Gonzaga 2007 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Gonzaga Bulldogs - West Coast Conference (23-10, 11-3)

Seed: #10 - West Region

Big Wins: 11/22 vs North Carolina (82-74), 12/2 at Texas (87-77), 1/31 at Stanford (90-86)

Bad Losses: 1/15 at St. Mary’s (75-80), 2/5 at Loyola Marymount (61-67), 2/12 Santa Clara (73-84)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2006, Sweet Sixteen loss to UCLA

Coach: Mark Few (9-7 in 7 NCAA appearances)

Probable Gonzaga Starters:

• Derek Raivio, Senior, Guard, 18.2 ppg, 2.6 apg

• Jeremy Pargo, Sophomore, Guard, 12.2 ppg, 4.6 apg, 4.4 rpg

• Matt Bouldin, Freshman, Guard, 8.9 ppg, 3.1 apg

• Sean Mallon, Senior, Forward, 7.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg

• Abdullahi Kuso, Junior, Forward, 4.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg

Key Roleplayers for Gonzaga:

• Micah Downs, Sophomore, Guard, 8.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg

• David Pendergraft, Junior, Guard, 7.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg

• Pierre Marie Altador-Cespedes, Junior, Guard, 3.3 ppg, 1.3 apg

Why They Can Surprise:
A trio of guards who can handle the ball is never a bad thing come March. However, Jeremy Pargo and Matt Bouldin, the youngsters of the group, are still working out some turnover problems. Derek Raivio has moved off the ball in order to get more open looks and, despite his streaky shooting, it has been successful. Raivio leads the squad with 18.2 points per game. Pargo can beat just about anybody off the dribble and will be the next great Gonzaga guard once the turnover problem is addressed.

Raivio is the best free-throw shooter in the nation and his teammates are not too far behind. The team shoots 75.1% from the charity stripe and is in the top 20 in that category. In fact, the sharp shooting Bulldogs rank in the top 25 in field-goal percentage and three-point field-goal percentage.

Why Gonzaga Can Disappoint:
Gonzaga lacks an Adam Morrison type go-to scorer. Raivio and Pargo have the ability to take over a game, but inconsistency does not allow the team to depend on them on a game by game basis. For all the great shooting on Gonzaga, the opposition almost shoots just as well. The Bulldogs give up over 70 points per game and when they run into an offense that is just as potent as theirs, Coach Mark Few’s squad has a hard time stopping them. Gonzaga can win the high scoring games, but it is tough to overcome giving up 96 points to Georgia and 108 to Virginia.

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Who To Watch:
The suspension of Josh Heytvelt has left a huge void in the frontcourt. Sean Mallon is used to doing the dirty work, but is not an effective back to the basket scorer. Gonzaga has struggled since Heytvelt has been gone and without a scoring presence in the post, the team is finding fewer good looks from outside.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 79.1 (15th in nation, 1st in conference)

Scoring Defense: 70.1 (205, 4)

Field-Goal Percentage: 48.7 (18, 1)

Field-Goal Defense: 39.9 (19, 2)

Free-Throw Percentage: 75.1 (17, 1)

Rebound Margin: 4.5 (46, 3)

Assists Per Game: 14.5 (97, 4)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.0 (124, 2)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Indiana

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