OUT of CHARACTER Smarter, Their Guards More Willing to Make an Extra Pass for a Better Shot
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Page C8 G Friday G March 16, 2007 The Spokesman-Review NCAA TOURNAMENT: SACRAMENTO SUBREGIONAL BY THE NUMBERS Bruins cruise past Weber State 7 BY GLENN KASSES a great chance to make some noise in but still played and had 14 points and Staff writer the tournament. As long as we stay to- eight assists. 3-point shots Indiana made in gether and play as a team, we’ll be OK.” “I thought he showed a lot of charac- JOHN first 14:09 of game SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Even if Whatever ills came out of the con- ter by getting treatment, doing all the BLANCHETTE Gonzaga had managed to defeat India- secutive losses to Washington and Ca- right things so he was as healthy as na Thursday night, things would not lifornia were nowhere to be found, as possible to help the team,” Shipp said. have become any easier in the second UCLA got settled in early and domi- Weber State, Howland’s alma mater, 6 round of the NCAA tournament. nated Weber State in every way im- was physically outmatched on the Zags climbed peak In fact, they would have become aginable. floor, and only one player managed to 3-point shots Indiana missed much, much tougher. Nowhere was that more obvious score in double figures – guard Dez- in that time Second-seeded UCLA, playing just than in the play of Pac-10 Player of the mon Harris had 10 points. but had nothing left before the Bulldogs faced the Hoosiers, Year Arron Afflalo, who scored three The Wildcats were within one point, overwhelmed 15th-seeded Weber points in the conference tournament 15-14, with 8 minutes left in the first State 70-42 and won its first-round loss but then had 22 against the Wild- half. But once UCLA ironed out what when they arrived 0 game going away. cats. few problems were there, it cruised. By The Bruins (27-5) were on track to “I think all this gets blown up so halftime, the lead was 18. ACRAMENTO, Calif. – There’s been a 2-point shots Indiana made in be a top seed in this tournament, but much,” UCLA coach Ben Howland After the game, Howland spoke con- lot of amateur discussion this week the same stretch two straight losses coming in cost them said. “He had a poor game in our last fidently about his team’s prospects, Sabout how the NCAA tournament the top spot in the West Region. game. We’ve already talked about it, knowing that in Pac-10 play it showed needs tweaking. More teams, no play-in It did not, however, cost them their gone through that. I expect him to play it could beat many styles of play. game, making the NIT the loser’s bracket. winning ways in the NCAA tourna- well, and obviously he did. “Whoever we play on Saturday … we Here’s another suggestion: ment. “He’ll play even better on Saturday.” can adjust to any style we need to ad- Sometimes, one game needs to eliminate 34 “I’m really happy with where the UCLA even got a good game from just to,” Howland said. “We can play both teams. Gonzaga shooting percentage team is right now,” UCLA small for- point guard Darren Collison, who against Washington State. We can play Under the current rules, however, only for game (19 of 56), the ward Josh Shipp said. “I think we have sprained an ankle in practice Tuesday against Arizona.” one team goes and Thursday evening it was lowest percentage of season Gonzaga, and there was no debate. The Bulldogs have played their share of thrillers in the NCAAs and, rarely, the odd turkey. Indiana’s 70-57 victory in the first round at Arco Arena was bereft not only of 57 thrills but also of beauty, pace and Lowest point total of the expectation that either of the combatants season for Zags would be much more than a speed bump in the second round for UCLA – although of course the same was said of California a week ago. It seemed almost to be a glitch of the 15 calendar, a November game teleported to March. Hoosiers’ free throws made “Or like watching fall practice,” said out of 16 attempted Gonzaga coach Mark Few. “There were days like this, watching guys miss 1-inchers and not make shots. “It was a bad time of year to play a 15 stinker, but we did. That wouldn’t have won a league game.” More rebounds Indiana had But then, there hasn’t been a single than Gonzaga typical thing about this Gonzaga season, and that includes the vein of character the Bulldogs mined this last month. Even the