UConn Basketball: 3 keys to beating Gonzaga Bulldogs in Elite 8 matchup
By Brian Emory
Sanogo vs. Timme
With all due respect to Florida Atlantic and Kansas State (either of which could wind up cutting down the nets) most college basketball junkies would agree that that game feels like an appetizer to the main course.
Seriously, what did we do to deserve such an enticing matchup here? It would be hard to pinpoint a better potential one v. one matchup across all of college basketball currently than Adama Sanogo squaring off against Drew Timme, and we get to experience it with a trip to the Final Four hanging in the balance.
Sanogo has been the heart-and-soul of this Huskie group all year, and he’s found a different form this March. The forward from Mali is averaging over 23 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game during his stay at the Big Dance. Sanogo has been the best player on the floor for each of UConn’s three NCAA Tournament matchups, but he’ll have his hands full if he wants to retain that superlative for a fourth game running.
Gonzaga boasts one of the most efficient scorers in the history of college basketball in senior forward Drew Timme. As great as Sanogo has been in this tournament, Timme has arguably been better. The Bruins had no answer for Timme in Gonzaga’s thrilling come-from-behind victory Thursday. Timme finished with 36 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists in the winning effort.
In the paint, Timme is an artist. When the ball is in his hands it’s so difficult to stop him from scoring. He possesses an old-school, back-to-the-basket game that no collegiate defender has found the antidote for. For a player like Sanogo that often struggles to defend in space, this has the makings of a difficult matchup.
The positive news for Sanogo is that as much as Timme gets offensively, he gives quite a lot of it back on the other end. Timme rarely excels defensively, and oftentimes he straight up struggles on this end. But there is no collegiate player in the nation capable of stopping Timme from getting his 20+ tomorrow evening.
Sanogo doesn’t necessarily have to win this battle or outpace Timme, he simply has to keep up. It is pertinent that Sanogo doesn’t let Timme outscore him by a significant margin. Sanogo is the best player UConn has, and this is a spicy matchup for Sanogo to continue his recent run of strong offensive form. Timme is inevitable at this point of his career, he’s going to throw some punches with the rock in his hands. The key is for Sanogo to give them right back on the other end.