Gonzaga looks to rebound vs. Portland, plus the latest NCAA basketball NET Rankings
Former Gonzaga All-American Dan Dickau and Gonzaga Nation reporter Cole Forsman break down the Bulldogs' matchup with Portland
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00:00 Dan Dickow here for Gonzaga Nation alongside our journalist Cole Forsman who keeps everyone up to date with all the updates
00:09 and the previews and the recaps of the game. So I'm gonna do a little video preview of
00:16 the games the rest of the season and
00:18 we're gonna start it off by having Cole lead the discussion with the questions. So first off Cole,
00:25 let's flip the script. You're now in the interviewee chair in regards to the video. I guess first off,
00:32 how are you doing? And let's get going.
00:35 I'm doing good, Dan. I've been bursting this role of more screen time. That's awesome.
00:41 I don't always like hiding behind a keyboard, but no, it's great.
00:46 I think it'll be great to get a little bit more perspective from your side of things as a commentator and
00:51 basketball savant, former player.
00:55 It's going good, Dan. I think we're kind of excited here to have another game back in the kennel.
00:59 So yeah,
01:01 Portland coming up, right?
01:03 Kind of like last week they had
01:06 St. Mary's after LMU, this week they're off Kentucky after Portland.
01:11 So they get this kind of game. I don't want to call it a tune-up game.
01:15 I hate calling league games that, but if you look at the numbers, you come to your own conclusion on that.
01:21 I kind of just want to know what your thoughts are on the pilots this year
01:26 from sort of a schematic and X's and O's perspective, what Gonzaga can sort of expect.
01:33 Yeah,
01:34 I mean, I think Portland is
01:35 one of those teams that you look at on paper at the start of the season and you want more from them.
01:40 You know, they were very active in the transfer portal again,
01:44 and they were bringing back one of their better players from two years ago in Chris Austin,
01:50 who had a devastating leg injury two years ago. Last year, he kind of missed the majority of the season.
01:57 This year, he's starting to look a little bit more like himself, but I mean,
02:00 it takes a while with the type of leg injury that he had.
02:03 One of the transfers they brought in from the portal, a fifth-year guy, really didn't fit schematically what they wanted
02:11 once they kind of started playing games.
02:14 And he didn't fit
02:16 in regards to helping the chemistry.
02:18 So he was dismissed at the halfway point.
02:21 And since then, they've kind of
02:22 gone back to playing the way they've always wanted to play.
02:27 And that's post up their guards, in particular, Tyler Robertson, who's had some really good games in league.
02:33 And that's kind of flipped the script at times and bring your bigs away from the basket
02:37 and give them the ability to shoot from beyond the three-point line.
02:40 They're a team that definitely relies on the three-point shot in the last win against Pepperdine.
02:46 They made 16 threes.
02:47 And I mean, think about that really quickly.
02:50 I think Gonzaga's only had three games all season, double figures in made threes.
02:55 And Portland has done that quite a bit of times.
02:59 I think they've gotten four times, if I'm not mistaken, in league play.
03:02 Have they been double figure makes from the three-point line?
03:05 But 16 made threes.
03:07 They had five players in double figures in the win against Pepperdine.
03:11 And, you know, granted, it was Pepperdine in the game before that was Pacific, right?
03:18 But they're on a two game winning streak.
03:20 And, you know, you can't take that away from them in any way, shape or form, because,
03:25 you know, after dismissing a player at the break and getting some guys
03:30 pulling off their red shirt and, you know, overcoming some injuries,
03:33 they are showing signs of life.
03:35 And, you know, that's something that I know Shante Leggins
03:39 has continued to preach to his guys, like, look, we've battled injuries,
03:42 we've battled different, you know, things that have gone against us.
03:46 Let's just keep laying it on the line and see how this season progresses.
03:50 And I'm not going to say they're going to challenge for, you know,
03:53 even maybe fifth in league right now.
03:56 I'm not going to go that far.
03:57 But I am going to say they are playing a lot better basketball
04:00 over the last two weeks than they were the first two weeks of league play.
04:03 Yeah, you mentioned the three point shooting.
04:07 They do heavily rely on that.
04:09 They've had three straight games of ten or more threes.
04:12 And they've had they had ten or more in both games against Gonzaga last year.
