Kansas vs Gonzaga: 2020-21 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
Kansas and Gonzaga get the season started with a big matchup down in Florida; which team will get their season off to a stellar start?
TV schedule: Thursday, November 26, 1:30 pm ET. FOX
Arena: Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Florida
Last season, Kansas (0-0) quite possibly had the favorite to win the NCAA Tournament had it taken place. While this season is already thrown into chaos by the national pandemic, this Kansas team opens the year in solid shape to pick up where they left off last season.
Replacing Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike is an especially difficult task, but getting Marcus Garrett back for one more year could mean big things for the Jayhawks this season. The backcourt also gets Ochai Agbaji back for another season, while a talented roster adds highly touted freshman Bryce Thompson and Tyon Grant-Foster, a junior college transfer.
One of the nation’s best defensive teams, the loss of Azubuike leaves a hole on the interior, but the return of Garrett is a massive help for the defense. Forward David McCormack will play a bigger role down low, but it’s impossible to expect him to make the same immediate aspect as Azubuike. Regardless, Kansas’s defense should remain elite, while the Jayhawks will certainly lean more on their guards to put up points.
Across the court, Gonzaga (0-0) returns with their own bit of disappointment after last season’s cancellation. These Bulldogs were as talented as any team in the country this past season, and return a roster that could be even better in 2021. Last year, the Bulldogs had the nation’s best offense, but some of those pieces aren’t around anymore.
Killian Tillie, Filip Petrusev, Ryan Woolridge and Admon Gilder all depart, but Gonzaga fills those holes just as they always seem to do. Corey Kispert, Joel Ayayi and Drew Timme remain, while the Bulldogs add 5-star prospect Jalen Suggs to the backcourt. Gonzaga will also slide Anton Watson into the frontcourt.
As previously mentioned, this was the best offense in college basketball last season, and it’s a trend that could continue this season. The Bulldogs will expect Kispert and the other guards to pick up the slack offensively, while a big step forward from Timme, a sophomore, could produce fantastic results for this Gonzaga offense.
As this game is the season debut for both teams, these rosters are still figuring things out, especially with limited contact during the offseason. Still both squads will try to play this game at their pace. Gonzaga wants to run and win a high-scoring affair while Kansas wants defense to lead the way. With both teams making big changes to their frontcourts, it’ll be interesting to see how the battles down low affect the pace.
Next. Preseason top-25 power rankings for 2020-21. dark
We’re lucky to be getting an early matchup between two of the best programs in college basketball and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see these teams spend the entire season in the top 10. Even though they’ll travel across the country, Gonzaga is the top-ranked team for a reason and I’ll give them a slight edge against the Jayhawks.