Hobbled Gonzaga faces tough stretch

SPOKANE, Wash. — Top-ranked Gonzaga is heading into a tough stretch without two of its key players

Star forward Killian Tillie and guard Geno Crandall are sidelined for at least the next month with injuries suffered in practice.

That leaves the the Bulldogs shorthanded as they prepare to face No. 6 Tennessee, No. 11 UNC, Creighton and Washington in the next two weeks. Only the Washington game next Wednesday is at home.

“Those are four tough games,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said.

Tillie, an NBA prospect who is a big scorer and rebounder, injured his ankle a month ago in practice and has yet to play. He’s forecast to return in about a month. The Bulldogs (7-0) have weathered the loss of Tillie because they’re deep in the frontcourt.

Crandall, a graduate transfer from North Dakota, was expected to provide needed depth at point guard. But he recently fractured his shooting hand in practice, and expects to miss four to six weeks. Crandall was already playing catch-up at Gonzaga after arriving on campus late because he needed to fulfill graduation requirements at North Dakota.

“I’m disappointed for him,” Few said. “He fought so hard to get here.”

Crandall’s injury puts more pressure on starting point guard Josh Perkins, who’s likely to play a lot of minutes in close games. Perkins played 38 minutes in the victory over Duke last week in Maui that propelled Gonzaga to the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25. Perkins, a fifth-year senior, is averaging 11 points and eight assists per game.

“He’s done a really good job of getting us in the right spot, making the right decisions and playing with great pace,” Few said.

Shooting guards Zach Norvell Jr. and Corey Kispert can provide some help to Perkins. Forwards Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke are also capable of grabbing rebounds and bringing the ball down the court if needed.

“Losing Geno, that hurts us,” Clarke said. “Wehave to have other guys step up.”