Frustration, exhilaration as Gonzaga loses thriller to #2 MSU

I just got through watching the Gonzaga-Michigan State game — it ended more than two hours ago, but because it conflicted with the girls’ bedtimes, I had to TiVo it and watch it on a delay (sequestering myself from the Internet so I wouldn’t accidentally learn the result) — and, like Zach at The Slipper Still Fits, I’m not quite sure how to feel.

On the one hand, dammit, the Zags should have won that game. They were clearly the better team for 37 minutes, outplaying and outhustling and “out-physical-ing” (God, I hate that non-word) the #2-ranked team in the country. But they couldn’t quite put the nail in the coffin, which is frustrating. Actually, the way I see it, they didn’t lose that game in the closing minutes; they lost it in the first 15 minutes, when they were dominating (and Michigan State was playing some seriously sloppy basketball), yet they couldn’t build up a huge lead because they weren’t hitting enough shots. I remember at one point, Gonzaga led by 12 points, or something like that, while shooting 10-of-29 from the field. When I saw that graphic on screen, I thought to myself, “They’re going to lose this game because they’re not putting the Spartans away now, when they have the chance.” And sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. Sparty battled back, as elite teams always do. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching college basketball for all these years, it’s that when you’re the underdog, and you’re playing better than the favorite early on, it isn’t enough to take a 10- or 12- or 15-point lead. You’ve got to go for the kill, take a truly insurmountable lead, because if you don’t, you’ll be sorry. If only Gonzaga had taken fewer ill-advised perimeter shots in those first 15 minutes when they were rolling around, and had battled for another 6 or 8 or 10 points, they’d have cruised to victory.

Having said all that: Holy cow, the Zags look good this year! And fun to watch, too. As Zach puts it: “damn…Gonzaga can play with the best in the nation and not play their best game. That is very, very good news for such a young team.” And as La Rev puts it in a trio of tweets: “Goodness! … This is exactly the kind of Zag team I was hoping for. Rock! … This team is already infinity more enjoyable than last year’s Daye-Heytvelt flopfest bonanza. For that, I’m thankful. … I will now spend the next four months tempering my expectations, but either way, THIS is a team I can get behind. Go Zags!”

I know one thing. Although Dave O’Brien and Steve Lavin harped on this point a little too much, they’re right: Gonzaga didn’t look like an unranked team tonight. They were effectively #38 in the Week 1 AP poll, and tied for #37 in the coaches’ poll. That was with a 1-0 record. Now they’re 1-1, but in defeat, they looked for all the world like a Top 25-worthy team. Assuming they take care of business against IPFW at home Friday, will they rise into the rankings on the strength of a “good loss”? I don’t know (and thankfully, in college basketball, unlike college football, it doesn’t really matter). But regardless, this is a good team, and they should only get better.

Go Zags.