WCC: Making Case For Gonzaga As No. 1 Team In Nation

Well Balanced

From Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis, to Kelly Olynyk and Robert Sacre, to Adam Morrison, the Zags have always had big men to lean on in tough situations.

The lack of a star was their assumed Achilles heel heading into this season, though. They lost Wiltjer and Sabonis from a season ago and Josh Perkins was their only returning double-digit scorer.

Helped by transfers who sat out last season though, the Bulldogs have arguably their most balanced team under Mark Few and now have an established star in Nigel Williams-Goss.

Goss doesn’t get a ton of national attention, but he’s one of the most complete players in the nation. He leads the team in scoring, assists, steals and is second in rebounding. Plus, he shoots 49.2 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from three. His 6’3″, 185-pound stature doesn’t fit Gonzaga’s usual star, but Goss has quickly cemented himself as their go-to player.

It doesn’t stop at Goss, though. Gonzaga is one of the most consistent teams on both ends of the floor because of their undeniable depth. Eight players have played in at least 17 games this season and all average at least 14 minutes per game.

Their concrete rotation and players accepting their roles has led to Gonzaga being the most equipped team in the nation. They don’t have the five-star recruits that had everyone excited before the season, but they can still match up with anyone.

On offense, Gonzaga has the 14th and 18th best two-point and three-point percentage in the nation, respectively, at 56.9 percent and 39.8 percent. Plus, they rank 16th in points per game and fifth in field goal percentage in the nation.

They do it by sharing the ball, as they are second in assists in the WCC and have seven players attempting at least five shots per game, as well as having players who can play inside-and-out.

Despite their ridiculously high three-point percentage, Gonzaga doesn’t rely on threes like other teams. They attempt just the 195th most threes in the nation this season and only have one player attempting more than five per game.

It leads to them using the forgotten post-up games of seven-footers Josh Collins and Przemek Karnowski, who combine to shoot 13.8 two-pointers per game.

Defensively, Gonzaga is just as good. They’re long, athletic and don’t rely on blocking shots, rather playing good team defense who moves well on the perimeter. As a result, the Zags rank just 98th in the nation in blocked shots and Collins is their only player with more than one block per game.

Still, Gonzaga holds teams to the 22nd fewest points per game, sixth worst field-goal percentage and 12th worst three-point percentage at a miserable 29.4 percent. Gonzaga even held two of their ranked opponents to under 40 percent shooting.

Their consistency on both ends of the floor has led to Gonzaga being the only team in the nation with a top 15 offensive and defensive rating. This season, the Zags own a 119.8 offensive rating, third in the nation, and a 88.7 defensive rating, fifth in the nation.

Next: Creighton Bluejays: Replacing Watson Will Be Team Effort

Gonzaga doesn’t have the star players other top programs have, but they’re as well-balanced as any team because of their depth, and it’s shown by their 18-0 start.