Gonzaga hosts Dominick Harris, Loyola Marymount in WCC clash
Over a year ago Dominick Harris watched from the Gonzaga Bulldogs' bench as Loyola Marymount pulled off an unthinkable upset at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
The Lions snapped the Bulldogs' 75-game home winning streak, which was the eighth-longest in Division-I history, in a 75-74 final that left the 6,000 fans in attendance in utter shock, as Michael Graham tipped Drew Timme's shot attempt in the final seconds to seal LMU's first win in Spokane since 1991.
The Bulldogs rebounded from that letdown by winning 15 of their next 16 games to earn yet another trip to the Elite Eight. Harris, a former four-star recruit and member of the self-dubbed "Tricky Trio" with Julian Strawther and Jalen Suggs, played a total of 59 minutes in 13 appearances during his redshirt sophomore season. The 6-foot-3 guard struggled to find time on the floor with the Bulldogs, especially after an injury kept him out of the 2021-22 season, before he transferred to LMU last May and after Gonzaga acquired Ryan Nembhard from Creighton.
Now, Harris makes his return to The Kennel as the leader of a revamped Lions (10-11, 3-4 WCC) squad looking to pull off another stunner on the road against the Bulldogs (15-5, 6-1 WCC).
LMU head coach Stan Johnson, who brought in five transfers over the offseason, has given the reins of the offense over to Harris; he leads the team with 14.7 points and 29.2 minutes per game while knocking down a team-high 43.3% of his 3-point attempts (6.4 attempts per game). He's scored 20 or more points in six games this season, including three of his last five games, highlighted by a 31-point outing in a win over Central Arkansas on Nov. 29.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have had to lean heavily on their starting backcourt given the lack of depth following injuries to Steele Venters (out for the season) and Luka Krajnovic, who broke his hand on Dec. 15. Without much help off the bench, Nolan Hickman and Ryan Nembhard have averaged over 34 minutes per game and have played a full 40 minutes a combined 12 times this season, leaving not much time in between for rest. Neither guard would probably have it any other way, though it's still worth pondering how much of an impact Harris would have as the first guard off the bench who could provide a scoring threat for Gonzaga's offense.
Even so, the Bulldogs' one-two punch in the backcourt has only gotten better in WCC play. Hickman, who has upped his scoring to 13.9 points per game in seven league games, is coming off a 19-point game against Pacific in which he went for a career-best 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. If he can continue to apply foul pressure and not settle for long-range jumpers, the Bulldogs become a much harder team to defend when Hickman gets downhill and can either make a play for himself or a teammate.
Speaking of which, no one in the WCC has been better at setting his teammates up than Nembhard, who paces the league in assists (6.1 per game) and assist to turnover ratio (2.7). He wasn't as effective against the Tigers, finishing with three turnovers and just one assist, though he should look forward to facing a Lions team that ranks dead-last in the WCC in turnovers forced (9.3 per game).
Nembhard's improved numbers from deep have made him an even tougher guard on pick-and-roll sets, as he's knocked down 12-of-24 3-point attempts in WCC play. Pacific went under on a lot of ball screens and made it easier to get open looks in its 2-3 zone defense down the stretch. The Lions might not make the same mistake, as they rank second in the league in 3-point field goal defense behind Saint Mary's.
Arguably the biggest area of focus for the Bulldogs is rebounding. LMU is third in the WCC in offensive rebounding percentage (30.1%) per KenPom after outrebounding the Gaels, 31-26. The battle on the glass heavily dictated how last season's meeting in Spokane went, as the Lions controlled the pace with 38 total rebounds, including 12 offensive boards, to the Bulldogs' 28 rebounds. Keli Leaupepe, a bruising 6-foot-6, 250-pound forward, and 7-foot-1 Lars Thiermann rank inside the WCC's top 20 leaders in offensive rebounds with 1.8 and 1.3 per game, respectively.
Gonzaga has been able to control the glass for much of this season, as it ranks No. 1 in the league with 41.4 rebounds per game and No. 2 with 12.0 offensive boards per game.
If that trend can continue for the Bulldogs, along with taking care of the ball against a team that's not known for its ability to create turnovers, then they'll be able to dictate the flow at their own pace.
