Evaluating Gonzaga and USC in the Elite Eight of the 2021 NCAA Tournament

March 31^st, 2021

By Alan Lu

Yesterday, I took the time to watch three of the best players in college basketball, Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs, and Drew Timme play in a high stakes, Elite Eight basketball game that took place between Gonzaga and USC.  Gonzaga came in as the heavy favorite, with USC also being a pleasant surprise by defeating Kansas and Oregon both by double-digits.  In this game, Gonzaga jumped on USC, with Drew Timme and Jalen Suggs playing very well throughout, and they never looked back.  While the Mobley brothers still played well, it was not enough for them to overcome the insurmountable deficit they faced early on.  Here are my thoughts on how various prospects fared on this day.

Gonzaga’s sophomore center, Drew Timme had a strong showing in his team’s double-digit win over USC.  He scored 23 points, and he also had 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals to help his team get the victory. Timme did a satisfactory job of scoring in the post.  He can quickly go to his right to score, and he also would score on jump hooks.  He also used a spin move to score on a strong layup.  Plus, he also can score on high post drives, and he also drove in to score on a powerful dunk.  On the downside, he tended to miss shots down low more later on, as he would miss on jump shots and other shots around the basket.

Also, he showed a decent ability to score on hustle plays.  He ran the floor to score on a thunderous dunk on the break.  He also scored on a drive in transition another time.  Plus, he also would draw free throws off of a cut and a put back.  Sometimes though, he would miss on layups around the basket, as he would occasionally go in too fast and out of control. He also was able to score on a turnaround, mid-range jumper.  On the downside, Timme ended up missing on a three-point shot, as he was unable to connect on long-range shots from beyond the arc.

Plus, Timme also displayed solid playmaking skills.  He is an unselfish player that would throw sharp interior passes to set up scores for his teammates, and he also set a good on ball screen that helped his teammate score on a drive another time.  Also, he did not turn the ball over once on offense. Adding to that, he was able to leap up to get his fair share of rebounds, as he was able to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor.

In addition, Timme also played fairly good defense in this game.  He defended well especially early on, as he would poke balls away to get steals, and he also intercepted a pass to get another due to possessing very good hands and instincts.  He also would contest jumpers to force misses, and he also was active at contesting shots in the post to get stops for his team.  Another time, he also successfully drew a charge when defending on a drive.  On the downside, he would sometimes struggle to defend quicker players.  He would get beat on moves, which would lead him to commit fouls in the paint, and he also allowed an opponent to get past him to score on a baseline mid-range jump shot.

In general, Drew Timme had a solid showing in his team’s win over USC.  He excelled at making plays early on, and he is a strong, high-motor big man that showed that he can play well against the toughest of defenders in college basketball.  He seemed to be motivated to play, and he played well to help his team get the victory.  He is an underrated prospect, and he could be a solid pick for an NBA team in the late first to the second round range in the 2021 draft.

Gonzaga’s freshman guard, Jalen Suggs also played very well in his team’s win over USC.  He had a strong all-around game, and he scored 18 points, made 2 threes, and he also had 10 rebounds and 8 assists, as he nearly collected a triple-double in this game. Suggs shot the ball well from all over the floor to help his team provide floor spacing on offense.  He showed a knack for making pull-up jumpers, as he excelled at making them from both the mid-range and from beyond the arc.  He handles the ball well, and he can smoothly score on floaters and step-back threes.

He also showed a fairly good ability to score off the dribble.  Suggs would score on strong drives to the hoop, and he can really accelerate after handling the ball off of screens.  On the downside, he would sometimes miss on tough, difficult shots on drives in transition, as he would sometimes go in too fast and out of control. He also managed to get a ball off of a curl cut to score on a layup.  Plus, Suggs also managed to draw a foul when posting up another time.

Also, Suggs displayed good playmaking skills in this game.  He excelled at throwing sharp interior passes, as he can consistently find teammates on the move to set up scores for them.  He especially passes the ball well on the break, and he also can throw quick drive and kick passes to find open shooters.  Sometimes though, he would throw inaccurate passes, as he had one get intercepted, and he also threw a low bounce pass that was dropped out of bounds another time.  He also over-dribbled once, and he ended up losing the ball out of bounds. Plus, Suggs did a terrific job of rebounding the basketball.  He was very active at crashing the glass, and sometimes he would bring the ball up after getting defensive boards.

He also played satisfactory defense.  Suggs was able to poke a ball away to nearly get a steal, and he also caught a ball after his teammate poked it away to force a turnover another time.  On the downside, he fell backwards and flopped when defending a bigger player in the post to allow a score.  He also was too aggressive on a close out another time, and he fouled an opponent on a baseline mid-range shot to allow a score and an extra free throw.

