Gonzaga Bounces Back with Emphatic 94-59 Win Over Kentucky in Music City Madness Matchup
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Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Adam Miller (23) reacts after a made three point basket against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images [/caption]
Nine days after the worst loss in the Mark Few era, No. 11 Gonzaga (8-1) responded from its Players Era finale defeat to Michigan by dominating No. 18 Kentucky (5-4) Friday night 94-59 as part of Music City Madness.
Even with the Wildcats playing a pseudo home game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, the Zags got out to such a lengthy lead within the first 10 minutes that boos rained down from the sea of blue in the crowd for much of the contest, quite the contrast from the last time Few’s team took the court more than a week ago.
Coming off a one-point performance in the game versus the Wolverines, Graham Ike put together a season-high 28 points along with 10 rebounds to collect his fifth double-double of the season. His 18 field goal attempts were more than the 16 shots made by the entire Kentucky squad. Braden Huff shot a pristine 9-for-11 from the floor en route to a 20-point night, completing a banner showing from the Zags duo that was manhandled by Michigan last time out.
Like many opponents GU will face this season, the Wildcats weren’t able to guard the Gonzaga bigs one-on-one, leading to little resistance as Ike and Huff easily got to their spots. The tandem powered a points in the paint advantage of 40-18 as well as a 43-31 upper hand on the boards.
The week-and-a-half-long break was much needed for the Zags, as they were able to get back to their brand of basketball.
“It was just a big reset for us. We just kind of went back and watched the film that last game we played and just looked at things we needed to improve on,” Huff said. “…So I think it was good for us. Needed to kind of get back to how we were playing prior to that. (The time off) was a long time, so we were excited to get back on the floor and compete.”
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 19-2 lead as UK didn’t convert its first made field goal until the 11:04 mark in the first half. They began the game shooting 0-for-10, with seven of those attempts being from beyond the arc. Essentially, a Kentucky offensive possession in the initial 20 minutes was either a missed contested three-pointer or a turnover. When the Wildcats did try to get out and run, Gonzaga did a great job of getting back to slow them in transition.
And the Wildcats’ ghastly shooting spell was never remedied, as UK finished shooting 27 percent (16-of-60) from the floor and 21 percent (7-for-34) from deep. On the other hand, the Zags hit two more threes on 16 fewer attempts.
With time to stew over what went wrong in their game prior, Mark Few adjusted his starting lineup. Emmanuel Innocenti and Steele Venters got the nods over Tyon Grant-Foster and Adam Miller, as Gonzaga still searches for the ideal initial group surrounding Ike and Huff. Innocenti stuffed the stat sheet with five points, six rebounds, and six assists while Miller added 11 points off the bench as he knocked down three shots from downtown.
Mario Saint-Supéry once again was the team’s point guard to start, but after picking up two early fouls, it turned into more of a split situation with Braeden Smith, who had his best game of the season so far. The redshirt junior tallied 11 points, six rebounds and six assists, and two steals in the win, as he commanded the floor on offense and was a pest in passing lanes on the other end.
“He (Smith) was terrific. I thought that was a huge, huge key. He kept in, and (we didn’t) miss a beat, I think we started playing faster, which he's done a lot for us this year,” Few said. “He shared the ball and got the ball to the right spot, stepped up and hit shots when needed, which our guys got to do. I mean, these guys (Ike and Huff) command a lot of attention, and when they do command that attention and throw out, you got to be ready, lock and load, and make a play.”
For the first time ever in the AP poll era of college basketball, a team had back-to-back games against ranked opponents where it lost by 30 points or more before winning the next by at least 30. Overall, it was a rite of passage for GU to get back to the basics and do what it does best. They shot 57 percent from the floor, 50 percent from three, and 81 percent from the charity stripe with just nine turnovers.
Following an embarrassing loss and plenty of time to ponder on the result, the Zags’ experience and talent showed in their 35-point victory, impressing Few by getting back to playing their style of ball and their unique identity.
“This week was really more about letting us get back to who we are. Sometimes you end up just game planning and you kind of lose your way from what you're all about…But we just need to get back and start doing that ourselves, including myself, to demand it out of them…This was really just more about us being us.”
