With a little more than 24 hours till the 2:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time tip (on ESPN plus) against NAU some interesting perspective on the Lopes current streak of 10 in a row.
GCU will be favored in all 17 remaining games (double digits in 11 games according to Massey) with the closest being NAU tomorrow and a road game at Abilene Christian.
Do I think Grand Canyon will end the year on a 27 game winning streak? No. But I think the possibility is certainly greater than 10%.
I can't wait to see if Trinity San Antonio is in the house and starting lineup tomorrow. If not Loree Payne's squad has an excellent opportunity to pull an upset. Massey has the Lopes as a six-point favorite 75-69 and if the Jacks score 69 points there's no doubt the Grand Canyon will win.
In Friday's game against Park, Molly Miller without Trinity San Antonio and playing her bench throughout the second half saw her team score 108. NAU not known for defense is going to really be stressed particularly if Grand Canyon gets off 30 3 pointers. (They were 12 of 26 Friday night). It's possible we can see 55 3 pointers in the game tomorrow afternoon.
The two former UNLV Rebels, both seniors, on Miller's team demonstrated the offensive depth of GCU. Durazo-Frescas was 9 for 16 from three land and I think poses a huge challenge for NAU. Nkeka Obiazor had a double double off the bench and was 11 for 16 primarily in the paint. Obiazor is limited defensively and I wouldn't expect to see much of her unless Ekstrup gets in foul trouble. Sophie Glancy would definitely eat Obiazor's lunch.
Over on the NAU side the Moran sisters will have to stay out of foul trouble, Leia Beatty will need to take at least 8 threes and Taylor Feldman will have to take care of the ball and have a great effort against Trinity San Antonio.
Grand Canyon wins if they hit 10 threes, turn NAU over more than 15 times and manage to hang with the Jacks on the boards.
NAU wins if they out rebound Grand Canyon by 12, hold Trinity San Antonio to under 12 points, turn the ball over less than 12 times, and control the pace.
Both teams love to run but Molly Miller has a deeper bench and if both teams are flying up and down the court the pace favors the Lopes
My hope - a thrilling double overtime game.
My expectation - Lopes by 9.
