Even the best teams suffer losses from time to time. Often, what resonates from losses for those teams more than the results themselves is what those teams do with those defeats.
When Saint Mary’s suffered two disappointing losses in November at the Wooden Legacy tournament, the Gaels could’ve easily allowed it to affect their entire season. A team already perennially the target of ire for its non-conference schedules, SMC was roasted after losing to Washington State and Georgia with declarations that its NCAA Tournament hopes already were in trouble just a few days after Thanksgiving-not exactly uplifting banter for a group that came into the season with big expectations.
Rather than getting down, though, the Gaels just got to work at getting better. Improving their team defense and continuing to develop young talent that has grown into bigger roles, Saint Mary’s has won 13 straight games now, and none nearly as big as its 74-71 win on the road at Gonzaga Thursday night.
The Gaels and Bulldogs have built one of the premier series in the country in the West Coast Conference (one so big it was incredibly even granted status on the ESPN mothership network), and this one lived up to that recent legacy. The game featured lots of hot shooting, an incredible 22 lead changes, enough back-and-forth scoring to recall Paul Westhead’s old Loyola Marymount teams, and yet another supply of young talent stepping forward for both squads.
You don’t build two of the premier programs in all the land at places like Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s without being good at player development and improvement. It’s part of what makes both teams consistently fun to watch and a big part of why they remain so good, and examples of it were widespread Thursday night.
Rui Hachimura looked like he was going to be the star of the game for the Bulldogs. The sophomore was brilliant, coming off the bench to score 23 points and was a big reason the Zags built a nine-point lead early in the second half. Hachimura continues to get better, just like so many Gonzaga players before him have.
Saint Mary’s also has had players improve too, though, and it was some in supporting roles who made a big difference Thursday. SMC All-American (or at least he darn well better be) Jock Landale was fantastic again with 26 points and 12 boards and fellow senior Calvin Hermanson added 16 points with a number of gliding drives to the basket in the second half. The Gaels never win the game, though, if they didn’t get 10 points each from Tanner Krebs and Jordan Ford, who in particular continues to get better through the season and is looking poised to be the next to step up in the school’s legacy of guards.
Regardless of the non-conference schedules Saint Mary’s plays, it’s easy to grade the Gaels’ strength when they’re able to beat Gonzaga. A road win at the Zags says a whole lot. So does being 7-0 in the WCC. It’s safe to say again: Saint Mary’s indeed is a top-25 team, looks every bit like a solid NCAA Tournament club, and right now is the team to beat in the WCC.
Side Dishes:
- Hoopville’s Phil Kasiecki and Ted Sarandis have their latest podcast of Talking Hoops, which you can listen to here.
- The night included a number of important conference matchups. Before Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga played, Belmont warmed up in the second half for a 79-72 win over Murray State in a matchup of co-leaders in the Ohio Valley. The Bruins and Racers are the OVC’s marquee programs and have engaged in some dandies in recent years, and this one looked ready to be another coming in, but played out in a bit awkwardly with the first 20 minutes both appearing to be feeling the other out. It screamed of a time when halftime adjustments would make the difference, and Belmont picked up its offense, shooting 58.1% in the second half and also nearly reversing the Racers’ +14 rebounding advantage of the first, out-boarding Murray 20-12 in the second half.
- East Tennessee State outlasted Furman 62-61 in a thriller in the Southern Conference. Desonta Bradford scored the winner with four seconds left. The Buccaneers gain some separation from the Paladins in the league standings with a big road win and remain the lone undefeated (6-0) in the SoCon.
- Western Kentucky outlasted Alabama-Birmingham 77-69 in an outstanding matchup of old Sun Belt rivals now in Conference USA, a game whose energy brought to mind memories of the old teams of Gene Bartow and Clem Haskins. The Hilltoppers trailed for a good share of the second half but made the plays down the stretch and now are all alone in first in C-USA after Marshall topped Middle Tennessee State 73-63. Dwight Coleby continues to play well for WKU and had 17 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
- Worries about Florida Gulf Coast’s inconsistent non-conference performance are starting to fade to the reality that the Eagles are the clear team to beat in the Atlantic Sun. FGCU picked up an 88-83 win at Lipscomb, the team presumed to be its biggest challenger in the A-Sun, and did so in dramatic fashion. The Eagles rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second half to win on the road, and they are threatening to run away with the league title, as every other team except Jacksonville (3-1) has at least two losses in conference.
