2014–15 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team

2014–15 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball
NIT Season Tip-Off champions
WCC regular season & tournament champions
NCAA Tournament, Elite Eight
Conference West Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches No. 6
AP No. 7
2014–15 record 35–3 (17–1 WCC)
Head coach Mark Few (16th year)
Assistant coach Tommy Lloyd (14th year)
Assistant coach Donny Daniels (5th year)
Assistant coach Brian Michaelson (2nd year)
Home arena McCarthey Athletic Center
2014–15 West Coast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
#7 Gonzaga † 17 – 1   .944     35 – 3   .921
BYU 13 – 5   .722     25 – 10   .714
Saint Mary's 13 – 5   .722     21 – 10   .677
Pepperdine 10 – 8   .556     18 – 14   .563
San Diego 8 – 10   .444     15 – 16   .484
Portland 7 – 11   .389     17 – 16   .515
Santa Clara 7 – 11   .389     14 – 18   .438
San Francisco 7 – 11   .389     14 – 18   .438
Pacific 4 – 14   .222     12 – 19   .387
Loyola Marymount 4 – 14   .222     8 – 23   .258
† 2015 West Coast Conference Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2014–15 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Gonzaga University in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Mark Few, who was in his 16th season as head coach. The team played its home games at McCarthey Athletic Center, which has a capacity of 6,000. The Bulldogs (also informally referred to as the Zags) were playing in their 35th season as a member of the West Coast Conference. The Zags were predicted to finish atop of the conference by the West Coast Conference Preseason Poll.[1] The Zags finished in first place in the West Coast Conference Standings for the 18th time with a 17-1 conference record after BYU defeated the Zags in the regular season finale, snapping the nation's longest active home winning streak of 41 games, as well as Gonzaga's school record 22-game winning streak.[2] The Bulldogs then went on to beat BYU in the West Coast Conference Tournament, and claimed their 14th WCC tournament title, along with punching their 18th ticket to the NCAA Tournament.[3] Gonzaga entered the 2015 NCAA Tournament as a #2 seed in the South region, and dismantled #15 seed North Dakota State,[4] #7 seed Iowa,[5] and #11 seed UCLA,[6] to gain its second trip to the Elite Eight, as well as Mark Few's first as head coach. The Zags then fell to #1 seed (and eventual national champion) Duke, and finished the season with a 35–3 record, which were the most wins in school history.[7]

Previous season

The 2013-14 Gonzaga Bulldogs team were predicted to finish atop of the conference by the West Coast Conference Preseason Poll.[8] The Zags finished in first place in the West Coast Conference Standings for the 17th time with a 15-3 conference record.[9] The Bulldogs then went on to beat BYU in the West Coast Conference Tournament, and claimed their 13th WCC tournament title, along with punching their 17th ticket to the NCAA Tournament.[10] The team drew an eight seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, where they outlasted ninth-seed Oklahoma State in the round of 64, 85-77,[11] but then lost to Arizona in the round of 32, 84-61.[12] The Zags finished the season with an overall record of 29-7, including a perfect 15-0 record at home.

Preseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Dower, SamSam Dower 35 C 6'9" 243 Senior (Redshirt) Brooklyn Park, MN Graduated
Stockton, DavidDavid Stockton 11 G 5'11" 165 Senior (Redshirt) Spokane, WA Graduated
Barham, DrewDrew Barham 43 F 6'7" 200 Senior (Redshirt) Memphis, TN Graduated
Bhaskar, BrianBrian Bhaskar 22 G 6'2" 185 Senior Monterey, CA Graduated
Coleman, GerardGerard Coleman 0 G 6'4" 170 Junior (Redshirt) Boston, MA Transferred to Georgetown (KY)[13]
Meikle, LukeLuke Meikle 21 F 6'9" 203 Freshman Tacoma, WA Transferred to Cal Poly[14]
Roese, LeoLeo Roese 23 G 6'3" 184 Freshman São Paulo, Brazil Left Team

Incoming transfers

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous
School 		Years
Remaining 		Date
Eligible
Wesley, ByronByron Wesley G 6'5" 210 Senior Rancho Cucamonga, CA USC 1 Oct. 1, 2014[15]
McClellan, EricEric McClellan G 6'4" 180 Junior (Redshirt) Austin, TX Vanderbilt 1.5 Jan. 6, 2015[16][17]

2014 recruiting class

Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Silas Melson[18]
SG		 Portland, OR Jefferson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jun 18, 2013 
Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 73
Josh Perkins[19]
PG		 Park Hill, CO Huntington Prep 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 186 lb (84 kg) Aug 24, 2013 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 86
Bryan Alberts[20]
SG		 Northridge, CA Village Christian 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Oct 28, 2013 
Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 70
Domantas Sabonis[21]
PF		 Kaunas, Lithuania Sunny View School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Apr 17, 2014 
Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A  247Sports: #14  ESPN: N/A
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

