Washington Basketball: 3 keys for the Huskies against Gonzaga
By Connor Hope
Washington Basketball is set to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs tonight in their renewed cross-state matchup. Is there anything the Huskies can do to slay the unstoppable force that is the Zags?
Heading into the season, the Washington Huskies were projected to be a Top 25 team with aspirations to compete for the Pac-12 title. Those expectations have since been tempered, after two big losses and a disappointing stagnation on offense.
Gonzaga, on the other hand, have set the world on fire, winning the Maui Invitational with a win over the top ranked Duke Blue Devils and overcoming multiple double-digit deficits. The Bulldogs have perhaps the best offense in the country, scoring nearly 100 points per game on a league best 54.2% from the floor.
With such an overpowering offense, the Zags are understandably heavy favorites to win this game. However, college basketball is constantly surprising us, and the Washington Huskies are not to be taken lightly.
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That said, Mike Hopkins will need to have Jaylen Nowell, Noah Dickerson and their teammates prepared to turn in a near perfect performance. The blueprint for beating Gonzaga has already been established, but no team has been able to execute for 40 minutes.
If the Huskies want to be the first team to execute for a full game, they will need to do so in one of the most hostile environments in the country. Any period of below average efficiency, and Gonzaga will put the game away quickly.
So what are the three keys for the Washington Huskies when they take on the Gonzaga?