Gonzaga Basketball: 5 keys to beat Kansas to open 2020-21 season

SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 20: A basketball sets on the court prior to the start of the game between the San Francisco Dons and the Gonzaga Bulldogs at McCarthey Athletic Center on February 20, 2020 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

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Gonzaga Basketball Mark Few (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /

Gonzaga Basketball looks to defend its No. 1 preseason ranking with a major win over the Kansas Jayhawks.

Everyone involving NCAA Basketball has been hard at work to get this upcoming season. Particually with the schedule, with some teams looking to take on some major competition in the non-conference. No team did a better job of that than Gonzaga Basketball, whose opening slate features several top-10 quality opponents.

Barring postponements, the Bulldogs will take on No. 2 Baylor, No. 5 Iowa, No. 12 Tennessee, as well as the Iowa Hawkeyes in the non-conference slate. There’s one more, with the No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks ready for Gonzaga on November 26, the opening for both programs. These teams already have a home-and-home series set for the following two years but Coaches Bill Self and Mark Few’s relationship allowed them to set up a matchup this year.

This is certainly a huge matchup for both sides, with plenty of implications regarding seeding for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. But for the WCC program, this game clearly means more, due to the lack of marquee matchups.

Being ranked No. 1 automatically creates a bullseye for Gonzaga, an interesting storyline in itself for this game. The Jayhawks are the betting underdog in his neutral site game and have a revamped roster after losing their two all-conference stars, Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike. The Bulldogs are without multiple starters as well, including WCC Player of the Year Filip Petrusev.

Still, both programs have plenty of talent and will make a case for being a 2021 national title contender. It’s a great litmus test for both sides, with questions we all have set to be answered on the court. Here are some keys and storylines to this game from the Bulldogs’ point of view.