Busting Brackets
Fansided

Gonzaga Basketball: Keys to a Sweet 16 rematch with Florida State

By Brayley Crowe

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs dunks the ball aginst Mario Kegler #4 of the Baylor Bears in the second half of the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs dunks the ball aginst Mario Kegler #4 of the Baylor Bears in the second half of the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 12: Zach Norvell Jr. #23 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs drives against Tanner Krebs #00 of the Saint Mary’s Gaels during the championship game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 12, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 12: Zach Norvell Jr. #23 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs drives against Tanner Krebs #00 of the Saint Mary’s Gaels during the championship game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 12, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

2. Consistent Guard Play

Throughout the Zags’ opening two games, one of two of Gonzaga’s starting guards have supplied quality minutes with high production in each game. However, as the Bulldogs face their highest-ranked opponent in Kenpom since December, both Josh Perkins and Zach Norvell Jr. will need to supply success in unison. While Hachimura and Clarke are first and second in scoring for Gonzaga, Norvell and Perkins round out the top four as the only other players to average 10 or more points.

Norvell has almost quietly notched an average of 15.1 ppg this season while shooting 44.1% from the field and 37.1% from three. For the second straight season, Norvell has made at least 75 three-point shots with 91 this season. However, through the Zags’ first two games of the tournament, Norvell has yet to fully show the killer ability he possesses. The redshirt sophomore is averaging just 11 ppg, making 33% of his shots and just 28.6% of his three-point attempts. In the meeting before the Bulldogs fell to the Seminoles last year against Ohio St., Norvell recorded a career-high 28 points while hitting six three-point shots.

In the loss to Florida St., Norvell scored 14 points but did so on just a 25% field goal percentage and making three of seven three-point shots. While his productivity in scoring has not been near his potential, Norvell has been productive in other aspects of his game in the tournament thus far. Averaging 6.5 rpg and 6 apg, he has sizably increased his season averages. As a player that excels in big-time games and can find his stroke from deep in the blink of an eye, a top-tier outing from Norvell is very possible Thursday night.

As for Perkins, his 10.8 ppg are certainly important figures, but his dominant importance to this national title contender is his sure-handedness with the ball. The redshirt senior averages a team high 6.4 apg and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.2. Like Norvell, Perkins’ stats through the Zags’ two tournament games have been lower than his season average. While not a dominant scorer for the Bulldogs, Perkins’ 8 ppg and 28.6% three-point average thus far are below what Few would like to see from his star point guard. Even more important for Gonzaga though is that Perkins is only dishing 4 apg. The Bob Cousy Award hopeful will need to find the bottom of the net and ensure his teammates do as well to fend off the Seminoles.

Perkins has made 36.4% of his three-point attempts and with the Bulldogs playing against a strong interior defense team, a few made three-pointers from he, as well as Norvell and Tillie, will be crucial to stretch the Seminoles. In last year’s meeting, Perkins recorded just nine points, shot 33% from the field and 1-5 from deep and dished only four assists.