Gonzaga has finally wrapped up its non-conference season, sans Memphis and senior night versus Cal-State Bakersfield.  We've learned a lot about the Zags in the first two months, so let's hit the major topics.

First, the Zags survived another brutal non-conference schedule that had them racking-up the frequent flier miles.  Despite coast-to-coast trips, with stops throughout the Midwest and a Thanksgiving spent in Maui, the Zags are 11-3 and ranked in both national polls.  The last two wins against Oklahoma and Illinois were good momentum for heading into conference play.  Oklahoma is not very good this season, and the game will likely be most remembered for Tiny Gallon going all Casey Calvary on the backboard in the Arena.  Illinois on the other hand was another battle for Gonzaga and showed both the highlights and lowlights of this team.  Great production out of 4/5ths of the starting lineup is exceptional, poor point guard play and a lack of bench depth and production against good teams will be the downfall.  Despite starting off looking like world-beaters, the WCC has come back to Earth and shown again that it is not a very deep conference.  A loss or two would be no surprise, however another undefeated conference season is not out of the question.

Tied for First has to be the emergence of Elias Harris.  Harris has become the go-to-guy and most important player on this team, his production cannot be overstated.  There were some expectations for Elias considering his age and experience in Europe, but it's doubtful that anyone could imagine the impact that he would have on the Zags so far this year. Hopefully we get more than one season of him in Gonzaga uniform.

The Third storyline so far has to be the bench play.  Gonzaga's bench production has been hit or miss so far this year.  As conference play begins, expect the starters to get more rest and for the bench players to see more time on the floor.  Most production has come from Kelly Olynyk, Manny Arop and Bol Kong.  There have been appearances by Gibbs, Foster and Vilarino as well, but their contribution has been fairly minimal.  Expect to see a continued emergence out of the Canadian trio and more scarce minutes for the other three.  Finally, it was announced this week that Andy Poling is leaving the program and looking to transfer.  Poling is unquestionably talented, however its difficult to see a scenario where he would have seen  significant playing time this or even next year; best wishes Andy.

Finally, the other major storyline so far has been Gonzaga's back-court play.  Matt Bouldin has been solid in non-conference play, and continues to lead the team in scoring.  His health problems, revolving around the concussion he suffered against Augustana, should be resolved so he looks to continue what has been a fairly standard Bouldin season.  Steven Gray has been frustrating to watch offensively, as he looks dominant one minute and then can't manage to find the rim the next.  Recently, Gray's stroke has looked very solid and his defense has been key to multiple Gonzaga victories.  Lastly, there is the play of Gonzaga's point guard.  As the only guard on the roster with more turnovers than assists, it's miraculous that considering his playing time, the Zags are still able to post victories.  It is befuddling why Coach Few continues to provide huge chunks of minutes to a player who consistently makes terrible decisions and has shown a complete lack of a functional jumpshot.

Now a look into the future.  The WCC has again failed itself in an effort to prove that it is not an RPI drag to its leading member.  After hot starts by most of the conference, most teams have reverted back to their sad selves.  St. Mary's appears to be a viable opponent, as does Portland, at least when the Pilots are at home.  The Zags really face the gauntlet as they open: at Portland, at St. Mary's, and at San Diego; if Gonzaga can escape with three victories, be ecstatic, but 2-1 out of that stretch will be just fine. Remember that as long as the Zags are in the top two heading to Vegas there really is no difference between 1st and 2nd.

As the conference season plays out, watch for more contributions out of the bench, and hopefully Coach Few limiting the minutes of Bouldin, Harris, Gray and Sacre in preparation for both the WCC and NCAA tournaments.  Again, the Canadian trio should continue to see increased minutes, and along with that, look for increased production out of those talented Canucks.  Also, watch to see if Grant Gibbs role is increased throughout conference play.  If he can show he is a competent ball-handler, distributor and shooter his minutes should increase.

Block out your Thursdays and Saturday evenings Zags fans because the conference season will be a great test for the Bulldogs.

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