Gonzaga Basketball: Keys to success against Eastern Washington

1. Come out of the locker room with energy.

Gonzaga is rolling right now. There should be no question about that. Over the past few weeks, the Bulldogs have clearly thrown their weight around as perhaps the best team in the entire country. They are dominating in the paint, connecting from 3-point range, working as a unit, and constantly improving on the defensive end of the floor. That has shown up in recent results as they are fresh off wins over Washington (away), Arizona (away), and North Carolina (home) to launch up the national rankings.

With that said, though, winning those three monster games in a row could poise to the team for a letdown performance against Eastern Washington and they cannot allow that to happen. Even though the Eagles might not be nationally well-known, they are a solid mid-major squad with the potential to reach the NCAA Tournament considering their standing within the Big Sky Conference. This team is talented enough to pull off an upset if Gonzaga does not come out with the same energy and intensity that it has for the past few weeks.

To put it simply, the biggest key for Gonzaga in this game will be to come out with a purpose. If a team ever wants to be regarded as the best in the nation, they have to understand that they are going to get everyone’s best shot in every single game. Head coach Mark Few has already experienced this in his career in Spokane and he will need to preach that to this roster.

Through the opening month and a half of this season, nobody has emerged as the clear-cut best team in the country. Could Gonzaga be that squad? Absolutely, and games like this one are important in proving that.