04:18 So definitely something to watch out for.
04:21 Gonzaga, I feel like, has a size advantage in this one.
04:24 This is one of those WCC games where Gonzaga can kind of really
04:28 dominate the paint.
04:30 But Portland, yeah, has been playing better basketball
04:33 as of late in conference.
04:35 Pacific and Pepperdine, you're not going to be wowed over.
04:40 They don't have a win inside the first three quadrants in the net.
04:44 A win over Wyoming earlier in the year
04:49 is probably their best non-conference win now that I'm looking at it.
04:52 But I'm curious.
04:55 This team is it's been Tyler Robertson.
04:57 It feels like it feels like for five years.
05:00 I feel like I've seen him in the kennel a lot more times than a lot of other guys.
05:04 He was actually on Eastern
05:08 in 2019, 2020.
05:10 So he's played Gonzaga four times.
05:12 He hasn't had a spectacular game
05:15 last year in the last matchup.
05:19 He had ten points, didn't make a three, had four turnovers.
05:23 The matchup before that in the kennel last year,
05:26 eight points, three of eight, seven turnovers.
05:31 So he's averaging roughly five turnovers a game in the three games
05:35 he's played against Gonzaga while at Portland.
05:38 So wondering, try to think back, you know, and just
05:43 what how big of a threat do you believe Robertson can be against Gonzaga?
05:47 They seem to have kind of limited him.
05:49 But what might make the difference this time?
05:52 Well, I think the big thing you look at in regards to that is,
05:55 you know, as talented a player as he is, Gonzaga is focused on him.
06:00 And so they've made life difficult on him, whether it was a matchup
06:05 the last couple of years with, you know, speed and quickness in Rajir Bolton
06:09 or, you know, they go bigger and with length in Julian Strother.
06:15 Both of those guys did a tremendous job on him in particular last year.
06:18 And I think that's important because
06:21 he does so many things well that you can't let him get comfortable.
06:25 So then he starts picking and choosing what he wants to do.
06:27 He's like he's not a knockdown shooter, but he's a really good shooter
06:31 from the three point line if you give him time and space.
06:34 He's not a blazing quick guy that's going to get you off the balance,
06:37 but he's creative and crafty.
06:38 He's good at getting off balance and using angles to get by.
06:42 And then he's he's big and strong so he can shoulder you and get
06:45 a little bit of separation at the rim or in the paint.
06:48 And then, you know, with that size advantage that he usually has
06:52 and the patience that he plays with, you know, he'll terminate drives
06:56 and turn them into post ups, which is something that Shante Leggings
07:00 gives him a ton of freedom to do.
07:03 And so, you know, I think everything begins and ends with Portland
07:06 for their attack with having the ball in Robertson's hands.
07:10 And now I'm not taking anything away from, you know,
07:13 Vasich or sorry, Masich, who's a good shooter in his own right.
07:19 But he's more of a point guard who aggressively shoots threes.
07:23 He's not going to get downhill and turn things into a post up.
07:26 You know, Gurasito is a backup point guard who started on occasion
07:29 that he is strictly looking to shoot from the three.
07:33 Dengdut, reigning WCC freshman of the week, is starting to show signs
07:38 of the potential that Portland likes.
07:40 But I don't I don't know if he's ready for for this atmosphere
07:43 playing in the kennel.
07:44 You know, Utah Yamanuchi Williams, you know, he's the player
07:50 that they pulled a red shirt off of right at the break
07:52 when they dismissed another player.
07:54 He's again, he's a thin, slender
07:58 interior player who gravitates towards the outside, similar to Dengdut.
08:03 And then the last guy you got to talk about, you know, in preparation
08:06 for Gonzaga getting ready for Portland is Tyler Harris.
08:09 Three times he's been the player of the freshman of the week in the league.
08:12 He's missed some time with an ankle injury recently.
08:15 I believe it's the last three games he's missed.
08:18 I don't know if he's going to be back for for this Gonzaga game.
08:21 If he is, you know, he's a young player on the wing, about six, six
08:28 talented, you know, he can he can make an occasional three,
08:31 although that's not his strength right now, but he's a slasher.
08:34 Get out in transition, attack guy.