2015 recruiting class

Roster

2014–15 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Home town
G 5 Bell, Jr., GaryGary Bell, Jr. 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 214 lb (97 kg) Sr Kentridge Kent, WA
G 4 Pangos, KevinKevin Pangos 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 182 lb (83 kg) Sr Denison Secondary Newmarket, ON
G 22 Wesley, ByronByron Wesley 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 206 lb (93 kg) Sr Etiwanda
USC		 Rancho Cucamonga, CA
G 21 McClellan, EricEric McClellan 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 184 lb (83 kg) RS Jr Austin
Vanderbilt
Tulsa		 Austin, TX
F 33 Wiltjer, KyleKyle Wiltjer 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Jr Jesuit
Kentucky		 Portland, OR
F 2 Nunez, AngelAngel Nunez 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 202 lb (92 kg) RS Jr Notre Dame Prep
Louisville		 Bronx, NY
G 3 Dranginis, KyleKyle Dranginis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 202 lb (92 kg) RS Jr Skyview Nampa, ID
C 24 Karnowski, PrzemekPrzemek Karnowski 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 288 lb (131 kg) Jr Nicolaus Copernicus
Siarka Jezioro Tarnobrzeg		 Toruń, Poland
G 15 Bakamus, RemRem Bakamus (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 167 lb (76 kg) RS So Mark Morris Longview, WA
G 14 Griffin, ConnorConnor Griffin (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 212 lb (96 kg) So Lake Oswego Lake Oswego, OR
C 25 Edwards, RyanRyan Edwards  7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 294 lb (133 kg) So Glacier Kalispell, MT
G 55 Triano, DustinDustin Triano (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 178 lb (81 kg) RS Fr New Hampton School Vancouver, BC
G 0 Melson, SilasSilas Melson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 178 lb (81 kg) Fr Jefferson Portland, OR
F 11 Sabonis, DomantasDomantas Sabonis 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 231 lb (105 kg) Fr Sunny View School
Unicaja Málaga		 Kaunas, Lithuania
G 13 Perkins, JoshJosh Perkins   6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 186 lb (84 kg) Fr Huntington Prep Park Hill, CO
G 10 Alberts, BryanBryan Alberts  6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Village Christian Northridge, CA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: February 18, 2015

Rankings

Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes.
Poll Pre
[29]		 Wk 2
[30]		 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 Wk 17 Wk 18 Wk 19 Final
AP 13 13 10 9 9 8 8 7 6 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 7 7 7 N/A
Coaches 13 11 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 7 7 7 6

Schedule

Gonzaga's non-conference schedule included home games against SMU, Memphis, Texas Southern, Sacramento State, and Southeastern Louisiana. Gonzaga played true road games at Arizona and UCLA, and also faced off with Washington State at the Spokane Arena. The Zags were invited to be a host in the NIT Season Tip-Off, where they hosted Saint Joseph's and St. Thomas Aquinas and then traveled to Madison Square Garden in New York to play Georgia and ultimately St. John's in the championship game.[31] Gonzaga also played in the 12th annual Battle in Seattle at KeyArena against Cal Poly. Gonzaga played 18 conference games (home-and-home) during the season.[32]

Date
Time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (Attendance)
City, State
Exhibition

11/01/2014*
6:00 PM, KHQ		 No. 13 Thompson Rivers W 95–69  -
  15 – Wesley  8 – Wesley  4 – Tied  McCarthey Athletic Center (-)
Spokane, WA

11/08/2014*
 No. 13 vs. Texas
Secret Scrimmage		 W 73–56  -
   –     –     –    GCU Arena (-)
Phoenix, AZ
Regular Season

11/14/2014*
6:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 13 Sacramento State W 104–58  1–0
  18 – Wiltjer  8 – Sabonis  6 – Perkins  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

11/17/2014*
8:00 PM, ESPN2		 No. 13 No. 22 SMU
ESPN Tip-Off Marathon		 W 72–56  2–0
  17 – Pangos  9 – Sabonis  7 – Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

11/19/2014*
8:00 PM, ESPNU		 No. 13 Saint Joseph's
NIT Season Tip-Off		 W 94–42  3–0
  18 – Bell Jr.  11 – Sabonis  6 – Tied  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

11/22/2014*
6:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 13 St. Thomas Aquinas
NIT Season Tip-Off		 W 109–55  4–0
  24 – Nunez  11 – Tied  7 – Tied  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

11/26/2014*
6:30 PM, ESPN2		 No. 10 vs. Georgia
NIT Season Tip-Off Semifinals		 W 88–76  5–0
  32 – Wiltjer  6 – Tied  6 – Pangos  Madison Square Garden (5,128)
New York, NY

