San Francisco Basketball: 2018-19 keys for the Dons to beat Gonzaga

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 04: Head coach Kyle Smith of the San Francisco Dons argues an official's call during a quarterfinal game of the West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament against the Santa Clara Broncos at the Orleans Arena on March 4, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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HONOLULU, HI – DECEMBER 23: Charles Minlend #14 of the San Francisco Dons slides past MiKyle McIntosh #11 of the Illinois State Redbirds and shoots the ball during the second half of the Diamond Head Classic NCAA college basketball game at Stan Sheriff Center on December 23, 2016 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

1. Charles Minlend must have a good night

To beat a team like Gonzaga, multiple players have to have huge performances. But that team’s best player has to one of them and can’t afford to be off one bit.

For San Francisco, that player is Charles Minlend. He’s a redshirt sophomore who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury. He’s back better than ever for 2018-19, leading the Dons with 15.4 ppg in less than 30 mpg. The 6’4 playmaker has reached double figures in every D-I game this season, including three 20+ point games.

One thing that Coach Few and Gonzaga is good at is taking away their opponent’s strength on the offensive end. In the WCC outside of the Bulldogs stopping the opposing team’s best player usually results in a win.

The Dons can hold Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga’s leading scorer) to an off game but the Bulldogs have two other 15 ppg scorers in Brandon Clarke and Zach Norvell. San Francisco doesn’t have that same luxury.

As a freshman, Minlend scored a combined 12 points on 4/18 shooting in the two games against Gonzaga, both resulting in losses. But with added pieces with scoring capabilities, the Dons hope that enough room can be created for Minlend to succeed. If he can get to at least his scoring average in an efficient way, San Fran will be off to a good start.