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Gonzaga Basketball: 3 keys for Bulldogs to beat No. 5 Duke Blue Devils

By Tuck Clarry

LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs talks with Chet Holmgren #34 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the game against the UCLA Bruins at T-Mobile Arena on November 23, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs talks with Chet Holmgren #34 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the game against the UCLA Bruins at T-Mobile Arena on November 23, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Chet Holmgren Drew Timme Gonzaga Basketball (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Chet Holmgren Drew Timme Gonzaga Basketball (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

For the third time in five games, Gonzaga Basketball is facing a top 5 team as Mark Few and company try to repeat an undefeated regular season. The Zags have won their six games by an average of 31 points and their two ranked matchups by 16 points.

Their third ranked matchup and third game in Las Vegas is against the Duke Blue Devils who are also undefeated on the season, beating the 10th ranked Kentucky Wildcats to open the season. Outside of Big Blue Nation, Duke has not played a top 150 KenPom team. Duke is ranked 8th in KenPom, sitting at 8th in adjusted offense and 20th in adjusted defense.

The game also serves the biggest smorgasbord of talent in all of Feast Week, guaranteeing plenty of scouts will be in the building to see the bevy of potential pros. Though both teams are stacked with talent, the centerpiece for the occasion is the frontcourt matchup of the two top prospects in the country, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero. Banchero and Holmgren have been pitted against each other since their final two years in high school and will no doubt want to match up head-to-head Friday night.

For Zags fans that perhaps don’t know the talent in Durham beyond Banchero, they should know that this Duke team could have as many as three players in the NBA lottery and four guys drafted in the first round. Banchero is joined in the frontcourt by wings AJ Griffin and Wendell Moore as well as big man Mark Williams. Banchero and the wings are devastating rim runners and drivers and Williams is a solid player above the rim with plus defensive abilities. The fourth clear pro is shooting guard Trevor Keels, who is another athletic scorer who is tenacious on defense.

The Blue Devils play with an 8-man rotation, with the backcourt of Keels and point guard Jeremy Roach and swiss-army knife Moore playing over 30 minutes per game. Outside of Roach, the team is known for its length and interchangeable parts. Here are some keys for Gonzaga to stay undefeated and put another high-quality win on their tournament résumé.