Guard Ryan Nembhard has never been better for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
That is a big reason why GU has once again embarked on the NCAA Tournament general bid campaign.
On Monday's latest Zags Basketball Insiders Podcast, Spokesman-Review reporter Jim Meehan and television analyst and former GU big man Richard Fox discuss Nembhard's importance to Gonzaga's team. Masu.
The duo also looks at NET rankings, parenthetical predictions, poll numbers and looks ahead to Thursday (Portland) and Saturday (Santa Clara) games.
Main content (edited for brevity):
Meehan: “Right now, no one can deal with what Ryan Nembhard does. He's a conductor, he's moving chess pieces all over the place, he's checkmateing almost every night.”
Fox: “He's the most important player for them. He's that kind of guy – just to pick a really grand analogy – he's the straw that stirs the drink. If (Gonzaga) didn't have Nembhard, if they don't have Nembhard right now. I don't think we're going to say anything about where we are in the NET or where we are in the tournament. I think (the team) lost by double digits. He's that important to what they're doing. He's not their best player in that he's not the dominant scorer and he's not the best defender, but he's the only guy who can do what he's supposed to do without him. And you can see that. If I can’t get my point guard up to speed, I’m going to have a hard time getting my speed up.”
Fox: “Everything they want to do is still in front of them and if they got both of those wins (last week), I don’t think it would be nearly as stressful as it was today if (WCC) went out. ” The tournament in Vegas started this week. I think it's good to remember that it is (23rd place) in NET. I don't think there's ever been a team this high in the NET that wasn't selected (as at-large). So if they can keep working on their job and get one or two in San Francisco (next week). , we may still feel okay about them. It's amazing how one game can help you breathe a little easier…a win for Kentucky is no small thing, especially after Kentucky's great win over the weekend against Auburn. ”
Listen to the episode here or find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
