ATLANTA -- Gonzaga looked passive on defense. The Bulldogs were reacting instead of being proactive. No wonder the Zags found themselves down 22 on Sunday against Georgia.

By the time Gonzaga got around to playing more aggressively on defense, it was too late in a 95-83 loss to Georgia. If the Zags don't change their attitude in time for Tuesday's game against North Carolina State in the Jimmy V Classic, a national television audience won't recognize Mark Few's team. If the problem persists too long into 2003, Gonzaga (5-3) certainly won't be the darlings of the Dance.

	Zach Gourde and the Zags have let marquee wins slip through their hands.

"It's a huge concern," Gonzaga forward Cory Violette said. "We don't have a stopper to put on someone to lock down. Somebody has to emerge."

Forget losing Dan Dickau's leadership or 20-plus points a game. Gonzaga's staff and players are longing for Anthony Reason's defense. The staff is concerned it doesn't have a tough, defensive player to ignite the team when it doesn't have the ball. The Zags have held only Hofstra to under 70 points in eight games, while allowing Washington State to net 104 in overtime. On the season, Gonzaga is allowing just over 10 more points a game than a season ago when it held teams to 65.2 points a game.

"We can't play like we did in the first half," Violette said. "We've got to get some fire on this team, guys who want to win. I'm guilty of it too (after playing only 17 minutes because of a lack of effort). That was just crap. We gave them too many easy shots. We can't give teams like that too many chances."

Georgia's Jarvis Hayes scored an easy 29. Ezra Williams added 21. And then there was Richard Wehunt's 13 points. Yes, the same Richard Wehunt who hadn't score in two of four previous games, and made as many 3-pointers (3) against the Zags as he had all season.

A week ago, Gonzaga won three straight games. But there were warning signs even in victory. Each game saw an opposing player go off on the Zags. Washington State's Marcus Moore scored 42 in the Cougars' aforementioned century-eclipsing loss. Montana's Kevin Criswell tossed in 29 of the Grizzlies' 67 points in defeat. Washington's Will Conroy scored 32 as the Huskies scored 89.

Moore was the only player who had a rep going into the game. The other two used Gonzaga's porous defense to enjoy career games.

"Guys on the other teams are doing whatever they want to do," Gonzaga guard Blake Stepp said. "We can't let good players do that. There has been one player the last four games who has just played to his strength. We don't help and don't do a good job defensively."

It's up to the Bulldogs to change their ways because Few is running out of ideas. Gonzaga has played both man and zone defenses, but neither is working. The issue isn't as much the interior as it is stopping dribble penetration and reacting to the shooter who is usually open on the wing. Gonzaga is also giving up way too many easy baskets by getting beat by a cut to the basket.

A word of warning to Gonzaga: N.C. State runs a variation of the Princeton offense, which lives on teams going to sleep in the half court and leaving the backdoor open for easy layups.

"We need to have more of a sense of urgency," Gonzaga forward Ronny Turiaf said. "We've got to take it personally that no one is going to score on you. We're not doing that."

Few stressed to the team Sunday that it has to become more aggressive on the defensive end. Against the Wolfpack (ESPN, 7 ET; followed by Oregon-Cincinnati in the nightcap at the Meadowlands), look for the Bulldogs to begin the game with more tempo on offense to jumpstart their defense.

But no matter how they attack N.C. State, the Bulldogs have to feel like their chances of gathering power rating points are fading. Gonzaga, which at least scheduled aggressively, went 0-for-2 against Indiana and Kentucky in Maui after beating Utah. They swept the Washington schools, but losing to Georgia left a sour taste in the Zags' mouths.

N.C. State is unbeaten and the game is about as neutral as a WCC school could ask for against an ACC team. The Bulldogs' only other marquee non-conference games are at home against Saint Joseph's and Tulsa.

Few admitted his team let one slip away Sunday. The Zags can't afford to be careless Tuesday.

"We're missing opportunities," Violette said. "They keep going by us. Once we're in the WCC, no one respects the schedule. If we don't win now, we'll have to win the conference tournament to get in."

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.