Gonzaga Basketball: 3 keys to the game versus Washington

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 22: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs reacts against the Florida State Seminoles during the first half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at Staples Center on March 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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LAHAINA, HI – NOVEMBER 21: Rui Hachimura #21 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs holds up the tournament MVP trophy after the 2018 Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 21, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

Gonzaga Basketball looks to keep their winning streak against Washington on Wednesday night. Here are the biggest keys for a Bulldogs victory.

When the series resumed in the rivalry between Gonzaga Basketball and the Washington Huskies a few years ago, each program was going in opposite directions. The Bulldogs were climbing as a national force, while the Pac-12 team was sputtering. It’s shown in the recent results between them, with Gonzaga blowing them out each of the last three times.

Last season, Mark Few and the Bulldogs traveled to Seattle and defeated the Huskies 97-70, led by Johnathan Williams with 23 points and Zach Norvell Jr. with 21. Noah Dickerson paced Washington with 18 points while David Crisp chipped in with 16.

This season Washington will be coming back to the Kennel in Spokane to face the No. 1 team in the country. They’ve had that ranking for the past two weeks now after surviving a tough road test at Creighton. Despite being down double-digits at various times, the Gonzaga’s (8-0) elite offense couldn’t be stopped, scoring 62 second-half points for a 103-92 victory.

Washington (6-2) is coming off a more defensive battle at home against UC-Santa Barbara. They only scored 67 total points but held the Gauchos to 63 while forcing 16 turnovers in the game. The Huskies haven’t looked the most impressive to start the season, with close wins against both San Diego and Texas A&M (who Gonzaga defeated by 23 earlier in the season). Still, the talent and experience of Washington make them a dangerous opponent to face regardless of venue.

Despite the recent history, Gonzaga fans shouldn’t take the Huskies lightly. Here are the biggest keys for the Bulldogs to avoid the upset.