08:36 And for a young guy, he's also really good on the glass.
08:38 Yeah, you mentioned the first freshman there, and I was like, oh,
08:43 Tyler Harris, this is usually an older their frontcourt is more experienced.
08:47 I'm wondering, though, with Gonzaga's size, how that stacks up.
08:51 And for Robertson, yeah, he I watched the Santa Clara game
08:56 that I think they lost by 15, but he really kept the minute.
09:00 And it was like it was back down after back down.
09:02 And that's kind of a normal, unusual for a guard in the college basketball
09:07 to kind of take it on, take it on his own to score in the paint. But.
09:13 Yeah, I wonder for Gonzaga.
09:17 Last year, it was Julian Strother, who you mentioned
09:21 he had 40 points down there in Portland.
09:24 The few weeks before, I believe when they played in Spokane,
09:28 it was Malachi Smith who had 27 off the bench.
09:30 So obviously, neither guy is suiting up for GU right at this time.
09:35 So I was wondering, is there somebody who you might think
09:40 for Gonzaga has this sort of breakout game?
09:43 Is it more of Graham E.K.
09:45 down low, given the size and overall strength that he has over Portland's
09:50 frontcourt, or is it a guard kind of like what we saw
09:53 with Malachi last year?
09:55 Yeah, Gonzaga is always going to try to establish the perimeter.
09:58 They've done it for years, you know, even before the dominant Drew Timmy years.
10:03 They would always try to establish that interior with low post play,
10:06 deep post rim runs in transition.
10:08 You know, see how you play the interior
10:12 and then see how you play pick and roll actions
10:14 while all at the same time trying to push the pace in transition.
10:18 So, you know, I think they will they'll look to establish E.K. early.
10:23 But you're right.
10:24 I mean, Strother and Smith had really big games last year.
10:26 I think the guy I'm looking to to have a huge game soon.
10:30 And he's he's played really well
10:32 over the last 12, 13, 14 games.
10:36 You know, is Ben Gregg.
10:37 He's been moved into the starting lineup.
10:39 I think it's seven games now.
10:41 He didn't necessarily score it against St.
10:43 Mary's, but he did a lot of other little things.
10:46 He's a guy that I'm looking soon to have a couple
10:51 20 point kind of breakout explosion games.
10:53 You know, he's a he's a good enough shooter from the outside to keep him honest.
10:57 He's good in screen and dive situations.
11:00 He can get out and run in transition.
11:03 I'm looking for him to have a breakout game.
11:05 And what better game than against your hometown team?
11:08 Because he grew up in the Portland area.
11:10 It's a very good point.
11:12 I did not consider Ben Gregg.
11:14 It's not in this matchup isn't in Portland, but
11:18 you got to know that his family will probably be in attendance for this one, too.
11:22 Ben Gregg, I like that pick.
11:25 I I'm looking over.
11:27 I immediately wanted to go to one of the guards, either Hickman
11:31 or Ryan Nembhard Hickman sort of struggled in that St.
11:36 Mary's game.
11:38 Granted, St.
11:39 Mary's much better team defensively than Portland might be.
11:43 But I think it has to be E.K.
11:46 just because he's able to generate so many good looks at the rim.
11:51 He's not what Timmy was in sort of his footwork.
11:54 He has, I would think, solid footwork for a lefty post like him,
12:00 who's a very bruising low post presence.
12:03 But he's that left over the shoulder
12:07 fade away from the baseline.
12:09 I think he went to it.
12:10 I don't know how many times against St.
12:12 Mary's, but it felt like any time he could have that shot.
12:16 But like you said, and it kind of is going back to the LMU game
12:20 where it was the guards, in particular, Nolan Hickman, who had 24,
12:24 just kind of making the right play.
12:26 And I think when Gonzaga gets that, somebody is bound to have a big night.
12:30 I don't know.
12:31 And in that regard, it's kind of unpredictable who.
12:34 But I'm looking for somebody.
12:36 I'll go.
12:37 I would. Watson is also, I think, due for another 20 pointer.
12:45 I don't remember what he what did he do against St.
12:47 Mary's, he had 12 and 10, if I remember right.
12:51 St. Mary's had 16, he played 40 minutes.
12:54 Yeah. 16 and 10.
