A Look at Gonzaga’s Nonconference Schedule: Part 3

An unexpectedly tough “warm-up” game and an unpredictable tilt with Kentucky will add even more drama to the Zags’ already packed Nonconference Schedule. Here’s what fans can expect.

Long Beach State – Wednesday, November 20 – McCarthy Athletic Center, Spokane, WA

Long Beach State concluded last season with an unexpected ticket to the Big Dance. After enduring a five-game losing streak, the team rallied to win the Big West Conference Tournament championship, despite the unceremonious (and, to many, undeserved) firing of head coach Dan Monson the previous week. Although they lost to Arizona in the opening round, Long Beach State became a favorite among college basketball fans for their resilience in the face of unexpected (and bizarre) adversity.

This year, they will head to Spokane, and if expectations hold true, they are likely to be trounced by Gonzaga. However, this is not your typical “warm-up” game in preparation for the Battle 4 Atlantis tourney in the Bahamas. Long Beach State proved themselves last year to be a legitimate tournament-caliber team. With a new head coach and a lot of new talent, they could very well pose a formidable challenge for the Zags.

New head coach Chris Acker joins Long Beach State after five seasons as an assistant at San Diego State. He is a defense-first strategist who has also coached at Boise State under former Zag assistant Leon Rice, giving him a degree of familiarity with Gonzaga’s style. Acker’s teams are known for their physical defense and strong rebounding from the outset which makes him a great candidate to establish some continuity at Long Beach State. Last season, Monson’s Long Beach State team ranked in the top 50 for both assists per game (15.4) and rebounds per game (35.2) despite finishing 5th overall in a mid-tier conference.

Long Beach State will have a completely new look this year. Fortunately for them, Acker is a highly capable recruiter who is determined to elevate Long Beach State to genuine tournament contention. The bulk of last year’s team departed following Monson’s dismissal, but leading scorer Marcus Tsohonis (17.6 ppg) will return to provide some consistency in the backcourt. Acker has also secured a commitment from UCLA combo guard Devin Askew, who will be playing for his fourth school in five years. The team will be without leading rebounder Lassina Traore (now committed to Xavier) as well as their assist leader Aboubacar Traore (Louisville), but Acker’s commitment to tough-nosed defense and physical rebounding could still surprise the Zags.

University of Kentucky – Saturday, December 7 – Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA

The word “schadenfreude” describes the pleasure one derives from witnessing someone else’s pain or misfortune. For many, watching the decline of the mighty Kentucky Wildcats was a greater source of schadenfreude than almost any other story in college basketball last year. While the topic of Coach Calipari’s demise and ultimate dismissal merits its own feature-length article, for now, we’ll stick to the broad strokes.

The good news: Kentucky fell apart in spectacular fashion last year, and the Zags got to put one of the final nails in the coffin when they beat the Wildcats 89-85 in Kentucky. The Wildcats ended up losing four games at Rupp Arena, got bounced in the first round from the NCAA tourney, Coach Calipari was sent packing, the entire roster (more or less) jumped ship, and Kentucky fans were characteristically level-headed and normal about the whole thing. It doesn’t get much sweeter than that.

The bad news: The schadenfreude may be short lived, and Kentucky could be really good this coming season. With former BYU head coach Mark Pope at the helm, the Wildcats are looking to rebuild. WCC fans already know that Mark Pope is a spectacular strategist who runs a high-efficiency offense focused on punishing teams from the perimeter. As soon as Calipari shipped off to Arkansas, Pope got busy in the transfer portal. BYU guard Jaxson Robinson withdrew from the NBA draft to rejoin Pope at UK. Koby Brea (Dayton), Kerr Krissa (West Virginia), and Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State) will also head to Kentucky, along with San Diego State transfer Lamont Butler, now primed to be one of the best defensive stoppers in the SEC.

Kentucky did just about everything right this offseason, and as much as it hurts to admit, they look like a top 10 team on paper. They’ve brought in an extremely gifted and decidedly un-Calipari-esque coach in Mark Pope and have signed a mix of experienced transfers and high-level high school talent. Rupp Arena has been exorcized of one of the least likable figures in college sports, and Kentucky fans hope now to reclaim its former glory. The chemistry will be unpredictable but likely electrifying under Pope; whether it will be enough to match Gonzaga’s remains to be seen.