In summary, Jalen Suggs also had a solid showing in his team’s win over USC.  He played a smart, sound efficient game all-around, and he is an athletic, skilled guard whose high skill level, basketball IQ, and versatility will likely make him a lock to be a top 5 pick, as he could end up being a star player in the NBA.

USC’s 7-0 freshman center, Evan Mobley played well in his team’s loss to Gonzaga.  He made solid plays on both ends of the court, and he especially excelled as an inside scorer and passer this game. Mobley excelled at scoring on hustle plays.  He ran in to score on a tip-in.  Plus, he also rolled to the rim and drew free throws another time.  Plus, he also managed to draw free throws on a strong put back after grabbing an offensive rebound.

He also showed a satisfactory ability to score in the post.  Mobley has good hands, and he would catch tough passes to score on powerful dunks.  He also was able to score on a turnaround jump hook, and he also used a spin move to score on another possession.  Sometimes though, he would miss on turnaround jump hooks, as he did not always have his rhythm in this game. On the downside, he struggled to score on mid-range jumpers, and he had trouble making shots from further out against Gonzaga. He also showed off solid playmaking skills.  Mobley threw solid interior passes off the dribble to set up scores for his teammates, and he also would use nifty spin moves to throw good passes out of the post.  He also set a good screen to help his teammate get an open driving lane on another possession.

Also, he was able to get his fair share of boards, and Mobley managed to get multiple boards on both sides of the ball.  Also, he played decent defense in this game.  Mobley managed to jump on a deflected pass to help his team get a steal.  He also would consistently contest shots in the post to force misses, and he also contested a deep three to get a stop another time.  Sometimes though, he would get outmuscled when defending in the post or off the dribble, which would lead him to allow scores around the basket.  Another time, he sagged too far off of a shooter, which led his man to score on a mid-range shot.

Overall, Evan Mobley had a solid showing in his team’s loss to Gonzaga.  He excelled as a scorer in the post as well as off of hustle plays, and he also played fairly good position defense in this game.  Mobley had a very good NCAA Tournament overall, and he looks to be a lock to be a top 3 pick in the 2021 draft.

USC’s sophomore big man, Isaiah Mobley also played well in his team’s loss to Gonzaga.  He showed off versatile scoring skills, and he also passed the ball well as he had a solid all-around game in his team’s losing effort.  In this game, he scored 19 points, and he also had 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. Mobley did a good job of scoring in the post.  He would frequently score down low, he also used a spin move to score on a turnaround jumper, and he also scored on a strong drop step move another time due to possessing solid footwork and scoring touch around the basket.  He also shot the ball well, and he especially showed a knack for scoring on mid-range jumpers.  He also made an open, spot-up three to show his shooting range, but missed on two other occasions. 

Also, he ran the floor and he managed to draw free throws after getting the ball on a fast break.  Mobley also displayed solid playmaking skills.  Mobley threw crisp, accurate interior passes, and he also threw an accurate lob pass to set up an alley-oop dunk for a teammate.  He also threw a long outlet pass to help get the ball to a teammate on the break another time, and he also did not turn the ball over once on offense.

Also, Mobley was able to leap up to get his fair share of rebounds, and he was able to  get plenty of defensive boards.  On the downside, he was called for pushing off when going for an offensive rebound that led him to commit a foul once. He also played adequate defense.  Mobley would play passing lanes, which allowed him to get a steal and a deflection.  On the downside, he had some trouble guarding players off the dribble, which would lead his team to allow scores.

Overall, Isaiah Mobley had a solid showing in his team’s loss to Gonzaga, and he had a good 2021 NCAA Tournament overall.  He had his ups and downs last year as a freshman, but he managed to put together a good sophomore season this year.  He is an agile, skilled big man whose offensive skills and defensive potential could enable him to be a solid pick for a team in the second round in the 2021 draft.

Gonzaga’s 6-7 senior forward, Corey Kispert had his ups and downs in his team’s win over USC.  He struggled to make threes consistently, but he still was able to make shots in bunches at times, and he also passed the ball and rebounded well.  He had 18 points but also took 19 shots, and he also had 8 rebounds and 2 assists in this game. Kispert did a fairly good job of scoring off the dribble.  He managed to score on a strong right-handed drive, and he also drew free throws after going to his left.  He showed that he can finish plays using either hand, but he also missed on a pull-up jumper from the mid-range another time.

He also was able to score on a couple of backdoor cuts, but Kispert missed too often on off-ball motion plays, as he would be prone to rushing, and he wouldn’t quite finish plays under control. Also, he showed an adequate ability to knock down jumpers.  Kispert was able to make several spot-up threes, and he also ran off the ball and drew three free throws on a corner three.  However, he was too streaky with his outside shot in this game, and he also missed his fair share of three-point shots against USC.

