30 second game guide
Bring’em Out: No. 17/13 (AP/Coaches polls) Gonzaga 18-4 (7-1 WCC) vs. Memphis 16-6 (6-2 C-USA) atthe FedEx Forum Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.
Watch for: How Gonzaga fares in its biggest remaining test of the season. Yes, the Saint Mary’s game will be big as well, but playing a team of the Tiger’s caliber outside the WCC is what really will test the Zags for postseason play. Memphis isn’t as strong as it’s been in years past, but playing in the Tigers gym will stretch GU’s talents to its limits.
Fear: Gonzaga’s mental state. This team’s head is right where it needs to be going into the match up Saturday. GU responded exactly how it should have following the loss to the Dons by pummeling Portland by 27 and will head into Graceland on a confidence high. The Bulldogs are going to need every advantage they can get heading into the FedEx Forum, where they’ve yet to win in a pair of contests (the other loss was to North Carolina in the 2009 Sweet 16). The Tigers boast a 12-2 record at home this season.
Respect: Elliot Williams. The sophomore transfer from Duke is chiming in at 20 points per game this season and is the new “it” player for the Tigers. Most of the front-line talent the Zags faced the past two years has either graduated or jumped to the NBA. Expect to hear/see different names on Memphis roster in 2010.
Random Stuff: The Tigers recently saw their NCAA-tying record 63-game conference win streak ended by UTEP, only to lose a second C-USA game at SMU January 30th. Gonzaga is 0-4 vs. Memphis in the past four seasons and 1-4 all-time against the Tigers (88-73 win in 1999).
