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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BOISE, ID – MARCH 17: Josh Perkins /

2. Keep Josh Perkins out of foul trouble

One player who shouldn’t see much time guarding Washington’s Nowell is point guard Josh Perkins, who’s the most important player of the Bulldog’s team. The senior is having his best season yet, averaging 11.6 ppg on 52% shooting, while dishing out 8.6 apg, good for second in the country behind TCU’s Alex Robinson.

Perkins is coming off a career game of 13 points and 13 assists in the last game against Creighton. He played 36 total minutes in the contest but it was the few minutes he didn’t play that told just as big a story about Gonzaga.

Midway through the first half versus the Bluejays, Perkins picked up his second foul and had to go to the bench. Normally that wouldn’t be a huge issue but with backup point guard Geno Crandall currently out with a broken hand until January there isn’t another viable option.

Freshman Greg Foster played in his absence and the team’s offense went stagnant during that time, allowing Creighton to take advantage. Perkins came back into the game and stayed on the court for the rest of the time.

In the longterm, Gonzaga will be okay with a shortened rotation, with much easier games after Washington, Tennessee and UNC. However, Perkins will likely have to clock in around 40 minutes of work in the next couple of weeks, as the Bulldogs offense thrives best when he’s in charge. As long as he stays on the court, the Huskies will have a hard time stopping them.