#1 Gonzaga @ Pilots

Would this be the first time a #1 ranked team has played at Chiles?

Mandatory viewing prior to any game against Gonzaga...

Dean Murdoch wrote:Would this be the first time a #1 ranked team has played at Chiles?

Seems to me that GU was #1 when they played the Pilots in back-to-back games (1/19 & 1/21) in 2017, the first game was played in Spokane and the second in the Chiles Center.

If GU wasn't #1 in during last season's game, they were no worse than #2 and eventually rose to #1, as I recall.

Some are predicting GU will not lose a WCC game this season, and many are saying UP will going 0-34 for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Thanks for posting the highlights from the 2014 game...great bunch of guys who unfortunately lost their final 5 games of the season despite David Carr's play and leadership after Alec went down with an injury.

DoubleDipper wrote:Seems to me that GU was #1 when they played the Pilots in back-to-back games (1/19 & 1/21) in 2017, the first game was played in Spokane and the second in the Chiles Center.

Hmm, I see Gonzaga at #4 for that first game and #3 for the second.

I didn't look at the coaches poll, but I think the last time the Pilots played an AP #1 ranked team was Michigan State a few years back and the last home game against an AP #1 team was against USF in the late 70s. I could definitely be missing one though, I just clicked around sports-reference.com looking for Pilots games against #1 teams.

So that would make this the first #1 at Chiles, as the games were off campus in the late '70s. I recall watching a USF game at the Memorial Coliseum.

This is what I wrote in 2017...

StudentPilot wrote:I see KenPom has ranked GU at #1 in the country, while UP has dropped from a season high #128 after the CSUN game, to a new low of 241....and Pomeroy gives the Pilots only a 3% chance of wining.....has there every been that bad a prediction?  

So I guess GU was #1 in 2017, but not AP #1.

And once again this year, KenPom gives the pilots a 3% chance of winning...same chance that's given for UP's games at BYU and SMC.  

Personally, I don't believe it.

Evansville over Kentucky
Stephen F Austin over Duke

Pilots over Gonzaga? Would fit right in, why not

Two of those things are not like the purple one. They're both 200 or better which is where last place in the wcc should be in any given year imo if last place doesn't want to lose every game in conference.

All three are purple. It’s destiny.

For some reason I though Steven f Austin was green and orange or something. Maybe the SF part is making me think of San Francisco or something. Green and yellow is closer to green and orange...

dholcombe wrote:For some reason I though Steven f Austin was green and orange or something. Maybe the SF part is making me think of San Francisco or something. Green and yellow is closer to green and orange...

Actually, it's the Evansville Purple Aces that have orange in their logo:

But yes, Dean is correct, all three teams are purple:

StudentPilot wrote:So I guess GU was #1 in 2017, but not AP #1.

But this year GU is the AP #1, but the KenPom #6, behind Duke, Kansas, Ohio State, Louisville, and Michigan State...due, in part, to the mediocre strength of their non-league schedule (SOS):

1. Duke - 88
2. Kansas - 8
3. Ohio St. - 69
4. Louisville - 168
5. Michigan St. - 51
6. Gonzaga - 230
278. Portland - 340

The best SOS in the WCC is BYU - 38, the worst is SCU - 353...according to KenPom.

Opening odds have #1 Gonzaga favored by 23 over the Pilots with a 145 o/u tonight...

DoubleDipper wrote:Opening odds have #1 Gonzaga favored by 23 over the Pilots with a 145 o/u tonight...

I'd be pleasantly surprised by a 23-point defeat tonight.

If the Pilots are going to be dwelling in the cellar and don't have any chance of beating Gonzaga, it sure looks to be in the University's best interest to play this home game while the students are out of town. That is allowing them to sell seats in what is normally the student section for... $150 each! At that price, no wonder there are still seats available less than four hours before tip-off.

NoPoNeighbor wrote: ... $150 each! At that price, no wonder there are still seats available less than four hours before tip-off.

