Broncos prepare to face the Zags

By Ryan Donough

The Broncos will be hosting their WCC rival, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, this Saturday at 4 p.m.

Anticipation for this year's match-up has been building since last year's West Coast Conference Championship, when Santa Clara was defeated in the championship game.

This will be the first meeting between the two teams this season, and the first for first-year Head Coach Kerry Keating, who is anticipating a tough game from the Bulldogs.

"They have a lot of answers at a lot of positions," Keating said. "They can all score and all are very committed at the defensive end."

The Broncos enter the game 11-9 overall and 3-2 in conference play, while the Zags enter at 16-5 overall and undefeated against conference opponents.

Gonzaga was ranked 14th overall before the season, but has since dropped out of the top 25 after losing to Texas Tech, Washington State and Oklahoma. However, their team remains very strong at nearly every position, with outstanding starters such as Matt Bouldin, Josh Heytvelt and Jeremy Pargo leading the way. Senior David Pendergraft and freshman Steven Gray round out the starting five.

Bouldin presents a great obstacle for the Broncos according to Keating.

"He can score inside and out, which makes him a dual threat," Keating said.

Bouldin is the Bulldogs' current leading scorer at 13.7 points per game, while shooting over 40 percent from beyond the three-point-line.

Heytvelt is another concern for the Broncos. They only saw him once last season because of his suspension for possession of psychedelic mushrooms, which left him ineligible for the second half of the season in 2007.

He was reinstated this season and is looking stronger than ever in Gonzaga's starting lineup, averaging 12.1 points per game and leading the Bulldogs with 5.3 rebounds per game.

"He (Heytvelt) understands how to win, scores, rebounds and he doesn't have a weakness I can see so far," Keating said.

Jeremy Pargo, who runs the offense for the Bulldogs, is one of the best point guards in the WCC, according to Keating. He leads the team in assists at six per game, while adding 10.9 points per game.

"He is a very strong player who took over for Raivio after last season," Keating said.

The Bulldogs also have a deep bench with Austin Daye, Micah Downs and Abdullahi Kuso all receiving significant minutes and contributing on both ends of the court. Freshman Austin Daye is already making a significant contribution off the bench, averaging 10.9 points per game while shooting 44 percent from beyond the three-point-line. According to Keating, the bench is outstanding and produces well for the Bulldogs.

"If guys aren't playing well they can go to their bench, which overcomes a lot of their shortcomings," Keating said. "They have players six through 10 who could be starting in any conference."

Gonzaga is once again favored to win the WCC, but that hasn't changed the way Santa Clara prepares for them. Keating will prepare the team with the same level of intensity as he does for every opponent, but also realizes the level of talent he will be facing with Gonzaga is always an issue.

"It's never an easy game, and they have established themselves as the team to beat in the WCC," Keating said.

Contact Ryan Donough at (408) 551-1918 or rdonough@scu.edu.