Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga stumbles, Indiana’s MVP and other takeaways

By Brian Rauf

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs reacts during the first half of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs reacts during the first half of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 15: Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs battles Luke Maye #32 and Garrison Brooks #15 of the North Carolina Tar Heels for a rebound during the first half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on December 15, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 15: Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs battles Luke Maye #32 and Garrison Brooks #15 of the North Carolina Tar Heels for a rebound during the first half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on December 15, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

2) The recipe for beating Gonzaga

You don’t need me to tell you that Gonzaga is a really good basketball team. However, we’ve seen a trend that suggests there is a repeatable recipe for beating them.

For starters, there are the turnovers. Point guard Josh Perkins has struggled with turnovers throughout his entire collegiate career but the issue is more than just him. Gonzaga did not win the turnover battle in their closer-than-it-should’ve-been wins over both Creighton and Washington and in their loss to Tennessee.

This largely has to do with their struggles when facing high on-ball pressure. The Bulldogs won the turnover battle in the loss to UNC, but the game changed when the Tar Heels went on a 24-7 run in the first half – a run that started when Roy Williams changed defenses and started pressuring Gonzaga.

We saw this last year on several occasions as well, particularly in the NCAA Tournament against Florida State. The Zags didn’t win the turnover battle in that game, either, and were completely out of sorts offensively.

There’s also the current matter of the lack of depth. Head coach Mark Few is only going seven or eight players deep and there have been multiple games in which at least three players didn’t score a point.

Gonzaga will be a better team when both Killian Tillie and Geno Crandall return from injury but the weakness against pressure and turnover issues may linger and come back to bite the Bulldogs in March.

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