Put Up Or Shut Up

OK, so Gonzaga showed up for Wednesday’s press conference about an hour late, the result of getting stuck in Sacramento traffic. It delayed their interview session and public workout.

Will it affect their performance Thursday night against Indiana?

Not likely.

No, the Hoosiers will have to play well. They’ll have to contain the Zags’ guards and get some inside production from D.J. White and, hopefully, somebody, anybody else. Mike White, Ben Allen, Xavier Keeling. It doesn’t matter. White needs some inside help.

White didn’t play last year against Gonzaga because of his foot injury. He’s healthy now. He’s ready now. Beyond that, this is a different team under Kelvin Sampson than it was under Mike Davis. It’s tougher, more focused, more committed.

“We’re playing defense a lot better,” guard Earl Calloway said. “Our focus is on defense mainly. The emphasis is on playing hard and competing harder. We’ll still go inside to D.J., but the main thing is playing defense.”

If they do, the Hoosiers win. It’s as simple as that.