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 Jalen Suggs (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Jalen Suggs not do too much in his first game

Something that Gonzaga Basketball fans have been waiting for is the first game that Jalen Suggs plays officially in a Zags uniform. The journey to this point was a long one, despite the Bulldogs being a clear favorite to win his services during the recruitment. However, he was linked to the new G League initiative for a while and it wasn’t a guarantee he was coming to college until January.

Now, there are high expectations for the program’s first-ever five-star commit and project 2021 NBA Draft lottery pick. Suggs will be the team’s starting point guard and have the ball in his hands a lot, surrounded by a ton of talent throughout the lineup.

There’s going to be a desire to see Suggs light it up on national television against a juggernaut program like Kansas. However, that may actually play right into Coach Bill Self’s hands. You see, the opposing starting point guard for the Jayhawks is Marcus Garrett, a senior who has flown under the radar but will now be a star.

His 6.6 ppg and 2.5 apg career numbers don’t scream “star” but Garrett makes his way on the defensive end. Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike had rightful reputations as elite defenders, it was Garrett who won the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Award. The 6’5 guard has the quickness, strength, and IQ to guard anyone on the perimeter. As great an athlete as Suggs is, Garrett has the ability to slow him down and frustrate him for 40 minutes.

As a former star quarterback, Suggs knows when to check it down and not go for huge plays all the time. In this game, he’ll have to do the basketball version of a “check down” by distributing the ball more in the half-court setting. While the rest of the Jayhawks have good defenders, none of them are on the level of Garrett. This is a scenario where Suggs not forcing it will be the best thing he can do in his debut as a Bulldog.