Gonzaga’s Mark Few offers optimistic response after back-to-back losses
What a difference a year’s time has made for Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
There were some concerned looks going around Spokane this time last season, when it appeared the Zags’ NCAA Tournament streak was left up to chance before a road win at Kentucky in February helped turn around their postseason odds for the better. While some were ready to write off the Bulldogs in January, they marched to the program’s ninth straight Sweet 16 appearance despite the early setbacks in nonleague play.
So far the path toward the 2025 NCAA Tournament has naturally taken different twists and turns than the 2023-24 group experienced. In the first two weeks of the season, Gonzaga picked up marquee victories over Baylor and on the road at San Diego State, in addition to a good win over Arizona State that should age nicely as the Sun Devils progress into Big 12 play.
However, sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. Just like last season, Gonzaga has three losses through the second week of December after stumbling against the reigning national champions on a neutral site court. Last Saturday’s 77-71 loss to Dan Hurley and the Huskies at Madison Square Garden left quite the sting, as the Bulldogs came up short, yet again, in crunch time to a college basketball blueblood despite having opportunities down the stretch to come away victorious.
“We’re gonna have to win games like this,” Few said after the game. “We’re gonna have to win games like the one [against Kentucky] if we want to reach our full potential.”
The Wildcats and Huskies presented unique challenges for the Zags to overcome, each resulting in similar fates. Against Kentucky, Gonzaga’s 18-point lead in the second half evaporated in the blink of an eye due to some poor shooting from the perimeter (0-for-9 from 3-point range in the second half) and a drop-off in execution on the defensive end of the floor from the first to the second half. Kentucky’s pick-and-roll game caused problems as the night progressed, leading to a 16-2 run from the Wildcats that flipped the game on its head.
The miscues on offense continued against the Huskies, as the Bulldogs failed to knock down an attempt from the field over the final three minutes and change after coming back from down double-digits to tie the game in the second half. Hurley and company deserve credit for stifling Few’s bunch on offense once again, though there were also a handful of possessions for Gonzaga that ended with an unforced missed layup or jump hook from inside the painted area. It also didn’t help that the team’s leading scorer finished with just three points on 1-for-3 from the field.
"Got some great looks and just didn't convert," Few said after the game. "Actually it was a heck of a basketball game. It was highly competitive. It was hard fought, and it was probably the most physical game played this year."
Despite suffering back-to-back losses for the first time in six years, Gonzaga’s head coach isn’t in a position of worry following a loss to the back-to-back champions. A pair of losses to opponents that rank inside the top 15 of the NET shouldn’t come back to hurt the Bulldogs’ resume later on in the season. In fact, Gonzaga is still in the top five of the NET and ahead of both UConn (No. 11) and Kentucky (No. 7).
“There’s nothing to lose when you play in these games,” Few said. “They can do nothing but help you, and that said, that was an Elite Eight-level battle right there.”
Once again just like last year, the Zags can rebound from their latest defeat to the Huskies with a tune-up game at home before they close out their nonconference slate against another NCAA Tournament-caliber team. Gonzaga can get back in the win column Wednesday when it hosts Nicholls (7-4) at the McCarthey Athletic Center at 6 p.m. PST (KHQ/ESPN+). Following another home game against Bucknell (Dec. 18, 6 p.m. PST), the Bulldogs head down to Inglewood, California, to renew their West Coast rivalry with UCLA at the Intuit Dome (Dec. 28, 5 p.m. on FOX).
MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS
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