LOS ANGELES -- When talking about Gonzaga, discussion tends to gravitate toward how the Bulldogs have never made a Final Four. Or it turns to the idea that they seem to flame out early in the NCAA tournament. Those types of arguments even prompted CBSSports' Gary Parrish to write an article about how ludicrous it is that the Zags are measured in that way.
What people often forget to mention, though, is that Gonzaga has a player with Final Four experience on its roster. In fact, that player played in all 40 games for his team the year it won the title.
Indeed, Kyle Wiltjer knows what a national champion looks like because he's been there before. And while he's quick to note that Kentucky's 2012 championship team is definitely different than this team, he does note a generally similar feeling when comparing his two experiences.
"They're very different, but in terms of just talent and overall unity on the team, I think it's very similar," Wiltjer said after scoring 24 points in the No. 9 Bulldogs' 87-74 victory over UCLA on Saturday night. "We're really close off the court, just like that team was in 2012, so it shows that we have a lot of potential."
But while he was merely a bit part in 2012 -- averaging five points in 11.6 minutes per game as a freshman -- the 6-foot-10 marksman is an integral component of a 2014-15 Gonzaga team shaping up to have a chance to cut down the nets in April.
Wiltjer leads Gonzaga in scoring by averaging 17.2 points, and he's doing it extremely efficiently as the owner of a 60 percent true-shooting rate. You know how many other players on top-25 teams can say that they're scoring at least 17 points per game with a true-shooting percentage over 60?
Five. Two of them -- Bryce Dejean-Jones and Georges Niang -- play in Iowa State's frenetic offensive system that is known to inflate scoring numbers due to pace. Two others are potential All-American guards in Jerian Grant and Ron Baker. The last one? Only the leading candidate for national player of the year, Jahlil Okafor.
So basically, Wiltjer has been one of the most effective, efficient weapons on offense in college basketball this season. He likely couldn't have asked for a better start to his Gonzaga career after transferring away from Kentucky to get a bigger role, as he's now the No. 1 scoring option on a Gonzaga team that is currently ranked second in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency metric.
And he's become that weapon by growing into a more well-rounded offensive player.
During his time at Kentucky, he was mostly deployed as a role player whose job was to space the floor for coach John Calipari's dribble-drive offense. In his two years with the Wildcats, 52.5 percent of his shot attempts were from behind the arc. However, this season with the Bulldogs, he's only taking 30.6 percent of his shots from 3-point range. He's reduced that number by taking his year-plus off the floor to develop an excellent midrange game, and it shows with his 53 percent mark on 2-point jumpers.
"I've worked on my game a lot, so just having that versatility is huge," Wiltjer said. "I want to be able to score down low, midrange, or 3s. It just makes me harder to guard.
Another place that he's seen marked improvement is in the post.
"We spent a whole year on (his midrange game) and posting up," coach Mark Few said. "He's really effective in the post. He's can go either way. He's really crafty. He's done a good job of embracing that."
Wiltjer was challenged when he arrived in Spokane.
"We told him when he came to Gonzaga that he's not going to be a one trick pony," assistant coach Tommy Lloyd said. "We've got to be able to take advantage of his skill level and exploit other teams. If they want to switch a guard onto him, he's gotta be able to score inside. He's gotta be able to score one-on-one inside against post players. And then, if he falls into a few 3s we're OK with that. But we didn't want his sole deal being to jack 3s."
A major reason why he's now able to do all of those things that his coaches want is the strength that he's added since being at Gonzaga. The big man is now up to 240 pounds, which helps him play more physical in the paint.
"He definitely changed his body," Few said. "It's not there yet. But it's functional now, whereas before it really probably wasn't functional to do something like that. And now it is."
With Wiltjer's new game and new body in tow for his new team, the Zags have their sights set on the big prize at the end of the season. But to get that elusive championship, it seems likely that Gonzaga will have to go through his old team, as the 2015 iteration of Kentucky continues its assault on an undefeated season.
While Wiltjer says he keeps an eye on the Wildcats, he also doesn't have a problem sleeping through one of their games for a nice pregame nap like he did on Saturday when Kentucky played North Carolina.
"Those are my close friends and I have a lot of relationships on that team, so I keep my eye on them," Wiltjer said. "But I'm still focused on our season here."
Given Wiltjer's performance so far this season, that much is clear. And hey, maybe the experience that he had with Kentucky in the past can help him going forward into his new future. But at the very least, can we at least acknowledge that Few's leading scorer has that experience, making this unlike any Gonzaga team of the past?
