Gonzaga Basketball: Key storylines for 2019-20 battle against Washington
By Andy Patton
Will Gonzaga’s offense succeed against UW’s 2-3 zone?
Most Gonzaga fans have vivid memories of the offense falling flat against impactful 2-3 zones. Jim Boeheim at Syracuse often stymied the Zags in the NCAA tournament, using that defense that made him famous and that is now being implemented by Washington coach Mike Hopkins – who was Boeheim’s assistant for 22 years.
Gonzaga has yet to lose to Hopkins and that pesky zone, but it’s clear it has had an impact on their offensive rhythm.
This Gonzaga team is clearly skilled on the offensive side of the ball, but with so many new starters, and in their first game facing a consistent zone, it presents a unique and possibly insurmountable hurdle for the Zags.
The Zags will likely play Filip Petrusev or Drew Timme in the soft spot of the zone, allowing Killian Tillie or Corey Kispert – depending on the lineup – to run the baseline and look for opportunities in the paint. This would be a great game to have freshman Anton Watson, who seems like he would excel in that baseline role, but it seems unlikely he will play after suffering a serious ankle injury in the Bahamas.
Ryan Woolridge, Admon Gilder and Joel Ayayi will be shooting from the outside to try to neutralize the zone. However, Gilder is banged up with a knee injury and Woolridge is not a great three-point threat. The team is really missing Brock Ravet, an incoming freshman who left the team for undisclosed reasons right before the start of the season. His elite outside shooting would help neutralize the zone.
Overall, it’s hard to say how this one will play out. Rebounding out of a zone is tough, and Gonzaga does have a size advantage, so if they can get plenty of offensive rebounds that would help mitigate concerns about their outside shooting.