The Gonzaga Bulldogs dealt with some difficult losses to close out their non-conference schedule in December. However, Mark Few’s team appear to have the ball rolling in the right direction in conference play, getting back to their dominant ways in some expected ways in other new and surprising ways. Here’s what has been going well for the Zags over the last two weeks.
Khalif Battle Appears to Have Fully Arrived for Gonzaga
Transfer combo guard Khalif Battle was one of the big names in the transfer portal last offseason. Ultimately ending up in Spokane, Battle was a proven commodity from his time with Arkansas and Temple, scoring the ball at a very impressive rate. When Battle committed to Gonzaga, he was ready to take it up another notch.
Battle started off his career with 12 points on 4 made three-pointers in a big win against Baylor. He put together a few other solid performances, but in mid-December, appeared to hit the wall. He saw a decrease in minutes, lost his deep ball in a cold stretch that saw him at one point go 1-15 from beyond the arc in a three-game stretch, and was even ejected in a game against UCLA. However, Battle has begun to put together the consistency that he is looking for. He has eclipsed 20 points in 3 of his last 4 games, shooting 50% from three-point land during that stretch.
Gregg ➡️ Nembhard ➡️ Battle pic.twitter.com/6iQEWRoxeE
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) January 9, 2025
It’s not just Battle’s shooting and scoring that has gotten on track. His defense has also been better, both when guarding the ball and when being in position to rotate or on the defensive glass. His 4 rebounds and 3 steals in Saturday’s win over Loyola Marymount exemplifies this. Battle told reporters after the game that he was proud of the team’s work on the defensive end against LMU.
I think just defensively we disrupted, that was the game plan. If we do that every single night, we’re going to be tough to beat.
Battle’s strides in the consistency department will help the team massively. Scoring-wise, a solidified number two option behind center Graham Ike is a very welcome sign. Gonzaga has many players capable of exploding on any given night, including Ben Gregg, who led the team in scoring against San Diego with 23 points, but having a wing that can take on defenders in isolation, make tough jump shots, and get to the free throw line to close out games is of critical importance.
Gonzaga Has Work to Do on the Defensive End
Few was critical of his team’s ability to do the little things right in recent contests, particularly against UCLA, where they lost control of the game in the closing stages, and Pepperdine, where the Zags almost blew a huge halftime lead. While the team has been better about turning the ball over less, there are several issues from a team defense perspective that have left Few scratching his head.
Where Gonzaga delivered what Few described as a “complete performance” against LMU, the Zags gave up 11 three-pointers on 33 attempts against San Diego, several of which were uncontested. Few was frustrated by his team’s mental errors, with several players late to rotate or diagnose what was happening. The head coach said that it was “the rotations and the understanding of what we’re trying to do defensively” that impaired his team’s ability to stack up another clean performance.
As the team prepares to face Washington State on Saturday, these little things will need to be tuned up in a big way. Washington State has plenty of three-point threats, specifically guard Isaiah Watts and forwards Tomas Thrastarson and Dane Erikstrup. Wazzu also has enough length to potentially bother Gonzaga’s interior scorers, including Ike and Braden Huff. Gonzaga will need to continue their trend of minimizing turnovers against a long and athletic Cougars team.
Gonzaga-Washington State next Saturday for first place in the WCC is gonna be electric. Whole lotta students coming back early from winter break to see the game. Can’t wait.
— Steven Karr (@SKarrG0) January 5, 2025
In terms of what to expect, Few pointed to the Zags’ inside-out game against San Diego, leaning on Ike in the first half before allowing guards like Battle and Ryan Nembhard to do more in the second half and create a more movement-based attack. It will be very important that Ike gets off to a good start so Gonzaga has the opportunity to attack from the perimeter. It would be very helpful for the Zags to get Michael Ajayi back from illness for the game, although Few had no comment on if Ajayi was in line to be ready.
Despite being heavy favorites, Gonzaga are fully aware of the danger Washington State poses. The game tips off Saturday night at 6 pm local time.
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