I don't have a good feeling about this game at all.

Looks like Zags slept through the first half against a decent USF team and found themselves down by 9 at the half. Then they outscored the Dons by 26 in the 2nd half to win by 17 (I'd like to know what Few said to them at halftime!).

I think this Zags team might be even better than some of the best teams they've had in the past. They have shown they can tightly guard the 3-point line while defending Yoeli inside with single coverage. Gonzaga has a huge advantage inside both in terms of size and overall experience, especially with Nixon out.

For BYU to win, Yoeli has to be great inside, hitting a high percentage of shots. It would also help if Baxter can be a defensive presence inside, altering shots and snagging some rebounds. But most of all, the BYU guards must play well. They must hit a high percentage of outside shots, and they've got to drive inside and either score, dish, or get fouled. Getting a couple of their key bigs in foul trouble is key. If the guards just sit outside at the 3-point line, BYU will likely lose, even if they hit a decent percentage from 3.

Based on how BYU has played the last couple of games, I, frankly, don't see things going particularly well for the Cougars in this game. I think BYU can beat the Zags, but there is too much that has to go well from them to pull it off, and lately, they haven't seemed to be able to do that.

Unfortunately, I see this one as a Zags victory by about 15.

On a positive note, with a healthy Nixon, and with time for others to get healthier, and with some dedicated practice time prior to the WCC tourney, I like BYU's chances to knock off the Zags in a rematch for the conference tourney title more than I do in the game tonight.