Preview: Bulldogs look to slow down LMU's Eli Scott

The No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs (15-2, 4-0 WCC), after getting past a physical San Francisco Dons team, will play host to another bruiser in the Loyola Marymount Lions (9-8, 2-3 WCC) on Thursday night.

“You have to bring the fight to [LMU] cause you know they’re going to come in swinging” said Drew Timme. “They’re a really physical team.”

A tough brand of basketball hasn’t translated to much success this season, however.

Picked to finish 4th in the WCC preseason poll, the Lions have failed to live up to those expectations thus far in what has been a lackluster 2021-22 campaign. Blown 2nd half leads to Chattanooga and Grand Canyon at home early in the season were compounded by close losses to New Mexico State and Nevada in back-to-back games. With no standout victories in the non-conference slate, LMU’s success in the WCC has come against Portland and in overtime over against last-placed Pepperdine. A 32-point beatdown from Saint Mary’s on Saturday pushed the Lions farther down the standings heading into Thursday’s meeting with GU.

For the most part, the offense is free of blame for the overall struggles. Fifth year forward and 2021 All-WCC first teamer Eli Scott is having one of the most efficient seasons of his career while still being one of the conference’s elite scorers. Averaging nearly 17 points a night, the versatile wing uses his 6-foot-6, 232-pound frame to punish smaller defenders down low in the paint and compete on the offensive glass. The month of January has been an interesting one for Scott; a season-high 31 points against Pepperdine was followed up with a quiet 5 points on three shot attempts against the Gaels.

Inconsistencies aside, GU is quite familiar with what Scott is capable of on any given night.

“[Scott’s] a great player,” Timme said. “He’s going to facilitate and create for others but also he can score and get multiple shot attempts up on one possession.”

The last three meetings have been dominated by Scott, including a 20-point double-double in February. A tight handle and explosive athleticism at his size is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, especially for the Zags who struggled against USF’s physicality in the 1st half. Any isolation on the perimeter or in the post from Scott will have to be met with timely rotations to force him into the teeth of the defense, where GU has excelled at forcing turnovers off strip steals.

And without a size advantage down low, LMU could find themselves in trouble with their star player held in check. In previous matchups, 7-foot-3 center Mattias Markusson was a serviceable second option for the Lions in the post. Losing him to graduation has certainly attributed to the underwhelming season.

And the road won’t get easier against the Zags, who already rebound and score in the paint at an elite level. Keeping Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme off the boards is no easy task, along with Julian Strawther and Anton Watson making every hustle play for loose balls.

Against a team that is usually outrebounded by their opponents anyway, GU has a chance to control the paint right from the opening tip.

Not many teams in the nation play at an up-tempo beat quite like this squad does, and it’s all made possible through limiting extra opportunities for opposing offenses. The Zags average nearly 10 more rebounds per game than their opponent, which means almost 10 more possessions to score. No one in the WCC has been able to completely halt the track meet that takes place against the Bulldogs, especially those with sub-par offenses that don’t make the most of high-possession games.

The Dons came close to doing just that, but a strong 2nd half unveiled a new blueprint for this team. Overcoming adversity is the backbone of all great teams, and albeit against an inferior opponent, GU experienced that for the first and maybe last time this season. Last Thursday could be a small but impactful game for this team’s mindset and mental toughness going forward.

However, it’s a longshot we’ll see it in action against LMU.

The pick: Zags 95, Lions 73