- The CAA is becoming a mess. Three teams are tied for first place and four more are just one game back after Northeastern reeled in William & Mary for an impressive 90-70 win on the road at Kaplan Arena, where the Tribe doesn’t lose often. The Huskies shot an incredible 71.4%-tied for best in the country this season-and moved into a tie for first with W&M plus Hofstra, which disposed of Delaware 90-63.
- Any doubts about whether Louisiana-Lafayette is the favorite in the Sun Belt (and Texas-Arlington is not) were eliminated Thursday as the Ragin’ Cajuns came back from a 12-point halftime deficit to defeat UTA on the road 77-65. Frank Bartley scored 26 and ULL is now a quiet-but-impressive 16-3 overall.
- Nebraska drilled Michigan 72-52. Again: this is why we’re having a hard time trusting the Wolverines. A loss in this game might’ve been acceptable. A 20-point blowout is not. The Cornhuskers, meanwhile, just keep hanging around, a rare Big Ten taking advantage of opportunity so far. Win at Ohio State Monday and there will be a buzz around the Huskers. Also in the Big Ten, Maryland defeated Minnesota 77-66 in essentially a battle to see which team can tread water longer with its season.
- Add UCLA right there with the Wolverines. The Bruins can beat top-10 teams at their best, but also can lose to the likes of Oregon State as they did last night 69-63. At least their L.A. rival USC picked up a big road win at Oregon, 75-70. Jordan McLaughlin threatened a triple-double (11 points, nine rebounds, seven assists) despite taking just six shots. Meanwhile, somehow the Ducks are just 2-4 in the Pac-12.
- Creighton’s win over Seton Hall on Wednesday came at a cost, as sophomore forward Martin Krampelj was injured in the game, and it was announced Thursday he had torn the ACL in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season. Krampelj was a nice surprise for the Bluejays this season averaging 11.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game and shooting 67.1% from the field.
- Also, TCU’s Jaylen Fisher, who was announced to be out indefinitely due to a knee injury, now has been declared out for the rest of the season due to the meniscus tear that will be surgically repaired. Tough blow for the sophomore point guard, who was averaging 12.3 points and 5.4 assists per game. At least the Horned Frogs know they have a good backup plan, as Alex Robinson piled up 17 assists in the team’s win Wednesday against Iowa State.
Tonight’s Menu: After two busy Fridays, this one is exceptionally quiet. On the plus side, five of the seven games are on national television.
- Michigan State has had more than enough time to stew and listen to criticisms of it after losing to Michigan last Saturday. If ever the Spartans are going to come out on fire, it should be at home tonight against Indiana (7 p.m. Eastern, FS1).
- Staying in the state of Michigan, a big one in the Mid-American Conference has Buffalo at Western Michigan (7 p.m., ESPNU). The Bulls are the lone undefeated team in the MAC and look poised to establish themselves as the league’s power this year, but the Broncos have Thomas Wilder and
- St. Bonaventure is a disappointing 2-3 in the Atlantic 10 and needs to get moving now if it wants to make non-conference wins over Maryland and Syracuse count in March. A trip to Davidson is tricky, though, especially as the Wildcats’ offense has been humming again of late. (7 p.m., ESPN2)
- A pair of second-division Big Ten teams meet with Illinois at Wisconsin (9 p.m., FS1). The Fighting Illini just haven’t hit their stride offensively like many might’ve assumed in Brad Underwood’s first year, while the Badgers are getting slightly healthier but still will be tested with limited ballhandlers against Illinois’s denial defense.
- Friday night Metro Atlantic action has Canisius at Manhattan (9 p.m., ESPNU). Good to see Canisius having a nice season. The Golden Griffins-who have no less than six players capable of stroking the three-pointer with regularity-are surprising MAAC co-leaders with Iona, while the pressure-heavy Jaspers lurk just a game behind the leaders.
- The two non-TV games for the night have Yale at Brown in the lone Ivy contest and Iona at Monmouth, a buzzing series the past few years with a little less steam as the Hawks struggle through a 5-12 season.
Have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend.
