Washington Basketball: 3 keys for the Huskies against Gonzaga

By Connor Hope | Dec 5, 2018

KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 06: Nahziah Carter #11 and Noah Dickerson #15 of the Washington Huskies celebrate after the Huskies defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 74-65 to win the game at the Sprint Center on December 6, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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KANSAS CITY, MO – DECEMBER 06: Jaylen Nowell #5 of the Washington Huskies smiles after drawing a foul during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at the Sprint Center on December 6, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

2) Create open looks on the perimeter

Every year, the Zags defense has been susceptible to hot shooting, often allowing athletic guards to take advantage and spark upsets. This season, has been no different, with much of their early struggles against Arizona and Creighton coming off of hot shooting by their opponent. For the Huskies, this shooting will most likely come in the form of Jaylen Nowell and Dominic Green, who shoot a combined 43% from deep.

While getting open looks against the Zags is not an easy task, it is not impossible, especially with an athletic guard like Nowell. The Huskies could take a page out of the Arizona play book and run the Zags off multiple screens on the perimeter to create the open look. If the Zags switch instead of trying to fight through the screen, Noah Dickerson could take advantage of the mismatch created on the interior.

With such a high-powered offense in the Zags, Washington will need keep up, and their perimeter shooting will need to be flawless to maintain pace. If they set a statement by attacking the rim, these open looks will become easier to create.

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