Washington and Gonzaga have been on wildly different paths. It was hard to tell Saturday.

Dec. 9—SEATTLE — If you’re worried that the forces of conference realignment will endanger the Gonzaga-Washington rivalry, don’t bother, this thing hasn’t been a rivalry for years.

The Zags had won 14 of the last 15 of these cross-state contretemps. But it felt pretty heated at times in the second half Saturday night in Alaska Airlines Arena as the up-trending Huskies scrapped and battled and boarded and contended until they pulled out a 78-73 upset that caused students and fans to file onto the court in celebration.

The status was definitely not quo in the second half.

It was contrary to recent fortunes: The Zags came in No. 7 in the country, likely heading toward their 25th consecutive NCAA appearance. UW hasn’t finished a season in the Top 25 since 2011.

UW earned this one, though, as they smothered the Zag offense in the last part of the second half.

Apparently, these two will meet a couple more times even after Washington moves to the Big 10 and GU moves … who knows where? This thing has never been conference-dependent anyway.

Rivalries might be a thing of the past in most precincts other than Tobacco Road, anyway, these days.

Both teams had as many international guys as in-state players on their rosters. And the transfer portal has fueled rampant roster shuffling, with players coming and going so fast they can’t keep track of what teams they’re supposed to resent.

But on Saturday night, this game was obviously important, especially for the resurgent Huskies, whose fans roared at the frantic and sometimes harried play down the stretch.

The Zags were forced out of their game in the second half, as it seems very much a team still feeling growing pains as players strain to find and fill their roles.

How did it come to this, with Gonzaga owning the series so convincingly?

It goes back to a decision made in 2002, a…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dave-boling-washington-gonzaga-wildly-045900286.html

Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Publish date : 2023-12-10 04:59:00

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