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Gonzaga Basketball: Keys to success against North Carolina at home

By Lukas Harkins

TUCSON, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 14: Filip Petrusev #3 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs dunks the ball in the second half against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Center on December 14, 2019 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
TUCSON, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 14: Filip Petrusev #3 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs dunks the ball in the second half against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Center on December 14, 2019 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /
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TUCSON, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 14: Gonzaga Bulldogs high five. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
TUCSON, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 14: Gonzaga Bulldogs high five. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /

1. Match UNC’s physicality level inside.

North Carolina’s best player so far this season has easily been star guard Cole Anthony. One of the top performers in the entire nation, Anthony is a freshman stud ready to take his talents to the NBA next summer. With that said, though, he is expected to miss his second consecutive game in this one and that leaves the Tar Heels even more vulnerable than they already were. If Anthony does not take the court, it is reasonable to assume that UNC head coach Roy Williams will look to heavily rely on his bigs.

With Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot manning the frontcourt, this team can be very physical in the paint. Through the opening month of this season, the Tar Heels rank ninth in the entire nation in offensive rebounding rate and those two are the main reasons for that. Brooks and Bacot are combining to average 6.3 offensive boards per game and they can finish their fair share of second-chance points as a result.

The Tar Heels will likely look to pound the paint early and often in this contest while utilizing their two bigs as the main offensive focuses. Brandon Robinson is the lone other reliable scoring threat outside of Brooks/Bacot if Anthony is unable to take the court. In UNC’s last game, a home loss to Wofford, the two bigs combined for 24 shot attempts and it is reasonable to assume they will exhibit a similar usage rate in this one.

With regard to how Gonzaga will defend these bigs, matching North Carolina’s physicality will be crucial. Thankfully, the Bulldogs rank 12th nationally in defensive rebounding rate and they also do an exceptional job keeping opponents off the free-throw line. It is important to mention that Gonzaga’s defensive strengths so far have been in the paint even while dealing with some frontcourt injuries.

Gonzaga’s starting duo of Killian Tillie and Filip Petrusev will be the main contributors in this facet of the game while freshman Drew Timme also sees his fair share of time as well. Petrusev, most notably, is exhibiting a block rate of 5.5% (135th nationally) so far this season while being a strong defensive rebounder. Anton Watson also sees time at the “4” but is dealing with injuries that make it difficult to determine his current role.