11/28/2014*
4:00 PM, ESPN2		 No. 10 vs. St. John's
NIT Season Tip-Off Finals		 W 73–66  6–0
  14 – Sabonis  9 – Sabonis  9 – Pangos  Madison Square Garden (5,548)
New York, NY

12/02/2014*
6:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 9 Southeastern Louisiana W 76–57  7–0
  20 – Wiltjer  9 – Karnowski  3 – Tied  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

12/06/2014*
2:15 PM, ESPN		 No. 9 at No. 3 Arizona L 63–66 OT 7–1
  15 – Wiltjer  7 – Karnowski  6 – Pangos  McKale Center (14,655)
Tucson, AZ

12/10/2014*
8:00 PM, ESPNU		 No. 9 vs. Washington State W 81–66  8–1
  22 – Karnowski  9 – Wesley  4 – Wiltjer  Spokane Arena (11,521)
Spokane, WA

12/13/2014*
7:00 PM, ESPN2		 No. 9 at UCLA W 87–74  9–1
  24 – Wiltjer  9 – Wesley  5 – Dranginis  Pauley Pavilion (10,006)
Los Angeles, CA

12/15/2014*
6:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 8 Texas Southern W 94–54  10–1
  21 – Wiltjer  7 – Nunez  6 – Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

12/20/2014*
7:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 8 vs. Cal Poly
Battle in Seattle		 W 63–50  11–1
  16 – Tied  8 – Karnowski  3 – Dranginis  KeyArena (11,741)
Seattle, WA

12/27/2014
3:00 PM, ESPN2		 No. 8 at BYU W 87–80  12–1
(1–0)		  24 – Wiltjer  10 – Tied  7 – Pangos  Marriott Center (20,900)
Provo, UT

12/29/2014
8:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 7 at San Diego W 60–48  13–1
(2–0)		  15 – Wiltjer  8 – Karnowski  4 – Pangos  Jenny Craig Pavilion (4,517)
San Diego, CA

01/03/2015
6:30 PM, ESPN2		 No. 7 at Portland W 87–75  14–1
(3–0)		  21 – Tied  6 – Sabonis  5 – Pangos  Chiles Center (4,852)
Portland, OR

01/08/2015
6:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 6 San Francisco W 88–57  15–1
(4–0)		  17 – Pangos  9 – Sabonis  5 – Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

01/10/2015
1:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 6 Santa Clara W 79–57  16–1
(5–0)		  18 – Karnowski  9 – Tied  4 – Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

01/15/2015
7:30 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 3 at Pepperdine W 78–76  17–1
(6–0)		  24 – Wiltjer  12 – Sabonis  5 – Pangos  Firestone Fieldhouse (3,250)
Malibu, CA

01/17/2015
1:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 3 at Loyola Marymount W 72–55  18–1
(7–0)		  17 – Bell  8 – Sabonis  6 – Pangos  Gersten Pavilion (4,026)
Los Angeles, CA

01/22/2015
8:00 PM, ESPNU		 No. 3 Saint Mary's W 68–47  19–1
(8–0)		  14 – Pangos  13 – Sabonis  5 – Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

01/24/2015
5:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 3 Pacific W 91–60  20–1
(9–0)		  13 – Tied  8 – Sabonis  4 – Wiltjer  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

01/29/2015
6:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 3 Portland W 64–46  21–1
(10–0)		  13 – Sabonis  11 – Sabonis  4 – Karnowski  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

01/31/2015*
7:00 PM, ESPN2		 No. 3 Memphis W 82–64  22–1
  17 – Karnowski  11 – Sabonis  5 – Tied  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

02/05/2015
8:00 PM, ESPN2		 No. 2 at Santa Clara W 77–63  23–1
(11–0)		  22 – Wiltjer  9 – Sabonis  7 – Pangos  Leavey Center (4,700)
Santa Clara, CA

02/07/2015
8:30 PM, ESPN2		 No. 2 at San Francisco W 81–70  24–1
(12–0)		  29 – Wiltjer  11 – Wiltjer  4 – Pangos  War Memorial Gymnasium (4,000)
San Francisco, CA

02/12/2015
6:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 3 Loyola Marymount W 80–51  25–1
(13–0)		  21 – Wiltjer  10 – Wiltjer  8 – Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

02/14/2015
5:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 3 Pepperdine W 56–48  26–1
(14–0)		  19 – Pangos  7 – Karnowski  3 – Tied  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

02/19/2015
8:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 3 at Pacific W 86–74  27–1
(15–0)		  45 – Wiltjer  6 – Wiltjer  8 – Pangos  Alex G. Spanos Center (5,672)
Stockton, CA

02/21/2015
7:00 PM, ESPN2		 No. 3 at Saint Mary's W 70–60  28–1
(16–0)		  16 – Wiltjer  12 – Wiltjer  7 – Pangos  McKeon Pavilion (3,500)
Moraga, CA

