The No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs cruised to a 20-point win over No. 2 UCLA on Tuesday night, further cementing why they’re the top dogs so far this fall. They have two top-5 wins already this season as No. 5 Texas fell by 12 to the Zags just 10 days before the domination of the Bruins.
One of the biggest reasons for Gonzaga’s success is the emergence of freshman phenom Chet Holmgren. The No. 1 overall rated recruit is the best player head coach Mark Few has lured to Spokane, and he’s already in discussion to go as the first pick in the NBA Draft come July.
At 7-foot-1, Holmgren can block and dunk as you’d expect. You wouldn’t expect the Minneapolis center to make the block, get the rebound, take the ball the length of the court, hit ’em with a little behind-the-back dribble, then launch from the free throw line for an emphatic dunk. But he did all that in the same play against the second-ranked team in the country.
Behold:
Chet Holmgren is putting on a show tonight. This sequence against the No. 2 team in the nation was impressive. pic.twitter.com/LusmYk6KX8
— Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) November 24, 2021
Holmgren finished with 15 points, six rebounds, four blocks, and even went 2-for-4 from three.
Most of all, though, he made the play of the year, and we won’t need to take any more submissions.
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