On Friday night, the Gonzaga Bulldogs had their hearts broken when they lost a rematch of the 2021 National Championship game to the Baylor Bears. It was a hard-fought game, but the Bears were able to come from behind and capture a one-point victory by scoring the final eight points of the game. The Bulldogs may not have as much talent this season as they have in years past, but they are a veteran ballclub. How could they allow a meltdown in the final minutes of the game?
Although most casual observers would put the onus on Gonzaga for not winning a game they seemed to be in control in the last few minutes, the credit actually belongs to Baylor for not giving up and fighting until the final buzzer. On Friday night, the Washington Huskies, who are not nationally ranked but boast a 7 and 2 record, will try to take a page out of Baylor’s playbook and attempt to pull out a win against the heavily favored Bulldogs.
The Washington Huskies are not expected to defeat the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Friday. Here are the keys for them to achieve an upset.
The Huskies’ unquestionable leader is forward Keion Brooks, who spent three seasons under Hall of Fame Coach John Calipari as a member of the Kentucky Wildcats. While Brooks played an important role for The Big Blue Nation, he was not called upon to make plays that would determine the outcome of the game.
However, as a Huskie Brooks has become the leading man; his individual play greatly impacts whether or not the team reaches its overall potential. While Brooks is a significant factor, he will not single-handedly determine the outcome of the game. Let’s take a closer look at three key areas the Huskies must excel in if they are going to upset Gonzaga on Friday night.
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.
Get everyone involved!
In order for the Washington Huskies to upset the Gonzaga Bulldogs, they are going to have to play a team game and share the scoring load. On paper, the Huskies appear to be top-heavy; they currently have only two players who are averaging double digits points per game. However, a closer look at their roster reveals they have multiple players who can “get buckets.” They’ll have to do just that if they are going to emerge victorious against Gonzaga.
If the Huskies enter the game with the offensive mindset that it will be the Keion Brooks show, they will be predictable and easy to guard. They must move the ball around in order to make Gonzaga’s players exert their energy on defense. Gonzaga is currently averaging 80.2 points per game; one surefire way for Washington to slow down that output is to fatigue The Bulldogs by making them focus on multiple players on the defensive side of the ball.
In addition to Keion Brooks, the Huskies also boast freshman point guard Keyon Menifield who had scoring outbursts of 21 points and 26 points against North Florida and Utah Tech in November. While those ball clubs are nowhere near the caliber of Gonzaga, the fact that Menifield possesses the ability to erupt in the scoring column means the Huskies must keep him involved on the offensive end on Friday night.
Senior Guard Cole Bajema can look like a reliable second option on some nights and then disappear on others. Overall, he is a reliable shooter and is currently averaging 10.2 points per game. Everyone assumes that Keion Brooks will be ready to play on Friday, but a focused Bajema gives the Huskies a solid outside scoring threat that the Huskies will have to contend with if he is fully locked in. Other key contributors include big men Braxton Meah and Franck Kepnang. However, they may be forced to sacrifice some of their usual offensive contributions while concentrating on stopping Drew Timme from having an insurmountable impact on other several areas of the game.
Stop Drew Timme!
Senior forward Drew Timme is having another stellar season for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. He is a player who can impact the game in multiple ways; his passes are often more spectacular than any shot he is able to convert. If the Huskies are going to upset the Bulldogs on Friday, they cannot allow Timme to have a signature moment like he did against the Kentucky Wildcats earlier this season. A performance like that will all but ensure a loss for the Huskies.
The Huskies’ best two big men are juniors Braxton Meah and Franck Kepnang. While each of them is taller than Timme, neither player can match his unique combination of agility and vision. Unfortunately, Kepnang is out with an injury, forcing Washington to use other means. They will have to guard him by committee, relying on their teammates for help if he drifts too far away from the basket in an attempt to lure them outside of their comfort zone. Timme is currently averaging 19.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. A stat line similar to this will be hard for the Huskies to overcome. In order to escape with a victory, they must be determined to hold him below his season averages.
According to the pundits, the Washington Huskies are supposed to be another bump in the road during Gonzaga’s journey back to a high ranking and a favorable position to start the annual March Madness tournament. However, an impressive performance against the Bulldogs could have voters considering whether or not the Huskies belong in the Top 25. The Zags have become an annual powerhouse and defeating them certainly qualifies as a high-quality win.
In order to escape with an upset victory, the Huskies must defend the 3-point line, share the scoring load, and contain the All-American on their opponent’s roster. If they are able to do those things, they have a shot at achieving the upset. If they don’t, they’ll be disappointed in the result, knowing they let a major opportunity slip through their fingers.