Gonzaga Basketball takes on an old rival in the Saint Mary’s Gaels. Here are three keys for the Bulldogs to continue their dominant run in the WCC.
When Gonzaga Basketball faced San Francisco a month ago, it was a nail biter with a few minutes to go. The Bulldogs prevailed in the end but the Dons showed that they could compete with one of the best teams in the country.
At home at least. The Dons stayed close for the first 15 minutes of the game, before Gonzaga shifted their No. 1 offense in the country into gear, destroying arguably the second best team in the WCC by a final margin of 30 points. The Bulldogs held San Francisco to 39% shooting from the field. Rui Hachimura, Brandon Clarke and Zach Norvell combined for 53 points in the contest.
Now on a 13-game winning streak, Gonzaga takes on their conference rival Saint Mary’s 13-9 (6-3). The Gaels are coming off 78-66 win at home against Pacific, led by Jordan Ford’s 28 points on 10/13 free throw shooting. Malik Fitts was the team’s other double-digit scorer with 14 points.
Although the Gaels don’t have the greatest overall record, their metrics and lack of bad losses still has them on the bubble, although very few Bracketology articles have them in the NCAA Tournament at this point. But a road win over the No. 4 team in the country will have them on the positive side of the bubble.
Last season, Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s were fighting for the WCC title all year long. The teams split with each other via road wins, so Randy Bennett’s team has recent success in the Kennel. However, this may be the best team that Coach Mark Few has ever had.
In order for the Bulldogs to remain unbeaten in WCC play and stay on track for a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance, they’ll have to win this game. Here are the keys for them to defeat Saint Mary’s.
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