Indianapolis, Indiana – There have been many great close and suspenseful games in this years version of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. This game was not one of them. Mark Few’s Gonzaga Bulldogs stepped on the floor and literally ran Norfolk State to an overwhelming loss as the Dawgs defeated the Spartans 98-55. The Bulldogs were led by 6’7 Corey Kispert’s 23 points and 5 rebound on the night as Kispert showed why he was chosen a first team All American this year for Gonzaga.
1) Gonzaga Could Win It’s First National Championship This Year
Mark Few and the ‘Zags are a program we have watched grow over the past two decades. From the time they pushed Lute Olsen’s Arizona Wildcats to the limit as an unknown Cinderella from the Great Northwest until the present day where now they are the playing king of the mountain with 67 other teams from around the country. Gonzaga more or less is just trying to win it’s first national championship under Few’s leadership.. they are also trying to become the fifth team in college basketball history to finish the season undefeated. If this team has anything at all to say about it, the chances are good for this to happen. This team plays with a cohesiveness that is hard to find on many teams around the country. It is easy to see they are a team that knows their roles and plays them to the best of their ability for the greater team good. All of which is a great ingredient to have if you are planning to win a national championship.
2) The Spartans Fall On Their Sword Against The Bulldogs
Let’s just face it. The Spartans ran into the ultimate buzz saw in the Gonzaga Bulldogs. How bad was it for Norfolk State? With seven minutes left in the second half, the Spartans had zero… nada… not one single player in double digit scoring. Not one. Only with about three minutes left did they have two players cross the double digit line in scoring as Gonzaga pushed the difference up to nearly fifty points. Gonzaga’s defense wasn’t that special. It wasn’t that the Bulldogs smothered Norfolk State at every turn, they were just there for each other when it counted. The Bulldogs played excellent on the help defense end of the court and forced Norfolk State into eleven turnovers. Craziest stat of the night? The Bulldogs also had eleven turnovers as well… but they were very quiet ones. Mainly because the scoring for Gonzaga spoke loud throughout Indianapolis on this night.
3) Gonzaga Might As Well Be The Boston Celtics Of The 1980’s
Tonight, Gonzaga played together in such a way that at times it was very confusing as to wonder if you were watching a college basketball game or the Boston Celtics led by K.C. Jones of the 1980’s. Corey Kispert, Drew Timme and Joel Ayayi along with the other ‘Zags played together so well that at times it was like watching Bird to McHale to Parrish on a fast break. The crisp passing and ball movement of Gonzaga on offense was the prime time showcase clinic of this years NCAA Tournament and anyone who missed it missed an artist making a masterpiece. Gonzaga’s togetherness could be found on the stat sheet as the ‘Zags had 27 total assists on the night. The ball movement and spacing of the Gonzaga offense created so many scoring opportunities but the biggest factor was how well they moved without the ball. Never standing to watch what the player with the ball was doing, you could always see a Gonzaga player moving without the ball offensively as a dangerous target and sometimes ending up with the ball at the basket for an easy score. Credit all this to Mark Few who also had the ‘Zags playing hard and together very well well on the defensive end as much as they did on the offensive end. Gonzaga Basketball could very well be your 2021 national champion come April 5th!