Gonzaga Basketball: 3 keys to beating West Virginia in Jimmy V Classic
By Ian Mumm
Crashing The Glass
The best way for Gonzaga to ensure they control the pace is to crash the glass. Last year the Mountaineers were THE top offensive rebounding team in the nation and 11th overall in total rebounds. This year the numbers are a smidge worse, but West Virginia is still very highly rated in both categories and are capable of limiting second-chance opportunities for their opponents and increasing their own possessions in games.
Gonzaga showed, against another long team in Kansas, their entire starting lineup is more than capable of crashing the glass and dominating that aspect of the game. Production on the boards led to the initiation of the fast break and secondary break leaving defenses scrambling to chase the ball and failing to rotate on shooters in the halfcourt.
Through the first 3 games of the season, West Virginia has immediately scored off of OR went to the free throw line 35% of the time after pulling down an offensive rebound. The Mountaineers are very reliant on second-chance opportunities to keep them in the thick of games and cannot afford to have these taken away. If West Virginia is made to operate without second-chance opportunities, they move from an ‘average’ efficiency team to a ‘bad’ one.