Virginia Basketball: 3 keys for Cavaliers to beat No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs

Making Jalen Suggs life difficult

Due to the unique circumstances of this season, we’re seeing a lot of freshmen struggle early on. One of the exceptions has been Jalen Suggs, a former five-star point guard prospect that has put on a show on national television. He had 24 points in his debut against Kansas, including 16 in the second half.

His status has only grown since scoring a season-high 27 points against Iowa last week that included seven made three-pointers. His athleticism and quality playmaking ability is going to take a full effect from all of the guards to handle. It likely won’t involve Clark much, as he’s seven inches shorter and doesn’t have the physicality to stop him from driving. Morsell will most likely have the primary responsibility, while Beekman is a good defender with size as well.

But Gonzaga is more than just Suggs. Florida transfer Andrew Nembhard is just as good as a starter, while Joel Ayayi is a rebounding machine as a guard that likes to move around on the court and find his way into advantageous situations. The Bulldogs love to use cuts and screens and will make Virginia work on defense.

If Suggs goes off for 20+, then the Cavaliers have little to no shot of winning this game, unless a guard on UVA breaks out on offense. The best hope is to make Suggs look like a real freshman and have an off night that includes forcing several turnovers. But look out for Nembhard to take over, as he’s more experienced and won’t be as fazed.

Gonzaga has many different options to win this game and if Virginia Basketball wants to beat the No. 1 team in the country, they’ll have to find a way to stop all of them.