted 16 three-pointers in the first half -- UConn hit seven, and the Zags hit eight. Rebounds were even at 16 apiece and both teams converted 15 field goals (out of 35 for UConn and 32 for Gonzaga). Pargo leads all players with four assists and Price has a team-high three for UConn.

. . . We're going to try and catch the end of the BC-Va. Tech football game and then be back with you for the second half.

Go grab a beer on our behalf if you are of legal age and willing.

Posted by David Scott at 04:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- A very entertaining first half of basketball is winding down with UConn clinging to a 42-39 lead. The Zags cut the lead to one, 38-37, on a Jeremy Pargo three-pointer with just over 4:00 left in the half and now trail by three with 2:36 left in the game.

. . . With Thabeet on the bench, the Zags are having much more success scoring in the paint.

. . . Lucky the Pathetic Celtics Mascot is also here today. Not a big fan of that little leprechaun.

. . . Dancing Celtic Big Baby (Glen Davis) just appeared on the video boards. Dude's got moves.

Posted by David Scott at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Gonzaga appears to have steadied itself, thanks to some timely three-point shooting from Pargo and some scrappy play underneath by 6-foot-5 forward Larry Gurganious. UConn still leads, 32-25, with 7:50 to go in the half. A.J. Price leads all scorers with 13 points (including a few trey balls). Pargo leads the Zags with eight points.

The Huskies are shooting 7-of-11 from three-point land and the Zags are 4-of-10.

. . . Hasheem Thabeet picked up his second foul with 9:11 left in the half, as he fouled Pargo under the rim. He will sit the rest of the half for Jim Calhoun.

. . . The UConn band began chanting for Ray Allen who is sitting courtside opposite the Huskly bench to root on his alma mater. The Celts host Cleveland tomorrow at 12:30.

. . . The Celtics Dancers are in attendance, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It looks like a split squad day for the second-year incarnation of the final NBA team to get a dance team.

Posted by David Scott at 04:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- UConn leads 21-14 with 11:50 left in the half. The Huskies, who have averaged 12 three-point attempts per game through their first six, have already hoisted seven treys (connecting on four).

. . . Gonzaga's first three field goals were all from beyond the arc.

. . . Jerome Dyson had made four three-pointers (out of 15) coming into the game and through the first seven minutes of play today he had three (out of five).

. . . Abdullahi Kuso has two personal fouls for the game.

Posted by David Scott at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Gonzaga is showing signs of the long road trip they have been on with UConn a half step quicker in the early going. UConn got out to a 6-0 lead, which was stifled by a David Pendergraft three-pointer. The lead ballooned to 13-3 until another Pendergraft trey which leaves us at 13-6 at the first media timeout.

Jerome Dyson has been the early star for UConn with two three-pointers for six points, Pendergraft has all of the Zags' points. Every UConn starter has already scored at least one point with 15:31 left in the half and A.J. Price has thre assists on the five Husky field goals.

. . . Definitely a UConn crowd as you'd expect with the Storrs, Conn., campus less than two hours from Boston. Interestingly, the second game could be a more pro-Providence crowd as reports had BC returning a poriton of its allotted tickets, which were then scooped up by the Friar faithful. BC has a notoriously front-running fan base (said the UMass alum).

. . . The UConn cheerleaders are positioned directly in front of the press section in a kneeling position which is semi-obstructing. With their megaphones, it's completely obstructing and when the cheerleaders stand, well, we might as well be where you are.

Some of the more established (read: Cranky) writers are seeking Garden personnel to complain to. We'll keep you posted.

Posted by David Scott at 03:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Our stats monitor issue has been resolved and the starting line-ups look like this:

UCONN:
Donnell Beverly
Jerome Dyson
AJ Price
Stanley Robinson
Hasheem Thabeet

GONZAGA:
Jeremy Pargo
Austin Daye (would be his first start of the season if true, replacing Micah Downs)
Matt Bouldin
David Pendergraft
Abdullahi Kuso

. . . We're about ready to get going here as the Garden slowly fills up for what is expected to be a near-sellout.

. . . The UConn band is playing "Thriller" - perhaps in honor of its 25th birthday? We could do without the tribute, to be honest.

Posted by David Scott at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Gonzaga took the floor for pre-game shooting at about 2:45, led by David Pendergraft who was the first Zag out of the locker room. The Zags are stretching and shooting at the East End of the floor closest to the Posting Up Perch.

. . . We're blessed enough to have a stats monitor to our right but at this point they have Boston College playing UConn, which would clearly be news to the Big East office.

. . . Gonzaga freshman Austin Daye from Irivine, California is the sone of ex-NBA player (and Celtic) Darren Daye, who played at UCLA. Papa Daye logged five years in the NBA, including parts of two season with the Celts (1986-'87 for 61 games and '87-'88 for 47 games. he wore No. 20 for the Celtics, a number now worn by UConn alum Ray Allen. The younger Daye is currently leading the Zags in scoring with 14.3 ppg and 4.9 rpg in a sixth man role.

Continue reading "Zags Take The Floor" »

Posted by David Scott at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- A host of Hall of Famers are scheduled to be in the house today beyond the HOF coach Jim Calhoun. Also slated to be here are Walt Bellamy, Denny Crum, Wayne Embry, Marques Haynes, Bailey Howell, Meadowlark lemon, Nancy Lieberman, Calvin Murphy and CM Newton.

The Hall is also boasting that 28 NBA scouts will be in attaendance (inclduing Charlotte's Bernie Bickerstaff and Denver's Rex Chapman) as well as more than 125 members of the media from nearly 50 outlets. The first game is teleised by ESPN with the second sliding over to ESPN Classic. Sean McDonough, Bill Raftery and Jay Bilas have the call on both games. McDonough is tanned and still aglow over his trip to Hawaii for both the Maui Invitational and a Hawaii football game. He told us Hawaii is a legit BCS bowl team with a defense to finally match its offense and then headed into the Will McDonough press room, names in honor of his late father, a Boston legend.

Continue reading "Hall of Famers In Da House" »

Posted by David Scott at 02:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON -- Welcome to the TD BankNorth Garden for the Beantown debut of The Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase (the event debuted as the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge in Phoenix in December of last year). Our 3:30 tip-off will feature No. 19 Gonzaga (6-1) vs UConn (5-1) and the 6 p.m. game is a New England battle of former Big East rivals Boston College (5-0) and Providence College (4-1).

The Huskies are currently shooting around (mostly free throws for the 64 percent foul shooting Huskies) at the West end of the floor (Posting Up is positioned in the East End for today's event). Boston native Jim Calhoun is out early with his team (sans suit coat) and is standing right foul extended chatting up assistant George Blaney. Garden workers are cleaning the backboard in our endzone proving once and for all that they "do windows."

Continue reading "Welcome To Beantown" »

Posted by David Scott at 02:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)