12:56 So it kind of depends on
12:59 scoreboard, I guess, of what's happening that that late in the game.
13:03 But yeah, so I will go with Watson to have another big one.
13:08 But for Gonzaga, I guess.
13:12 You know, you're playing like they're 300 in the net.
13:16 Portland is, like I mentioned, not really an equality win
13:19 coming off of a loss.
13:22 What do you just kind of want to see based on what
13:25 happened at St. Mary's for Gonzaga?
13:28 Yeah, I mean, obviously, it's a very disappointing loss at home against
13:32 St. Mary's where you had a chance to close the gap in the race for the league title.
13:37 So obviously,
13:38 St. Mary's is clearly in the driver's seat now.
13:41 Gonzaga is going to have to get some help from somebody else down the stretch.
13:45 And that's that's a tough ask in that situation.
13:49 But, you know, I think it's one of those things where, you know,
13:52 you accept the loss, you watch the film,
13:57 you take the criticism from the coaches, you self-reflect,
14:01 you work on those things for the next couple of days leading in.
14:04 And then once you kind of start working on the stuff
14:08 that needs to be improved upon, as well as the things that need to be
14:12 ready for in the next game, you forget about it.
14:15 I mean, you can't as an athlete dwell on a loss like that
14:19 for more than, you know, a few hours, to be honest with you.
14:23 Maybe give it till the next day.
14:25 And then you kind of once you get going with the next,
14:27 you know, scouting report, prep or practice, it's done, it's gone.
14:31 You got to flush it.
14:32 You got to be ready to move on to the next opportunity.
14:35 That's the beautiful thing about sports and college basketball,
14:37 where the games come so quickly at this time of year,
14:40 you have a chance to forget it.
14:41 You have a chance to right the ship in regards to the next game.
14:44 And, you know, each game right now for Gonzaga is very important.
14:48 It'd be easy to look at UP and knowing
14:52 Kentucky's on the horizon and not give it your full effort.
14:55 But if you don't give it your full effort and you slip up
14:59 and Portland takes advantage, that Kentucky game becomes that less important.
15:03 And so you got to take care of what's in front of you.
15:06 And then, you know, Wednesday night after, you know, what we all would assume
15:10 is a win, start turning your focus and attention to Kentucky,
15:13 because you and I will touch on Kentucky in a few days when we preview that one.
15:17 But it's a whole different beast playing at Rupp Arena
15:20 than it is playing at home against University of Portland.
15:23 I agree. And yeah, it's that was sort of the message,
15:28 I feel like after the St.
15:29 Mary's game for Gonzaga was I mean, if you even said it, you just
15:33 you almost repeated it. It's just
15:36 the beauty of college sports is you have another one.
15:39 You just got another one. You can't look back.
15:41 So I expect Gonzaga to again be very focused in this one,
15:45 knowing that every game now
15:47 is of the utmost importance, no matter who they're playing.
15:51 Looked at rectology and they're off of the even the next four out group.
15:56 So to even appear on minorities, big old breakdown,
16:00 they have to probably went out
16:03 and not especially let any slip ups happen to these
16:07 these bottom four ish WCC teams and really top five,
16:12 I guess, if you want to include Santa Clara.
16:14 So, yeah. So on that note, really quick, Cole, give me one second.
16:18 I'm going to grab my folder that has a lot of my notes for the broadcasting season
16:23 because Gonzaga sits at 26 in the net.
16:25 Kentucky's at 27, right?
16:27 And you talk about Linardi having them out.
16:30 I would say half the bracketologists have them in.
16:33 Half of them have them out.
16:37 But let me see if I can find my note really quickly here.
16:40 And of course, I'm not going to be able to. But
16:43 is this the CBS Sports little?
16:47 Well, this is this is this is the notebook that has all of my
16:51 my game prep throughout the course of the season.
16:54 So I can go back quickly and look at something that I had looked at.
16:57 And of course, I say go back quickly.
16:59 But today I can't find it because it's so deep in the season.
17:03 But what I was going to say is, you know, if Gonzaga finishes
17:07 the season in the top 30 of the net, I don't see any way
17:11 that they're not in the tournament.
17:13 And that is even with maybe one or two quad one wins.
