Busting Brackets
Fansided

All eyes on Gonzaga Basketball as they start the 2021 NCAA Tournament

By Jacob Stevenson

Mar 9, 2021; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Suggs (1) poses with the most valuable player trophy after the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game against the BYU Cougars at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2021; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Suggs (1) poses with the most valuable player trophy after the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game against the BYU Cougars at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Gonzaga Basketball
Gonzaga Basketball Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Play with Pace

Norfolk State ranks about in the middle of the country in tempo and Appalachian State ranks closer to the bottom in the country. Both teams are gonna wanna slot the game down against such a talented and athletic team such as Gonzaga. The Zags are a tremendous offensive team that is also is 4th in the country in tempo.

Even though Gonzaga can score in the half-court Gonzaga is most deadly when they can push the pace and score in transition. Gonzaga is a much more talented team than either Appalachian State or Norfolk State. If they can push the pace and turn it into a track meet it favors the Zags. Gonzaga playing with pace is also important in the half-court. When you move the ball on offense and cut hard your offense is harder to guard.

Like any team moving without the ball and making sure you have ball movement is important for any team. With Norfolk State ranking 219th in defense and Appalachian State being ranked 205th the Zags should have no problem scoring if they do the little things correctly. Assuming Gonzaga is gonna get past their first-round matchup it’s important for Gonzaga to keep their good habits and to stay sharp on the fundamentals.