Gonzaga vs. Florida State: Key storylines heading into Sweet 16 matchup

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 22: Mfiondu Kabengele #25 of the Florida State Seminoles celebrates late in the game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at Staples Center on March 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. The Florida State Seminoles defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 75-60. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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1. Brandon Clarke needs to be the player that leads the Zags to victory

Clarke redshirted with Gonzaga basketball in his junior season and was not a part of last year’s playoff matchup with the Seminoles which is why he needs to make his presence felt against them Thursday night in prime time. He played his first two years of college basketball at San Jose State.

He garnered accolades and put up some impressive numbers as a sophomore:

All-Mountain West First Team and All-Defensive Team selection
National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 17 first-team selection The only three-time Mountain West “Player of the Week” honoree as a sophomore
Finished 25th in the country with a 59.2 shooting percentage
The only player in the Mountain West to finish top-three in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots
Led the Spartans with 17.3 points per game, 8.7 rebounds per game and 2.6 blocks per game

For Gonzaga as a redshirt junior, he is the second leading scorer with 17 points per game and leads the team in rebounds and blocks per game with 8.4 and 3.1 respectively.

Yes, he has shown that he can score but where I feel he can really make an impact is on the defensive end. He has had eight blocks in two games which is very impressive. He is going to need to be at his best for the Zags to get revenge on Florida State. If he has a 20 point, 10 rebounds, and three block game, the Zags beat Florida State.

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