Plus, he also displayed adequate playmaking skills.  Kispert threw an outlet pass to set up a score for a teammate on the break, and he also is an unselfish player that will find the open man to get assists.  He did throw a hasty entry pass that got intercepted, as that was his lone turnover of this match. Kispert also did a very good job of rebounding the basketball.  He was quite active at crashing the glass, and he excelled at hauling in boards on both ends of the floor.

He also played adequate defense in this game.  Kispert would often contest jump shots to force misses.  On the downside, sometimes he would sag too far off his man and be late to guard a man on defense, which would lead him to allow opponents to score on jumpers.  He also struggled to defend in the post, as he would give up deep position, and he also bit on a pump fake to allow a score another time.

Overall, Corey Kispert was able to have some good moments, but he was a bit too streaky on offense in this game.  I don’t think this will hurt his draft stock that much, if at all, and he is still a tall, mobile shooter that could project to go in the late lottery or the mid first round range on draft day.

Gonzaga’s 6-5 junior swingman, Joel Ayayi played fairly well in his team’s win over USC.  He didn’t look to score very much, but he was very efficient in making shots, and he put forth a solid all-around performance overall.  He scored 9 points, and he also had 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block in this game.

Ayayi excelled as a finisher around the basket.  He would run the floor to score in transition, and he also was able to throw down a powerful dunk on the break.  He also nearly scored on a tip-in off of an offensive rebound, except his teammate drew a foul earlier so that didn’t count. He also excelled as a scorer in the post, and he also managed to score on a mid-range floater after dribbling off of a screen.  His only miss was when he attempted to score on an acrobatic shot off the dribble in traffic, but was unable to do so.

Plus, Ayayi also displayed adequate playmaking skills.  He is an unselfish player that will look to find the open man, and he also was able to find a cutter to set up a scoring chance for his teammate.  On the downside, he dropped a pass that went out of bounds, and he also threw a pass that got intercepted another time. Also, Ayayi did a very good job of rebounding the basketball.  He was quite active at crashing the glass, and he was able to leap up to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor. He also played satisfactory defense in this game.  Ayayi was able to block a shot, and he also showed the ability to poke balls away from opposing ball handlers.  He also contested a shot off the dribble to force a miss.  On the other hand, he would sometimes commit reach-in fouls due to over-aggressiveness.

Overall, Joel Ayayi put forth a fairly good performance in his team’s win over USC.  He didn’t take many shots, but he was still effective at making plays on both ends of the floor nonetheless.  He is an athletic, high-motor player that rebounds very well, and he is a solid defender that could be a solid pick for an NBA team in the second round on draft day.

Gonzaga’s Andrew Nembhard had a decent showing in his team’s win over USC.  He did struggle with his three-point shot, but he excelled at scoring inside the arc, and he also passed the ball and defended well when he was on the court. Nembhard excelled as a scorer in transition.  He ran the floor to score on the break, and he also did a good job of scoring on fast break drives.  He also managed to make a step-back mid-range jumper from around the right elbow.  On the downside, he missed on all of his three-point shots that he hoisted up from beyond the arc. He also passed the ball well.  Nembhard can throw drive and kick passes to net assists, and he throws solid interior passes to consistently get the ball to the open man.

Though he didn’t grab many rebounds, Nembhard was able to get a defensive board in this game.  He also boxed out his man to help a teammate get a defensive rebound early on.  He also played satisfactory defense.  He was able to pounce on a loose ball, and he also poked a ball away to help his team get steals.  He also deflected a pass, and his length, quickness, and ball pressure helped force a ten-second shot clock violation in the backcourt.  On the downside, he would sometimes commit reach-in fouls due to over-aggressiveness.

Overall, Andrew Nembhard played a smart, sound game in his team’s win over USC.  He excelled as a scorer in transition, he made a mid-range jumper, and he also passed and defended well.  He struggled with his three-point shot, but he was able to make some solid plays on both ends of the floor in this game.  He is a second round prospect whose ability to reliably run the team could enable him to be a solid backup point guard in the NBA.

Gonzaga’s fifth-year senior point guard, Aaron Cook played well in limited minutes off the bench.  Cook did a great job of knocking down spot-up threes off the catch to show his prowess as a shooter.  He also drew free throws and made them both on a speedy right-handed drive in transition.  He also rebounded and defended well, and he also managed to block a three-point shot.

Overall, Cook played very well off the bench, and he excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor to help his team get a win over USC.  This season, Cook has had trouble getting consistent playing time on a loaded Gonzaga team, but he is an agile, skilled playmaker who may have the skills to compete for a roster spot in the NBA next season.