Unbeaten Zags keep on rolling
Keeping an eye on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament
Gonzaga guard Andrew Nembhard, above, believes he still has roomto improve.
The scary part is, he thinks that also might be true for the undefeated Zags.
Nembhard had 17 points and eight assists, both season highs, to keep the NCAA Tournament’s top overall seed rolling withSunday’s83-65routoffifthseeded Creighton in the West Region semifinals. Afterward, heinsistednobodywassatisfied.
“I don’t think we have peaked,” he said. “I think, as I said earlier, we can always get better. We can always work on ourstuff. SoIthinkwe’regetting close, and we need to squeeze out that five percent that we talked about.”
It’s hard to imagine the Bulldogs (29-0) could play much better. They extended their school-record winning streak to 33, the Division I record for consecutive double-digit wins to 26 and reached the Elite Eight for the fourth time in six years. NextupisTuesday’sWest regional final.
If Gonzaga continues playing with the same balance it has shownthroughouttheseason, it will be hard for any opponent to stop the Zags short of the Final Four.
SomeofGonzaga’susualstars were content with supporting roles Sunday.
Second-team All-American Drew Timme led the way with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists as the Zags shot 59.6% from the field against a foe that ledtheBigEastindefensivefield goalpercentage.JoelAyayiadded 13 points and eight rebounds.
First-team All-American Corey Kispert scored 12 points and Timme’s fellow secondteamer Jalen Suggs finished with nine.
Defensively, the Zags held Creighton to 40 points over the final30minutesastheymethodically turned a 27-25 gameinto a blowout. Gonzaganevertrailed, led 43-33 at halftime and spent most of the second half pulling away.
“Youhavetoscoretoplaywith Gonzaga. We just didn’t score enough,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said.