Last season a Zags team led by Ryan Nembhard, Graham Ike, Nolan Hickman and Ben Gregg were pretty mediocre (by Gonzaga standards) in non-conference play, and the team's unimpressive form led to two early losses in West Coast Conference play, leading many to question if this would finally be the year that the Bulldogs miss out on a trip to the NCAA Tournament. But after a gut-punch loss to St. Mary's, things started to turn around with a get-right blowout of Portland. The team caught fire in the final two months of the season and notched another Sweet 16 appearance.
This season, a Zags team led by Ryan Nembhard, Graham Ike, Nolan Hickman and Ben Gregg were very mediocre (by Gonzaga standards) in non-conference play, and the team's unimpressive form led to two early losses in West Coast Conference play, leading many to question if this would finally be the year that the Bulldogs miss out on a trip to the NCAA Tournament. But after gut-punch losses to Oregon State and Santa Clara, things might be starting to turn around with a get-right blowout of Portland. And GU fans can only hope this year's team is ready to catch fire for the final two months of the season and go on another winning run.
The atmosphere at University of Portland's Chiles Center was indicative of how Gonzaga had been playing of late. While I've made multiple trips to see the Zags in the PDX before, this was the first time where there were noticeable open seats among the largely pro-Gonzaga crowd. But any energy lost compared to previous tilts against the Pilots was made up for when Mark Few made unexpected and uncharacteristic changes to his starting lineup.
While it wasn't a shock to see Branden Huff in the starting five (a punishment for Ike after picking up a costly late game technical in the previous game against Santa Clara), Few inserting Emmanuel Innocenti into the starting lineup certainly qualifies as a shocker.
While the coaching staff had been hyping up the Italian transfer forward from Tarleton State's defensive prowess all year, Innocenti had yet to really make a big impact for the Zags (apart from getting called for a horrifically unjust foul late in the UCLA loss).
Innocenti essentially wasn't in the core regular playing rotation... then suddenly he was a starter. It's the type decision that Few — who notably tend to be pretty inflexible with his lineups — has almost never made during his 25 years at the helm for Gonzaga. But it's one that totally made sense after he was rightfully frustrated by his team's abysmal defense against Santa Clara, where they let a mid WCC team break the record for most points scored by an opponent in the McCarthey Athletic Center (103).
The move almost instantly paid off in Bulldogs' 105-62 victory. Through the first 19 games of the season, Innocenti only tallied a total of 93 minutes played with 14 shots taken and 15 rebounds grabbed. In Saturday's contest alone he notched 23 minutes while shooting 3-5 from the field (2-4 from deep) with 4 assists, 2 rebounds and a block. It might not be the most eye-catching box score line, but doing anything to change up the team's energy clearly helped to Zags rediscover their confidence and flow.
The Italian wasn't the only Zags transfer to have his best offensive showing of the year last Saturday. The showdown with the Pilots also featured a long-overdo scoring showcase for Michael Ajayi. Coming off the bench, the Pepperdine transfer forward hit 20 points for his first time in a Gonzaga jersey after having 11 such games last year for the Waves en route to being the WCC leading scorer in 2024.
After feeling a bit lost out on the court as he struggled to find his role in the Zags' offense, Ajayi played with a real force versus Portland. Quite simply, he was getting touches near the rim and not trying to do too much with them, finishing 7-10 shooting while also earning nine free throw attempts (though making more than 5 of them offers room for improvement).
If both Innocenti and Ajayi can keep up that form of play for the rest of the year after being non-factors so far this season, it could essentially feel like Gonzaga added two impact players to the rotation.
The other player who needs to be mentioned here is Ben Gregg. The senior forward from the Portland suburb of Clackamas made sure to make his final collegiate game in Oregon a memorable one. With dozens of friends and family in the stands, Gregg played the best game of his career putting up 24 points while grabbing 6 rebounds. It felt like he couldn't miss... because he literally couldn't — hitting all 10 shots he took including going 4-4 from behind the arc.
The Portland win showcased exactly what Zags fans wanted out of this talented squad which has gotten in its own way far too often this season. The team's 31 assists versus the Pilots were a welcome reminder to anyone in panic mode that these Bulldogs can still find that elite gear where the offense flows beautifully.
It looks like it may be déjà vu all over again for Gonzaga. That's the hope anyway.
UP NEXT
Men
Gonzaga vs. Oregon State • Tue, Jan. 28 at 8 pm • ESPN2
Gonzaga at St. Mary's • Sat, Feb. 1 at 8 pm • ESPN
Women
Gonzaga vs. San Diego • Thu, Jan. 30 at 6 pm • SWX and ESPN+ CBS Sports Network
Gonzaga vs. Pacific • Sat, Feb. 1 at 2 pm • ESPN+