With No. 1 Gonzaga about to embark on a journey through the West Coast Conference, which will feature very few, if any, games against qualified opponents, the Bulldogs made an emphatic statement on Saturday about why they deserve to remain the best country team in the coming weeks. Facing a petty defense from Virginia, the Zags hit 60% of the field and knocked No. 16 Cavaliers down 98-75 in a neutral game at Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Corey Kispert led the way for Gonzaga (7-0) with 32 points, the best of his career, in a game that was never in doubt. The Bulldogs jumped to a 7-0 lead in the first 76 seconds and never lost, as their powerful attack was executed with impressive efficiency against a Virginia defense always considered one of the best in the country. Center Drew Timme contributed 29 points, also a career boost, to help Kispert, while Kihei Clark beat Virginia with 19 points.
Virginia probably never had a chance, but the Cavaliers’ efforts were stifled by an issue that limited Jay Huff, a 2.10 meter pole player, to just 14 minutes. His frequent absence allowed Gonzaga to surpass Virginia 46-28 in painting. It was the highest number of points Virginia has conceded in a game since allowing 106 against Washington in 2010. The defeat lowered Virginia to 4-2 before the start of the conference scheduled for Wednesday in Notre Dame. Here are three more lessons from this battle in Fort Worth.
Kispert’s career game
Kispert’s senior season had already started prolifically, but he picked up speed again on Saturday. After averaging 13.9 points last season and testing the waters of the NBA Draft, the 1.80m striker came in as Gonzaga’s top scorer with 20.8 points per game, thanks in part to a 45.9% 3-point pitches. Those numbers will only go up after he hits 9 out of 13 in the 3-point range against Virginia, breaking a school record of 3 more points in a game.
Kispert has scored at least 13 points in all games this season. Although his 3-point kick catches the eye, his efficiency in attacking the basket is just as impressive. He shot 77.8% this season in six attempts at 2 points per game and made both attempts from within the arc on Saturday.
Team effort
Jalen Suggs came in as Gonzaga’s third highest scorer, averaging 16.3 points per game. But the freshman electric guard failed to get his first bucket until the 12-minute mark of Saturday’s second half. The fact that Gonzaga made such an impressive offensive effort without Suggs bearing a large number of goals is an indication of how lethal this team is.
Suggs, for his part, has made many contributions in other areas. He finished with seven rebounds, six assists, four steals and ended up scoring eight points. Suggs also ended with a best / under 36 points, highlighting how he impacted the game, despite a moderate offensive effort.
Virginia Journey
The maximum anyone scored against Virginia last season was 80 points, and that was an aberration, as the Cavaliers kept their opponent at 70 points or less in their other 29 games. But coach Tony Bennett told reporters after the game that he did not regret scheduling Gonzaga, despite the result.
“That was important, but painful,” Bennett said.
The Cavaliers had games against Michigan State and Villanova eliminated due to problems with COVID-19 in the program, leaving this game against Gonzaga as the program’s last chance to land a quality non-conference game before the league game starts on Wednesday -market.