Biggest lesson learned from each loss
Gonzaga losing to Duke
The first lesson is that the frontcourt duo of Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren can be outplayed, although few teams have guys like Paolo Banchero and Mark Williams to go up against them. But being physical and forcing them to beat you from deep (6/21 in the loss) can work.
This is a young team in certain spots, as Holmgren, Hunter Sallis, and Nolan Hickman are true freshmen, while Iowa State transfer Rasir Bolton is still finding his way with this new team. The close call against Tarleton State earlier this week shows that this offense is still a work in progress and if Alabama doesn’t make things easy, could cause problems.
Alabama losing to Iona
The Crimson Tide is one of the highest-volume three-point shooting teams in the country. However, they were limited to just 5/17 from deep. And with a lack of frontcourt production to offset that, makes them vulnerable to losses. They certainly missed some easy looks but overall, credit to Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino for the gameplan.
Something else to note was the 13/25 effort from the free throw line, similar to the disaster they had against UCLA in last season’s Sweet 16 matchup. Against an offense such as Gonzaga’s, you can’t leave points out there at the line. They’ll have to be at least 80% on Saturday to have a shot.