Greg Anthony has played for and against teams that are considered to be the best the NCAA produced. He has followed college basketball since his game days in the NBA ended in 2001. And he’s going to match this Gonzaga team with any champion.
« They’re one of the best college teams I’ve ever seen as they really have no weaknesses, » said the former Knicks point guard and current Turner Sports and Marketing Group SiriusXM analyst told The Post in a phone interview the night before the last four. « They are a great defensive team, they are a great passing team, they are a very selfless team and they have excellent complementary skills. » They’ve covered all the basics and they compete. “
Gonzaga, who faces UCLA on Saturday night, may not have any more talent than some of the teams he would join if he could end this perfect season. It remains to be seen how many of his players will have long NBA careers, though it appears that next-level newbie Jalen Suggs has star potential and the Bulldogs have placed three players – Suggs, Corey Kispert and Drew Timme – on the first two Associated Press All-American teams. What strikes Anthony is how well the Zags play together, how consistent they have been. They are 30-0 and only one game against West Virginia was a single-digit win. They beat their four tournament opponents with a total of 96 points.
« I don’t even know people appreciate how good they are, » said Anthony. “You stand a chance of going down as one of the best teams ever put together. They won’t necessarily have the best NBA players, but as a college group they are as good as I can remember. «
» I love watching their selflessness. They really do the best job just to make the right game. When you watch the game of basketball, you rarely see teams getting it right. By that I mean , Their mistakes are the right mistakes. They don’t take good shots. They look for the great shots. They enjoy the templates as much as they do the baskets. They enjoy taking on a load as much as they score They just enjoy winning as a group. ”
Gonzaga is under pressure this weekend, two wins away from making his name in history, making it the eighth team to have one season finished undefeated.
Anthony knows what coach Mark Few’s team is going through. His UNLV team – Larry Johnson’s UNLV team – finished 34-0 in 1991 after his national championship the year before, before reaching the national semi-finals of Duke upset was issued. No team has had a perfect season since Indiana from 1975 to 1976. Kentucky lost in the 2015 national semifinals to Wisconsin and Indiana State fell in the 1979 championship game against Michigan State.
« When you start allowing your mind to outdo itself, you start thinking about what could be, » said Anthony . « Then put yourself in a situation where you can get caught, or you can be shallow, or you cannot be at your best because your mind is not where it needs to be. »
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