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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SPOKANE, WASHINGTON – DECEMBER 04: Petrusev of Gonzaga attempts. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON – DECEMBER 04: Petrusev of Gonzaga attempts. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

1. Connect at the free-throw line.

Arguably Gonzaga’s biggest offensive weakness this season has been a lack of consistent free-throw shooting. Considering how dominant the Bulldogs’ frontcourt is, the team gets to the charity stripe with consistency but they have been unable to convert at a high rate to this point in the year. Gonzaga is already 11 games into the season and that is a large enough sample size to show that the team’s 66.0% shooting from the free-throw line is indicative of potential season-long struggles from the stripe. That mark is ranked just 274th in the nation and poor foul shooting could haunt the team in big games such as this one.

Arizona’s defense is held in high regard by many people across the country but one of its weaknesses is committing too many fouls around the rim. Arizona’s opponents so far this season are exhibiting a FTA/FGA rate of 34.9%. As a result of that statistic and Gonzaga’s offensive playing style, it is reasonable to assume that the visiting team could spend a large chunk of the night at the charity stripe. In order to pull off the “upset” away from home, the Bulldogs will need to take advantage of their freebies. This would not be the time for Gonzaga to scuffle at the line.

Gonzaga’s biggest culprit at the line so far this season has been Ryan Woolridge (51.7%). There are other players that have struggled in this area but these two are the ones scuffling on the highest volume. Woolridge, most notably, is the team’s point guard and leading attacker. He has attempted the fourth-most free throws on the team as a result of his mentality offensively but has been unable to connect at the stripe. His struggles are not a surprise given his career shooting is also poor but it would be nice if he could be on his game against the Wildcats.

The other key player worth noting in this section is Filip Petrusev. The sophomore big man is shooting a respective 70.5% so far but is easily attempting the most free-throws on the team. He will likely be sent to the line most-often of all Bulldogs in this matchup and he will need to connect. Taking advantage of opportunities for “free points” will be critical for the Zags.