Gonzaga Basketball: 3 keys to matchup with UConn Huskies in Madison Square Garden

Gonzaga Basketball is coming off an overtime loss to Kentucky in Seattle, blowing a 16-point halftime lead. But they’re still in the top 10, tanking on another ranked team in the UConn Huskies. After an 0-3 run in the Maui Invitational, the Huskies have since won three straight games, coming off key wins over Baylor and Texas.

This matchup will be played in Madison Square Garden, where the Huskies are comfortable. But Gonzaga is more than capable of winning on the road. Here are three specific keys to the matchup for the Bulldogs.

1. Alex Karaban vs Michael Ajayi and Ben Gregg

The Huskies have four double-digit scorers but the main guy to watch is Karaban, who leads the team with 16.5 ppg and 3.4 apg. He’s one of the best stretch forwards in the country, shooting 48% from three-point range. Gonzaga has two forwards to throw at him in Ajayi and Gregg. Between the two, Ajayi is the better defender but has struggled on the offensive end, while Gregg has provided an offensive spark off the bench. Coach Few will have to decide which is the best option to deal with Karaban, as his going off will be an issue in the game.

2. Ryan Nembhard vs UConn’s defense

The senior ball-handler for Gonzaga leads the nation in passing in 10.7 apg. He goes up against a team that allows just 8.8 apg, good for 3rd nationally. Yes, they played weak competition, but even against the five high-major opponents, the Huskies only averaged 11.2 apg allowed. Their defense will have the Bulldogs more in iso situations, but Nembhard and Graham Ike’s pick-and-roll combo will be a test that they haven’t dealt with. Low assists for GU will be a warning sign in this game.

3. Make 3-pointers in the second half

It may not be as simple, but if Gonzaga simply made a couple of three-pointers in the final 20 minutes against WVU and Kentucky, they’d probably be unbeaten right now. UConn’s three-point defense is interesting because they don’t allow many attempts (5th nationally at 17 3s allowed) but is 339th in percentage allowed at 339th. So when teams do get good looks, they tend to make them.

That has been Gonzaga’s weakness, shooting 34% from deep at 23 attempts. They may not need many 3s to beat UConn if they can have the advantage inside. But at some point, they’ll need to make some key shots, or else they risk another loss in non-con play.