Gonzaga Basketball: Keys to success against North Carolina at home

2. Win the turnover battle.

Both Gonzaga and North Carolina are strong rebounding teams on both ends of the floor. As a result, it is reasonable to think that the two squads could cancel out each other’s usual advantages on the glass. This means that the possession battle in this game could come down to whoever takes care of the ball most. Entering this game, Gonzaga boasts a major statistical edge in that category and the home team will hopefully prove that advantage early and often.

This is especially true on the offensive end of the floor, where Gonzaga only commits turnovers on 15.5% of its possessions – 10th in the nation. Additionally, North Carolina’s defense is very risk-averse as it rarely attempts to force mistakes. The Tar Heels rank 334th in defensive turnover rate and therefore it is reasonable to assume that the Bulldogs will not surrender many easy fast-break buckets in this game.

When the Bulldogs are on defense, they rank 164th in turnovers forced while the Tar Heels take care of the ball at the 115th-best rate in the country.  As you can tell by these statistics, it seems likely that Gonzaga will be able to win the turnover margin and by a considerable margin. It is also important to mention that North Carolina will likely be playing without its usual starting star guard in Cole Anthony.

With regard to why winning the turnover battle could be so important for Gonzaga, there are very few plays quite as exciting to a home crowd than a turnover leading to a transition three or dunk. Watch for the Bulldogs, who rank 22nd in the country in offensive tempo, to push the pace after turnovers and ignite “The Kennel” with roof-shaking plays.