Gonzaga Mens Basketball -- The good, the bad and the ugly

Here are some insights into the Gonzaga's overtime win over the Missouri Tigers on Saturday.

The Good: This game looked like a Final Four NCAA tournament game.

Ronny Turiaf came through once again with 23 points, 21 in the second half, to propel the Zags to an 87-80 overtime win. In the latter part of the game and overtime, he was waving his hands up to the crowd, using his energy and enthusiasm to get his team and the crowd pumped up.

Blake Stepp ended with 14 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. He let the game come to him, as he didn't take his first shot until late in the first half. He was seven for eight from the line, and made key assists for late dunks by Cory Violette and Turiaf.

Adam Morrison, nicknamed "MO", was just that for the Zags. His play off of the bench gave the Zags the momentum to take the lead in the first half (12 points in first half), and his two free throws in overtime gave them an 83 to 80 lead that they would never relinquish. At the conclusion of the game, Mo grabbed the basketball and threw it to the cheap seats in the Key Arena.

The Bad: The Zag post players hacked a combined 13 times. Violette fouled out, and Turiaf and Richard Fox played a better part of regulation and overtime with four fouls. Unfortunately for the Missouri Tigers, all this did was show the nation the depth that the Zags have in the post position. Sean Mallon, the fourth option at post, gave the Zags a solid seven minutes, scoring four points on two for two shooting.

Stepp was not bring the ball down against pressure for much of the game. (Maybe Mark Few has been reading my suggestions?) The few times that he did bring it down, he had trouble. He was called for traveling twice and threw the ball away once. I know that Stepp is an amazing talent and he is effective in running the floor in transition, but when it is him bringing the ball up one on one or against a press, he is not at his best. That being said, he only turned it over four times, and nearly posted a triple double.

The Ugly: The 31 coaches that are responsible for the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 poll.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have played, quite possibly, the toughest non-conference schedule in the country (Michigan State is the one school with a tougher non-conference schedule, as they have played Duke, Kentucky, Kansas and Oklahoma).

Among the 31 coaches that make up the coaches poll, only five are from west of the Rockies. Maybe Gary Williams (Maryland) and Phil Martelli (St. Joes) could tell the other board members that this Zags' team is much better than number 18 in the country.

As a comparison, let's take a quick look at the schedule of the UConn Huskies. This team was a pre-season number one and this is their pre-season schedule so far: Yale, Nevada, Sacred Heart, Georgia Tech, Utah, Lehigh, Army, Quinnipiac, and upcoming games with Iona, Ball St., UMass, Rice, and Rutgers.

Eleven cupcakes, one marginal opponent in Utah, and one tough contest with Georgia Tech. Guess what, they lost their only tough game. This is the number three team in the country? Many might say they have such a good track record that they deserve that kind of respect.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have won 24 games or more the last five seasons, and are 7-1 this season. If this win against Missouri, a Top 5 team, does not put the Zags in the Top 10, it truly is UGLY!