Jan. 14—PULLMAN — Ace Glass might prefer the anonymity he still had two months ago when Washington State was preparing for three games in three days at the Maui Invitational.
Glass has gone from one of the best-kept secrets in the West Coast Conference to someone who's now garnering significant attention from every team on the Cougars' schedule.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt's partially the byproduct of what Glass did over three games at the Lahaina Civic Center during Thanksgiving week, when the freshman guard scored 81 total points against Chaminade, Arizona State and Seton Hall. That included a 40-point masterpiece against the Sun Devils that saw Glass make 6 of 9 from the 3-point line and earn 18 trips to the foul line, making 16 free throws.
Gonzaga fans can appreciate the nature of that feat. Before Glass, the last player to hang 40 in Maui was Adam Morrison, who scored 43 as Gonzaga edged Michigan State in a 109-106 triple-overtime victory that still ranks as one of the most iconic games in tournament history.
Needless to say, Washington State's standout freshman can probably expect to see a variety of defensive coverages and individual defenders when No. 9 Gonzaga visits Beasley Coliseum for a 7 p.m. (CBSSN) tipoff on the Palouse.
Glass' production hasn't changed even as the 6-foot-3 guard continues to climb up opposing scouting reports. The freshman averages 15.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, two assists and 2.5 turnovers, shooting 47.5% from the field and 35.6% from the 3-point line.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSaint Mary's, which consistently boasts one of the nation's top defenses, was scrambling to contain Glass down the stretch of an 88-82 victory in Moraga. Before fouling out, he scored 24 points on 7 of 13 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free throw line. Prior to that, just two other players — Seattle U's Jun Seok Yeo (24) and Vanderbilt's Duke Miles (25) — had scored at least 24 points against the Gaels.
Glass has been a consistent double-digit scorer for the Cougars throughout nonconference and league play, totaling at least 10 points in 14 of WSU's last 15 games.
A former Texas A&M signee who decommitted from the Aggies when coach Buzz Williams left for Maryland, Glass is a high-volume 3-point shooter who's had mixed success creating foul pressure. After taking 18 free throws against ASU, Glass combined for just 15 over his next six games. He followed with 17 free throw attempts in the next two games against Mercer (5 of 7) and Portland (9 of 10).
The Zags rolled with a backcourt of Braeden Smith and Adam Miller to open the most recent game against Santa Clara. If the goal is to contain Glass, the 6-3 Miller is the better defensive matchup, even if it means sticking the 6-foot Smith on 6-4 Jerone Morton, who stands slightly taller but isn't nearly the same scoring threat as his WSU teammate, averaging 7.1 ppg.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMiller and Smith's success could determine how early, or how often, the Zags call on other quality wing defenders — Tyon Grant-Foster, Jalen Warley, Emmanuel Innocenti — to handle the Glass assignment Thursday.
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