Final Four: Both Gamecocks, Zags face challenges trying to stop the other
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Described by one analyst as “outrageously good” and “more singularly responsible for his team’s placement in the Final Four than any other player,” South Carolina senior guard Sindarius Thornwell is widely recognized as the MVP of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Gonzaga (36-1) head coach Mark Few has watched plenty of film since the Gamecocks knocked off Florida in the Elite Eight, and he knows his Bulldogs team has their hands full trying to contain the Lancaster native and keep him from reaching his post-season scoring average of 25.8 points when the two teams collide Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET in the Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Thornwell, who has scored at least 24 points in every Gamecock NCAA Tournament game, has attacked the post-season with a boulder-sized chip on his shoulder and Few knows it.
“His whole package is very dangerous,” Few said in a Monday teleconference with reporters. “(With) the intensity he brings to the game, he can hurt you on the glass, he can hurt you shooting, he can hurt you off the bounce, he gets to the free throw line a lot.
“He is going to be a hard guard. It’s going to take a number of our guys (to guard him) and we’re obviously going to have to shadow in his direction. He is definitely going to be a handful.”
What makes Thornwell tick? The intangibles.
“He was a leader on his high school team in Lancaster and then he went to Oak Hill (Academy) and became a leader on a team that had a lot of good players,” USC head coach Frank Martin said Tuesday. “He has developed unbelievable bonds with his high school coaches. What does that tell you? This is a guy that teammates respect and coaches think a lot of. I saw those things. Since getting here, he has grown as a leader.”
While trying to guard Thornwell presents Gonzaga with plenty of problems, Gonzaga’s bearded 7-1, 300-pound center Przemek Karnowski from Poland will undoubtedly challenge the Gamecocks’ big men in the low post.
Karnowski is making 60 percent of his shots for the Zags.
Maik Kotsar and Chris Silva must play exceptionally well defensively to avoid staying out of foul trouble.
“It’s not just his size, it’s his skill,” Martin said of Karnowski. “He can score over either shoulder. You can’t trap him with a guard because he’s so big and he can really pass. He’ll just pass over the top. So, if you double him, you have to double him with a big (guy).”
Gonzaga’s top four scorers – Nigel Williams-Goss (16.7 ppg), Karnowski (12.2), Jordan Mathews (10.7) and Johnathan Williams (10.3) - share something in common: they are all in their fourth or fifth seasons playing college basketball. Thus, there is very little they haven’t seen or experienced.
The risk opponents run by double teaming Karnowski in the low post with two big men is that frees Williams to grab offensive rebounds and make easy shots around the basket. Not surprisingly, Williams leads Gonzaga with 70 offensive rebounds.
“(Double teaming Karnowski) turns Williams loose and he is an unbelievable offensive rebounding athlete,” Martin said. “It’s a challenge. There’s a reason they were No. 1 in the country going into the last week of the season and a reason they are a No. 1 seed.”
Williams-Goss transferred from Washington and Williams transferred from Missouri prior to the 2015-16 season. Karnowski, Mathews and Williams have started all 37 Gonzaga games this season.
“They are older guys that have been through it,” Martin said. “They know what they want and they know how to play together. They don’t flinch in the moment.”
Gonzaga’s fifth leading scorer is seven-foot freshman forward Zach Collins (9.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg). The Bulldogs roster features three seven-footers and two other players standing 6-foot-10 or taller.
In short, Gonzaga is BIG.
Martin, though, says the Bulldogs tremendous size shouldn’t intimidate USC because it’s nothing the Gamecocks haven’t seen before en route to setting a new school record for victories in a single season (26).
“We play in the SEC. Anybody see Alabama or LSU play? They were big,” Martin said. “If we were one of those smaller, mid-majors, we would be worried about handling size. Sure, their size might bother us, but our teams has been exposed to everything this year – size, athleticism, winning, losing, good, bad, suspensions. Our guys haven’t thrown in the towel or blinked one time all year.
“Gonzaga’s size is part of what makes them good. Their experience also makes them good. What makes them very good is they have a heckuva coach and they have really good players. They have been a problem for everybody they’ve played this year except for one (BYU). They will be a problem for us, just like everybody else. But we have faced everything too. We are prepared for the moment. Can we handle it? That’s a different animal.”
FINAL FOUR SCHEDULE (Sat. April 1)
South Carolina vs. Gonzaga, 6:09 p.m. (CBS)
Oregon vs. North Carolina, Approx. 8:49 p.m. (CBS)
(All Times Eastern)
