Three Observations From Gonzaga Win Over BYU

PROVO, Utah – The BYU Cougars lost to the number one ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs 82-71 at the Marriott Center in the second meeting between these teams.

Alex Barcello led the way with 20 points for BYU. More on him later.

Just like the first meeting, Gonzaga jumped out to an early lead that propelled them to victory.

Final. pic.twitter.com/fKxprTXPIL

— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) February 9, 2021

Jalen Suggs made a jumper with 16:50 left in the first half to give Gonzaga a 15-2 lead.

It was an uphill climb the rest of the way. One that the Cougars could not overcome.

Here are my three observations from a night where the fans more missed more than ever.

1. The Zags are really good

There’s a reason this team is undefeated, ranked number one in the country.

They have so many scoring options, it’s impossible to stop them all.

Corey Kispert entered the game as the teams leading scorer at nearly 20 points per game.

He was held to only 13 points going 4 of 10 from the field.

Jalen Suggs is dang good. He’s in contention to be the top pick in the #NBA draft for good reason.

— Matthew Baiamonte (@baiamontematt) February 9, 2021

Freshman phenom Jalen Suggs led the way for Gonzaga pouring in 24 points. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the top player in the upcoming NBA draft.

My favorite shot of the night was when he floated it over the outstretched arms of Matt Haarms for a tear drop into the basket.

He can score in a myriad of ways. Suggs is a special player.

Drew Timme finished with a double double scoring 20 points while adding 13 rebounds. He had his way in the paint.

Long story short, this team is really good and is the clear favorite to win the NCAA championship this March.

2. Foul trouble

There were a lot of fouls called in this game. It felt like players spent more time shooting free throws than playing actual basketball.

There were a total 39 fouls called, 23 of them called against BYU.

Gideon George and Matt Haarms spent a significant chunk of the first half due to foul trouble.

Gonzaga reached double bonus in each half. They shot 11 more free throws.

At the end of the day, this had little impact on the final outcome. Gonzaga was the better team, but the game was hard to watch because of the constant whistle.

3. Alex Barcello mid-range shooting

Barcello has not been shooting the long ball well as of late, so he took a few steps inside the arc for the majority of his shot attempts.

“The bulldog” was feeling it from the mid-range making 8 of 11 shots inside the three point line.

#BYU's offense has to go through Alex Barcello the rest of the night. He's been a lot more aggressive in this second go around against the Zags. #BYUHoops @kslsports

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) February 9, 2021

Losing is never the desired outcome, but I think Coach Pope might have found something offensively going forward.

Find more opportunties for Barcello to take mid range jumpers.

Barcello is much more than just a spot up three pointer shooter.

The way he played against Gonzaga reminds me of Chris Paul from the Phoenix Suns. He’s undersized, but he finds ways to get his shot off.

I thought he played a great game. It’s something he can build off as conference play continues.

You can hear Matt Baiamonte every Saturday on KSL Newsradio for Cougar Sports Saturday from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. or you can find him on Twitter here.