Saturday night, Gonzaga thoroughly dominated Oklahoma in an 83-68 win where they led by as many as 24 points. Their physicality and toughness were on full display, and the Sooners had no answer for it — in the first half alone, the Bulldogs outscored the Sooners 38-4 in the paint, a margin that grew to 58-20 by the end of the night. They attempted 21 more shots than the Sooners thanks to an 18-8 edge in offensive rebounds and their defense forcing 16 turnovers.
Watching that game surely kept Greg McDermott awake Saturday night. After the Jays’ 92-76 win on opening night over South Dakota, McDermott vented on his postgame radio interview about his team’s lack of toughness that night — and now they’re going into a hostile environment on the road to play a team that is as physical as any they’ll see this season, with as much length and athleticism as any team they’ll see.