Busting Brackets
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Gonzaga Basketball: Keys to success against Arizona on the road

By Lukas Harkins

SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 08: Ryan Woolridge #4 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs drives past Sam Timmins #14 of the Washington Huskies in the first half at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on December 8, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mike Tedesco/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 08: Ryan Woolridge #4 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs drives past Sam Timmins #14 of the Washington Huskies in the first half at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on December 8, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mike Tedesco/Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE, WA – DECEMBER 08: Gonzaga players celebrate. (Photo by Mike Tedesco/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – DECEMBER 08: Gonzaga players celebrate. (Photo by Mike Tedesco/Getty Images) /

Gonzaga basketball has looked the part of a top-10 team so far this season. The Bulldogs are about to face another tough test on the road against Arizona.

Despite losing a ton of talent this offseason, Gonzaga basketball entered the 2019-20 campaign with expectations of competing for the national title. While there were definitely some skeptics that questioned how quickly head coach Mark Few would be able to turn a relatively young roster into a title contender, those people have already been silenced. Through the opening month of the season, the Bulldogs stand with a 10-1 record that includes wins over Texas A&M (away), Oregon (neutral), and Washington (away). Their lone loss came to Michigan.

Looking ahead, though, arguably Gonzaga’s biggest test of the year is looming as the team will travel to Tucson to face nationally-ranked Arizona on the road on Dec. 14th. The Wildcats have also started this season exceptionally well behind an excellent freshmen trio. Head coach Sean Miller’s team holds a 10-1 record with a loss to Baylor, a potential top-10 team, on the road. The Wildcats do not boast the same collection of wins that the Bulldogs do, but have proven their worth early this season.

For a slightly deeper look into how these two squads match up, here are their respective rankings in key areas:

AP Ranking: Gonzaga – 6th | Arizona – 15th

KenPom Overall: Gonzaga – 8th | Arizona – 12th

Adj Off. Efficiency: Gonzaga – 6th | Arizona – 12th

Adj Def. Efficiency: Gonzaga – 38th | Arizona – 34th

Adjusted Tempo: Gonzaga – 94th | Arizona – 85th

This has the makings of an extremely evenly matched game. Gonzaga has the advantage in most metric rankings but Arizona will be playing in front of its home crowd. Considering the two team’s respective national rankings and their up-tempo styles of play, this should be one of the most entertaining non-conference games of the entire season. Both teams have already proven worthy of being ranked in the national top-25 and the winner will receive a significant boost to its future NCAA Tournament resume.

With regard to Gonzaga’s outlook on this game, let’s dive a bit deeper into the matchup to see what facets of the game should be prioritized. Here are three potential keys to success for the Bulldogs in this highly-anticipated matchup.