College basketball player of the year candidates Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke put up their usual big numbers on Thursday night as Gonzaga walloped Fairleigh Dickinson 87-49 in an NCAA Tournament first-round game. Potential NBA first-round draft pick Killian Tillie swooped in for a highlight-reel hammer dunk and added 17 points and Zach Norvell provided timely outside shooting.
But the No. 1-seeded Zags say the maestro behind it all — at least when they’re on the court — is fifth-year senior point guard Josh Perkins, who doesn’t get nearly the hype as the aforementioned Gonzaga stars but is generally the engineer behind it all.