17:17 Now, I know I'm saying this from a Gonzaga biased opinion on this show,
17:21 but the highest rated team
17:24 as far as net rankings to never make the tournament
17:29 is 33. And that was back in 2019.
17:32 So I don't the school is escaping me right now.
17:37 I'm going to have to look that back up.
17:39 But, you know, that's why, you know, I still think Gonzaga's in,
17:44 not solidly, and they still have their work cut out for them.
17:46 But if you're in that top 30 in the net and you don't get in.
17:50 Something's going on, you know, something doesn't seem right with the net to me.
17:55 I would I would agree with you, Dan.
17:58 I'm based on where they based on where they are in the net.
18:02 It's interesting, though, that the net has them as high as they do,
18:07 considering Gonzaga does not have that that all valuable quad one.
18:11 I mean, they've handled business when they're supposed to, for the most part,
18:15 like the only one loss in the other three quadrants.
18:18 But when you look at teams without a quad one win,
18:22 there are only three in the top 50 of the net, Gonzaga being at 26.
18:27 And then Wake Forest is down at 42.
18:30 They're own three and quad one and in the ACC.
18:34 And then SMU is at forty nine.
18:36 Oh, and two, they're playing in the AAC.
18:38 So they have just as bad as probably less.
18:41 Quad ones are same amount as Gonzaga minus Florida Atlantic.
18:45 But neither one of those teams, I don't have to tell you this,
18:49 are probably not going to make the tournament.
18:50 So that's something I've I find interesting that the computer likes.
18:55 Gonzaga still I get some of them like Ken Palm will take into account
18:59 previous seasons, previous results.
19:03 The net doesn't typically do that.
19:05 So I'm curious if if Gonzaga's margin of victory in these quad
19:10 three and four games is sort of boosting it as well as
19:14 I mean, the loss to Purdue and UConn. So
19:17 we've seen I mean, St.
19:20 Mary's didn't even really move up in the net and Gonzaga
19:23 didn't really move back down after that game in the kennel.
19:26 So it's very interesting.
19:28 I looked at the last one that I really look at and Bart Tervik does more
19:31 of like percentage wise analytic view.
19:34 Gonzaga is down to a 65% chance to get in.
19:37 That's down, I believe, from 80 before the St.
19:41 Mary's game. So it kind of teeters.
19:44 And I don't really know what the Portland game does for them
19:47 in terms of the net or improving their chances, if at all.
19:52 But like we've just touched on, a loss is even worse.
19:55 So you might as well just go out and win by as however many you can
20:01 to get something out of it, because I think the net is getting skewed.
20:05 Something's going on, like you said.
20:08 Yeah, I mean, it's
20:09 the net is not one of those ones where it's easy to figure out
20:13 as an outsider what the algorithm is and what they value.
20:17 And I think the NCAA has done that for a reason.
20:21 But it's the it's the metric they use more than any other metric
20:25 in regards to selecting teams and seeding teams for the NCAA tournament.
20:30 So it's what it's the one you you got to keep your eye on more than any other,
20:33 especially as you in the stretch run of the season.
20:36 So good stuff today, Cole.
20:38 Yeah, look forward to seeing how this all transpires on Wednesday.
20:43 I'll actually be on the call for CBS Sports alongside Rich Waltz.
20:47 And then we've got a sideline reporter, the great John Rothstein,
20:50 who is famous for his We Sleep in May
20:54 catch line.
20:55 So maybe you get a chance to talk to him that night.
20:59 I'm sure he'd have some great things to share with you in regards
21:02 to some of your coverage.
21:03 He's as good as they get in the college basketball world.
21:06 But until then, and until we preview that Kentucky game,
21:11 keep keep writing all those great game stories and game previews.
21:15 You're doing a tremendous job.
21:17 Appreciate that, Dan.
21:18 Yes, I need to know why Mr. Rothstein doesn't have a few ism on his tweets.
21:22 He doesn't have he's got death taxes, Matt Painter.
21:26 He's got a bunch of coaches.
21:27 He doesn't have Mark Few.
21:28 What's that? Awesome.
21:29 Well, let's let's see you kind of corner him on that one
21:32 and figure out what it's going to be.
21:34 Yes, sir, Dan. Have a good one.
21:36 We will see you soon.