Hmm, I feel fortunate to have purchased six lower reserved tickets, in the student section, for $50 each...thought it would be like old times, but I guess it will be filled with folks wearing blue and red.  

UP might also be glad that I didn't buy season tix this year. They're selling my old seat in upper reserved for $85 for tonight's game.

Gotta get what they can get now that Gonzaga only comes once every two years!

Regardless of the result, this is probably the most exciting I've seen this team.

Now do this more in conference play pls.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:I'd be pleasantly surprised by a 23-point defeat tonight.

So a 13-point defeat has left me feeling... Ecstatically surprised? Even with the halftime lead, the margin for error against the Zags is very small. Too many turnovers (wasting offensive possessions) and failure to secure defensive rebounds (giving away extra possessions on the other end) in the second half to have a chance to beat a team of that caliber.

Plenty of promising things to build upon, but that's up to the players whether or not they will do so. Let's see another competitive performance on Saturday against USF. I think the Dons have won even more consecutive games in Chiles than the Zags have.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:

NoPoNeighbor wrote:I'd be pleasantly surprised by a 23-point defeat tonight.

So a 13-point defeat has left me feeling... Ecstatically surprised? Even with the halftime lead, the margin for error against the Zags is very small. Too many turnovers (wasting offensive possessions) and failure to secure defensive rebounds (giving away extra possessions on the other end) in the second half to have a chance to beat a team of that caliber.

Plenty of promising things to build upon, but that's up to the players whether or not they will do so. Let's see another competitive performance on Saturday against USF. I think the Dons have won even more consecutive games in Chiles than the Zags have.

They showed what they are capable of in the first half. As for the second half . . . They just ran out of gas and were playing the number 1 team in the country.

I hope the coaches play the first half on a loop during film tomorrow. If we play that kind of team defense the rest of the year, we will do well!

Was fun while it lasted. It was great to see JoJo get it going, this team needs him rolling if they’re going to do anything this year. Ferebee brought a nice spark off the bench too.

The Pilots are now #12 in the nation in three-point percentage. I wish they’d find a way to shoot more often from there, but they seem to want to rely heavily on Diabate when he’s on the floor.

Dean Murdoch wrote:I wish they’d find a way to shoot more often from there, but they seem to want to rely heavily on Diabate when he’s on the floor.

The coaches liken it to a football offense that has to establish the run before they start throwing passes. Not sure I buy it. Too many turnovers result from the repeated attempts to force the ball inside.

Dean Murdoch wrote:
The Pilots are now #12 in the nation in three-point percentage. I wish they’d find a way to shoot more often from there, but they seem to want to rely heavily on Diabate when he’s on the floor.

All game long I was saying jack up 3's. It's our only way to win! We did it in the first half but got away from it in the second half. Dont know what the halftime strategy was, but it seems we quit focusing on the three.

In the first half GU was expecting the Pilots to go inside with frequency and were cutting shooters off or altering/blocking close-in shots, but they were not pressuring the outside shooters. In the second half GU was much more aggressive defending the outside and forced UP's shooters way outside and didn't let them get into any rhythm or in position to take the three.

IMO, the Pilots had to go inside, or at least to the mid-range jumper in the second half because the 3-point shot was just not there.  I think Malcolm made a 3-pointer within the first minute of the second half, and the only other made 3-pointer was at the end of the game by Taki...I think.

Theo was very impressive and D could really be a contributor if he could stay out of foul trouble.

Turns out there were a lot more UP supporters in the section usually reserved for students than Zag fans...true, there were probably more GU fans than UP fans in the building, but I was impressed with the support the Pilots were getting...it was much better than a couple of years ago when I was a student at UP.

It was fun indeed! I haven't followed the team as long as most here but the first half was spectacular. After watching Gonzaga bludgeon a bunch of good teams, having an 8 point second half lead was awesome! Let's hope it carries over to Saturday and they can sustain the energy without the huge crowd.