02/26/2015
8:00 PM, ESPN2		 No. 3 San Diego W 59–39  29–1
(17–0)		  14 – Karnowski  8 – Karnowski  4 – Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA

02/28/2015
7:00 PM, ESPN2		 No. 3 BYU L 70–73  29–2
(17–1)		  17 – Wesley  9 – Wesley  5 – Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
WCC Tournament

03/07/2015
6:00 PM, ESPN2		 No. 7 vs. San Francisco
Quarterfinals		 W 81–72  30–2
  24 – Karnowski  8 – Wiltjer  5 – Pangos  Orleans Arena (8,537)
Las Vegas, NV

03/09/2015
6:00 PM, ESPN		 No. 7 vs. Pepperdine
Semifinals		 W 79–61  31–2
  25 – Wesley  9 – Wiltjer  6 – Pangos  Orleans Arena (8,546)
Las Vegas, NV

03/10/2015
6:00 PM, ESPN		 No. 7 vs. BYU
Final		 W 91–75  32–2
  18 – Wiltjer  10 – Wiltjer  5 – Pangos  Orleans Arena (8,585)
Las Vegas, NV
NCAA Tournament

03/20/2015*
7:10 PM, TNT		 (2 S) No. 7 vs. (15 S) North Dakota State
Second round		 W 86–76  33–2
  23 – Wiltjer  11 – Sabonis  5 – Pangos  KeyArena (14,852)
Seattle, WA

03/22/2015*
4:10 PM, TBS		 (2 S) No. 7 vs. (7 S) Iowa
Third round		 W 87–68  34–2
  24 – Wiltjer  9 – Sabonis  4 – Tied  KeyArena (14,901)
Seattle, WA

03/27/2015*
4:15 PM, CBS		 (2 S) No. 7 vs. (11 S) UCLA
Sweet Sixteen		 W 74–62  35–2
  18 – Karnowski  10 – Wiltjer  4 – Wiltjer  NRG Stadium (21,168)
Houston, TX

03/29/2015*
2:05 PM, CBS		 (2 S) No. 7 vs. (1 S) No. 4 Duke
Elite Eight		 L 52–66  35–3
  16 – Wiltjer  5 – Tied  2 – Tied  NRG Stadium (20,744)
Houston, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South Region.
All times are in Pacific Time.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "West Coast Conference Announces 2014-15 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, All-WCC Team". October 27, 2014.
  2. ↑ "BYU beats No. 3 Gonzaga, ending nation's longest home win streak". February 28, 2015.
  3. ↑ "No. 7 Gonzaga cruises past BYU to 14th WCC title". March 10, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Gonzaga moves on with 86-76 win over ND State". March 20, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Gonzaga catches fire in second half, routs Iowa to reach Sweet 16". March 22, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Gonzaga handles UCLA, reaches Elite Eight for 1st time since '99". March 27, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Freshmen-led Duke pounds Gonzaga to earn Coach K's 12 Final Four". March 29, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Coaches Tab Gonzaga to Capture WCC Men's Basketball Title". October 24, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Gonzaga beats St. Mary's 75-47 to close WCC season". March 1, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Gonzaga holds off BYU comeback to win WCC title". March 11, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Gonzaga outlasts Oklahoma State as 61 fouls called, 5 foul out". March 21, 2014.
  12. ↑ "No. 1 Arizona dominates Gonzaga to reach Sweet 16". March 23, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Gerard Coleman headed to Georgetown (Kent.) College". August 15, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Report: Former Gonzaga forward Lucas Meikle transfers to Cal Poly". July 6, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Byron Wesley transferring to Gonzaga". May 18, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Eric McClellan transferring to GU". June 29, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Kraziness in the Kennel This Saturday". October 23, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Oregon high schooler Silas Melson commits to Gonzaga". June 19, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Josh Perkins, highly-touted recruit, picks Zags". August 24, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Guard Bryan Alberts from SoCal commits to Gonzaga". October 29, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Domas Sabonis Signs Men's Basketball Letter-Of-Intent". April 17, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Guard Jesse Wade from Utah commits to Zags". October 4, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Zags roll past wolfpack". November 1, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Bryan Alberts to redshirt". November 15, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Josh Perkins on the mend". March 22, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Domantas Sabonis back to Gonzaga". Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Josh Perkins is cleared for full contact". Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Angel Nunez won his NCAA appeal". February 18, 2015.
  29. ↑ "2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings - Preseason (Nov. 10)". October 31, 2014.
  30. ↑ "2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings - Preseason (Nov. 17)". November 17, 2014.
  31. ↑ "30th Annual NIT Season Tip-Off Features 10-team Field, Six Games At MSG". September 5, 2014.
  32. ↑ "2014-15 Gonzaga Men's Basketball Schedule". September 17, 2014.
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