Once Upon a Second Half: Gonzaga Routs New Mexico State and LSU Looms

In which a Spokane defense takes a short autumn nap, wakes at the halftime buzzer, and buries New Mexico State 109-68 behind a 62-point second half, a 31-2 run, and an Aggies offense that went the final eleven minutes without a field goal. We marvel at a Gonzaga team hitting 13 of 24 from three, a feat rarer than a quiet night at the Kennel, sing the praises of Davis Fogle the dervish and Isiah Harwell's suddenly pure jumper, and argue over whether Massamba Diop was protecting the rim or merely visiting it. Nathan De Sousa fouls out in twelve minutes, Alonzo Metz loses half a tooth and keeps playing, and the TV truck still can't spell Xaivian.

The women get worked on the glass by Idaho before bouncing back against UC Riverside, Allie Turner joins the thousand-point club, and Grand Canyon and Stanford await on the road.

Then, LSU. Will Wade's entirely new, entirely enormous roster: four seven-footers, zero returning minutes, and a Creature Report on Croatian freshman Michael Ruzic. Is this a top-ten matchup in disguise? Is Will Wade a good coach or a giant sleaze ball? (Yes.) Plus a Montana State preview featuring Mard's childhood sweatpants, the 1929 Golden Bobcats' retroactive national title, and Bozeman's thousand-dollar trash cans. And will Chauncey Wiggins sprint from the courtroom to the arena? The LSU preview starts about 41 minutes in.

All that and more on this episode of Free Ira Brown!

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