Arizona Basketball: 2019-20 keys for matchup against Gonzaga Bulldogs

2. Nico Mannion’s impact has to be more than offense

High school phenom Nico Mannion has been as good as advertised, averaging 15.1 ppg and 6.2 apg. He’s already one of the best pure passers in college (two games with 10+ assists) and makes 42% of his three-point attempts. Mannion’s going to have to have a big scoring outing to keep up with Gonzaga, along with playing at a high level in other areas.

Rebounding isn’t just an issue for the Arizona frontcourt against Gonzaga but rather it’s going to take a group effort. Take opposing Bulldog guard Joel Ayayi for example. The 6’5 sophomore is averaging 6.6 rpg and is a big help to the frontcourt on the defensive boards. In contrast, Mannion averages just 2.0 rpg total and those come from long misses.

Mannion also is a below-average defender to be completely honest. He doesn’t get in foul trouble at all because there’s no aggressiveness in his defense. Ryan Woolridge, Gonzaga’s starting point guard, is a speedy driver who prefers to slash towards the basket instead of taking jump shots. Mannion will have to be focused and alert on the defensive end or risk being torched by the Bulldogs.

For someone who is a likely “one and done” player for Arizona, Mannion has a great opportunity in front of scouts and other eyes to have a major performance against a top-10 team. But it’ll take more than having 20 points and a bunch of assists to have him rise up the NBA Draft stocks. Let’s see what he does against Coach Mark Few and his pregame scouting report.