Duke vs. Gonzaga: Key storylines to watch for in Maui Invitational matchup

Zion Williamson vs. Rui Hachimura

Speaking of Monstars, Zion Williamson is the closest thing to one we may have ever seen on a basketball court.

I don’t need to go into his measurables, because I know you’ve probably heard them several times. I know I don’t need to show you his dunks, either, because I know you’ve seen them.

He is the kind of athletic marvel that makes him the ultimate matchup nightmare. Put a smaller defender on him and he buries them in the post. Put a bigger defender on him, as Auburn tried to do with Austin Wiley, and Williamson will blow by him and threaten to put someone on a poster.

Very few players in college basketball have the ability to match up with him. Luckily, the Zags have one of them in Hachimura.

At 6-8 and 230 pounds, the Japanese native is still at a strength disadvantage but is actually an inch taller and can move extremely well on the perimeter on both ends of the court. His versatility is largely why he’s a projected lottery pick.

At the very least, Hachimura will make Williamson work on both ends of the court, something he hasn’t done this year because no one has had anybody that has made him have to. Gonzaga will still have to figure out who will match up with Barrett and Reddish, but Hachimura is their best chance to neutralize Williamson and take away that dimension of Duke’s attack.

Whoever wins this matchup will likely key their team to a victory because of how much each team relies on these players.