Late Night Special: Gonzaga vs The Team from Moraga

CoachDay
Feb 1
3 min read

Another Saturday is here, and it is full of glorious college basketball games yet again! A version of college football’s rivalry week has emerged with Arizona-Arizona State, Florida-Tennessee, Arkansas-Kentucky, and the BIG ONE...North Carolina-Duke. Wait a minute, the BIG ONE? Hold up, let’s double-check the slate... what’s this? A mid-major delight out west at 11 p.m.? YES! Gonzaga is traveling down to Moraga... and no, that isn’t a place in New Platson, stoolies. It’s a small college in Cali, and it will be the battleground for one of the most underrated rivalries in sports.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have, over the past 25 years, gone from Cinderella bracket-busters to the fringe of blue-bloods talk, regularly beating SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12, and other perennial powers each season. Yet, in the eyes of many out west, the biggest ones always seem to come when they face the school with fewer than 4,000 total students from Moraga.

Facing each other 9 times of the total 116 overall in just the last three seasons...including Gonzaga losing two of the three last year (calm down, we lead the overall series by a zillion) tonight will be a dogfight between two teams that have felt very disrespected with the recent bracketology seedings. Both know a victory over the other will go a long way in proving their spot in the college basketball world. The team from Moraga is known for its physical, defensive, slower play frustrating the wide-open, athletic, and fast-scoring Zags.

Now, a major reason for the unknown nature of this high-powered match (scheduled to be on ESPN) could be the time of tip, as at this point, our eyes have grown weary from an already major day of ball. But pace yourself to make it through...think about the dog days of July & August when there looks to be no end to the offseason in sight. Here are three easy tips to survive the day and make it through the late-night special!

Cold Shower 10 Minutes Before Tip-Off

Easy fix—no changes throughout your day, no need to miss ball with an extra nap. You just let your day do its thing, then right before tip: COLD PLUNGE! You'll be ready to watch Gonzaga ball out.

Random Player-Off With a Buddy

Keep the brain going! Around 10 p.m., begin a game of naming the most random college basketball players you can think of staying sharp and building knowledge. I'll start you off with Roosevelt Jones - Butler.

Nap It Out... Later

We all know the power nap is happening, but you need to HOLD strong. Fight it! A power nap after 5 p.m. will help you. Now, this is the loser mentality...we know we can find a better way than sleeping through ball. But some around here could be amateur ball watchers still, so let them grow into an elite level with the quick snooze.

However you plan to get there, trust me, you need to be. If only to see Gonzaga take down the team from Moraga! Let’s get some love to the Best of the West showdown. LET’S GO DAWGS!