3 keys for Washington Huskies to pull off major upset over Gonzaga Bulldogs

Guard the 3-point line!

While the 3-point shot has not revolutionized college basketball to the same degree that is has the professional level, it is still a weapon that can make a huge impact on the outcome of a game. Coach Mike Hopkins must remind his team that, although Gonzaga isn’t as lethal from behind the arc as the Alabama Crimson Tide or the Baylor Bears, they are still capable of swinging the momentum of the game using the long ball.

So far this season, Gonzaga is shooting 38.4 percent from 3-point land as a team. Generally speaking, 40 percent is the mark of an elite 3-point shooter; for the Bulldogs to be close to that mark as a team means that Coach Mark Few has placed great shooters around All-American Drew Timme, and taught his players which open shots they should be ready to take and which ones they should pass up.

In addition to shooting a high percentage as a team, the Bulldogs are knocking down 7.9 3-pointers per game. Hitting nearly eight 3-pointers per contest gives The Zags a decided advantage in points that most teams will not be able to overcome throughout the course of a game. In order to overcome this disadvantage in points, the Huskies are going to have to remember to talk on defense and communicate during ball rotations.

Gonzaga gets a lot of great looks at the basket because they have some of the best ball movement in the country. It’s hard to stay close to shooters when the ball has been swung from one side of the floor to the other in one possession. The only way for the Huskies to combat this is to be intentional about it and communicate constantly on defense. Otherwise, The Zags will hit multiple 3-pointers within the span of a few minutes and shift the momentum of the game in their favor.