ending was abnormal – the first time the - 6 Zags have lost an NCAA opener as a lower seed. Previous worst rebound Another lucky charm that can be stowed margin for Gonzaga this in a dresser drawer. season It was no trick to find the flaws in this game – the 34 percent shooting (“more easy shots than I’ve ever seen us miss,” said Few), the minus-15 licking the Bulldogs took on the boards, the poor start in 1992 defending Indiana’s 3-point shooters and a Last time Indiana and UCLA run of bricked breakaway layups early in played the second half that could have changed the course of the game. “It’s the old joke – great surgery but the JED CONKLIN The Spokesman-Review patient died,” Few said. “And almost to a THEY SAID IT The ball, Indiana and the game get away from Gonzaga and senior guard Derek Raivio. man, our new guys didn’t handle this NCAA game very well. They had a glazed look about them, like they were playing maybe not to make a mistake or a little passive.” Indiana, knocked out by the Zags in the second round last year, played better and OUT OF CHARACTER smarter, their guards more willing to make an extra pass for a better shot. And that’s just one obvious difference in having Kelvin Offensive woes not Sampson as your coach instead of Mike Davis. “I like the way we won. “These kids have been through a lot We’re not an offensive common for GU these last few years,” said Sampson. “To have something good happen to them has juggernaut, so we have GU NOTEBOOK made this pleasurable.” Few knows how he feels. to win games on the One of the toughest acts in sports is BY JIM MEEHAN reconciling a season of uncommon defensive end.” Staff writer achievement with an ugly coda. Maybe the Kelvin Sampson task is easier this time. Indiana coach SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Yes, these Zags won the fewest games of Gonzaga Bulldogs weren’t themselves any Gonzaga team in a decade. They also Thursday night – at least at the played the most abusive schedule in school offensive end of the floor. history, endured the departure of the most The Bulldogs shot a season-low prominent player to the NBA and survived 33.9 percent and scored only 57 the most disturbing emotional jolt the points, their second-lowest output of program has seen. the season, in a 70-57 setback to The jag the Zags went on afterward – the Indiana in the first round of the JED CONKLIN The Spokesman-Review small-ball, band-of-brothers act to win the NCAA tournament at Arco Arena. Joey Shaw of Indiana fights for a rebound with Gonzaga’s Micah Downs, left, West Coast Conference, league tournament Duke held GU to 54 points in a and Sean Mallon during the first half. and NCAA berth – was as remarkable as December contest. any in Gonzaga basketball, short of that “This year is the “We just couldn’t get things to “We had to defend Raivio, Bouldin tough.” initial Elite Eight breakthrough in 1999. click,” senior forward Sean Mallon and Pargo,” Indiana coach Kelvin Raivio scored 12 points, had four “I just think when our character really, toughest year by far said. “We kind of got away from some Sampson said. “I thought our guards assists, two steals and two rebounds really had to shine through, it shined as of the things we’ve been doing in the were really good. We really worked in his finale. bright as it ever has since I’ve been at since I’ve been past – moving the ball really well and hard on Monday, Tuesday and “I haven’t really thought about it,” Gonzaga,” Few said. “We’ve never had our playing.” screening for each other. We just Wednesday on just defending Raivio said. “I wish I was still playing backs pressed that hard against the wall never had any rhythm.” Gonzaga. They’re not an easy team to right now because I know we can that I can remember. It sounds kind of David Pendergraft GU missed a handful of open shots guard with those three perimeter play better than that, but that’s the cheesy, but you hope and pray your team Gonzaga junior forward from close range and saw others from guys and the way they pick and pop way sports are. That’s probably when responds like that when it has to. long distance rattle in and out. There outside. I just thought our defense I’ll think about it the most – when we “And that streak we’ve got going in the were air balls, unforced turnovers and was tremendous.” don’t have practice in a couple of NCAAs is something we take a lot of pride only a couple of fastbreak buckets.