Broncos and Zags set to clash tonight

By Justin Phan

The road ahead will not get any easier for the Broncos as they travel to Spokane, Wash. to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs Thursday at 7 p.m.

Santa Clara is in the midst of a four-game losing streak and will face a rejuvenated Gonzaga squad that is fresh off a 17-point win over Portland in their West Coast Conference opener.

At face value, it appears that the Broncos are in over their heads and need to make some drastic changes in order to be able to beat Gonzaga (10-4, 1-0) , but in reality that is hardly the case.

What does not show up in the wins-losses column is how Santa Clara (7-11, 0-2) has been able to compete with their opponents game in and game out while consistently remaining in a position to win.

Of Santa Clara's 18 games, 13 have been decided by six points or less, while eight of their nine losses on the road were by a combined 32 points.

In Santa Clara's most recent road loss, a deep three-pointer by Saint Mary's guard Patty Mills with 2.3 seconds left was the deciding factor.

Head coach Kerry Keating plans on sticking with his game plan and does not think it is time to make any big changes yet, even with the team's slow start in WCC play thus far.

"We have to take advantage of each game as they come," Keating said. "They come and go quick, but we are two possessions from being in first place, and we have to keep playing."

Gonzaga head coach Mark Few is certainly not taking the Broncos lightly, given their current record.

"Maybe the records don't indicate that, but Santa Clara should be at the top of the league and should've been 2-0," Few said. "They had St. Mary's beat and definitely had San Diego beat. They lost both of those in the waning seconds to strange plays."

The problem has been the way that Santa Clara has performed in these high-pressure, late-game situations.

This was evident in the game against San Diego, where the Broncos committed back-to-back turnovers during a crucial 30-second stretch at the end of the game.

"We have to handle the pressure, not turn the ball over and have good transition defense," Keating said. "We have to play hard and play smart."

For Santa Clara to come out on top against Gonzaga, several things have to happen.

First and foremost, the team must take care of the ball. This has been a recurring problem throughout the season, but the team has yet to resolve it.

Over the last five games, the Broncos are averaging 18 turnovers per game.

Gonzaga has forced its opponents to 16.2 turnovers per game while averaging just 12.2 per game themselves.

In a game that is likely to be decided by a slim margin, those extra four or five possessions will be huge.

Santa Clara must also control the glass and not give up costly second-chance opportunities.

It is easy to think that rebounding is a non-concern with John Bryant in the middle, but Gonzaga is averaging 37.9 rebounds per game to Santa Clara's 33.9.

Factor in coach Few's recent addition of guard Steven Gray into the starting lineup, and the Broncos may have another issue on their hands.

"It was more just sending a message that we have to rebound," Few said. "We had several bad rebounding games. We're trying to emphasize it, so we're trying to show we'll make changes."

Lastly, Santa Clara needs to control the tempo of the game. The Broncos cannot afford to become a fast-paced, up-tempo team because it essentially freezes out their biggest weapon on the offensive end, center Bryant.

Gonzaga will look to push the pace and ignite their fast-break offense, one that thrives with a forward like Austin Daye, who is able to run the floor and pull up from deep.

"They play possession by possession, so their games are going to be close," Few said. "It's hard to get any separation. They're used to playing in a lot of games like that. It's no secret that if we had our choice, we'd like to run up and down."

Contact Justin Phan at (408) 551-1918 or jphan1@scu.edu.