Gonzaga Basketball is set for back-to-back top-15 matchups, including its game with No. 7 Tennessee. Here are three keys for the Zags to take home the win in Phoenix.
Gonzaga (9-0) survived quite the scare from an improved Washington team in Spokane, Washington Wednesday night, thanks to non-other-than Rui Hachimura’s turnaround jumper with 0.6 seconds remaining. The Zags’ 81 points are the fewest they have scored all season, which is both a testament to their surefire offense, but also the effects a strong zone-defense have on Mark Few’s squad.
Gonzaga’s anticipated meeting with Tennessee (6-1) Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. ET) will be a huge resume booster for both teams. Both have already matched up in their own top-5 games, with the Bulldogs‘ victory over Duke in the Maui Invitational and the Volunteer’s overtime loss to Kansas in the NIT Season Tip-Off.
Sunday’s meeting should be one of high-powered offense on both ends of the court, as Gonzaga is averaging a second-best in division one 96.4 ppg, while Tennessee is close-behind with 83.7 ppg, 37th in the nation. However, one of the keys of this game could be defense on both sides.
The Volunteers only amounted 69 points in regulation in their loss to Kansas, while some of the Bulldogs’ toughest tests, including the meeting with Washington and a lowly 84-point outing against Illinois, saw them score well below their average.
Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield have been the offensive juggernauts for the Volunteers, averaging 20.4 and 16.1 ppg respectively, while another three players are averaging at least 10 ppg. The Zags’ are even more prolific on offense, with All-American hopeful Hachimura averaging 22.3 ppg, while Zach Norvell Jr., 18.1, and Brandon Clarke, 16.4, are helping out quite nicely.
With the lethal duo’s capabilities between Williams and Schofield, Gonzaga’s defense, specifically on these two, will be one of the make-or-break factors for the Bulldogs to stay undefeated in a huge matchup with one of the country’s best teams.