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: Frankie Ferrari #2 of the San Francisco Dons slashes between Paris Lee #1 and MiKyle McIntosh #11 of the Illinois State Redbirds to take a shot 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) /

2. Frankie Ferrari must outplay Josh Perkins

The WCC’s two best facilitators face off in Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins and San Francisco’s Frankie Ferrari. They’re ranked in the top three in conference apg and are the engines to make their respective offenses go. When either goes on the bench, the teams suffer as a result.

As good as Minlend has been, it’s been Ferrari’s continued development as a senior guard that has propelled the Dons to this point. He’s averaging career highs in just about every category and has raised his individual profile ever since his performance in the televised home upset over Saint Mary’s late last season.

To beat the Bulldogs, Ferrari must be the leader of the Dons offensively, and that means avoiding mistakes and turnovers. In the non-conference, the 5’11 guard turned it over just 12 times total. In the games against Pepperdine and Saint Mary’s to open WCC play, he’s already done it nine times. He’ll have to get back to his early season form when it comes to handling the ball against Gonzaga, as just a few mistakes could allow the Bulldogs to break it wide open.

Not only does Ferrari have to handle the ball but he’ll also have to score his fair share as well. The Dons average 14 ppg less than the second-best scoring team in the nation so what he does throughout the game will be very important. If he can have more assists in this game than Perkins, who’s 8th nationally at 6.9 apg.