1. I shoveled snow this morning in time to plant myself in front of the Vizio and watch Gonzaga play the bruising, defensive-minded Texas Tech Red Raiders in Phoenix, AZ. I love watching Gonzaga playing the stiffest competition possible. That the Red Raiders' best player, Terrence Shannon, couldn't play today because of back spasms was a disappointment.
The Red Raiders' employ a defensive strategy known as the "No Middle Defense". They work to deny their opponents' efforts to get the ball in the key (the paint) and want to force ball handlers to the sidelines and the baseline. In part, the Red Raiders' defense succeeded today. In the paint, Texas Tech crowded and collapsed on the Zags' leading scorer, Drew Timme, the entire game. He attempted only four shots, made two of them, and only scored seven points.
Fortunately, for Gonzaga, they compensated for Timme getting shut down in some very productive ways. They'd been struggling with turnovers and only had ten in this game, a great improvement over their last four games. The Zags also shot over 40% from behind the three point line. Rasir Bolton got hot in the first half and Andrew Nembhard snapped out of a shooting slump in the second half and, together, they offset the Red Raiders' "No Middle Defense".
I thought the Zags also got solid play from their bench. Freshman starter Chet Holmgren struggled with foul trouble. He only played 24 minutes. Oh! Those 24 minutes were productive. He snagged eleven rebounds, blocked two shots, and his tall and long presence on defense adversely affected any number of Red Raider shots. When Holmgren had to ride the pine, Anton Watson replaced him most admirably with his defensive strength and quick hands (two steals) and offensive savvy. Today he scored 10 points, including a surprise splash from the corner from beyond the arc at a juncture in the game when Texas Tech had narrowed Gonzaga's double digit lead to two points. Watson's trey was huge as Gonzaga stopped Texas Tech's run and went on an impressive 14-2 run, essentially sealing their eventual 69-55 victory.
I thought it was a good win for Gonzaga. I continue to be very interested in how this team will develop and possibly improve as the season moves into January.
2. I really don't know what matters to Luna and Copper. I probably project a lot of my human feelings on to them. That said, I continue to think that having my company while they are either in the bedroom or the Vizio room is good for them. For nearly the whole time that I watched Gonzaga defeat Texas Tech and watched Providence defeat UConn, Luna sat on my lap or crawled up my chest, purring, sometimes licking me, sometimes lightly biting my hand. She seemed content.
Later, after a second round of snow shoveling, I went into the bedroom and lay down with Copper. Copper never climbs on me, but sometimes will position himself within my reach so I can pet him. Today, I could feel myself falling asleep and reached out and put my hand on Copper's back and maintained motionless contact with him throughout my nap.
Did my hand help Copper feel more secure? Was this physical connection important to him? I like to think it was and I'd like to think times like this between me and Copper have contributed to his acting more at ease day to day.
I do not, however, really know.
3. Christy invited Debbie and me over to her house for cocktails and conversation this evening. I seized upon this opportunity to SAVE THE PORTER and took over a bottle of Founder's Robust Porter. The brewery describe it as a cozy beer and I like that. It was well-balanced, easy to drink and enjoy. I finished this beer and determined that our conversations about everything from dental and medical care to housecleaning to nailing down our holiday plans was going to extend beyond one porter, so I came over to our house and grabbed a can of Laughing Dog's Pecan Imperial Porter out of the fridge. This porter was not subtle. The pecan flavoring was front and center. It was like drinking a pecan chocolate pie. I enjoyed it, especially as a last beer for the night, a dessert.
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