UConn Basketball: 3 keys for the Huskies to upset Gonzaga in Madison Square Garden

It has not been the story that the reigning National Champion UConn Huskies expected to write this season. After a rough feast week, Dan Hurley outbursts, and falling to the bottom of the rankings, it appeared that the Huskies had begun to fall back to reality. But after victories over Baylor and Texas, the Huskies are back and ready to roll.

And now their true test has arrived: the No. 8 ranked team in the nation, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, will meet them in Madison Square Garden. This is their final non-conference game before Big East play begins and is their greatest test yet.

The Huskies lead the all-time series 3-2, with the most recent matchup being back on December 15, 2023, where UConn took that one 76-63. Can the Huskies repeat history? Or will Gonzaga tie this all-time series up?

Get the bench going

To beat a team like the UConn Huskies, you have to have a deep team, and the Huskies should look to demand more from their bench unit. Samson Johnson will hold it down low as the big man for the second unit, and he has done a good job so far being a leader for this team.

But look for one of the big-time transfers to get going. Aiden Mahaney from Saint Mary/s was a near 14-point-per-game scorer out west, but for the Huskies, he only averages 4.9 points per game. As one of the key pieces of the offseason for this team, Hurley and co. need to find a way to get him hot.

A sophomore forward like Jayden Ross is also looking for his breakout moment, and at that 6'7 frame he can guard some of these talented players for Gonzaga's second group. The starting five for the Huskies have been solid, but they need one of these players to make a major impact in order to win this game.

Slow down these Bulldog guards

Gonzaga has guards that can play all over the place for this team. Ryan Nembhard makes a return against a Big East opponent, and the former Creighton star has been solid for this group with 10.9 points per game.

Khalif Battle had a stint with Butler back in 2019, so former Big East players are here in this game. Battle has started to continue what he was able to do at Arkansas but is still waiting for a signature Bulldog moment. Nolan Hickman is yet another double-digit scorer for this team, so the point is clear. This team has scorers aplenty on this roster.

This is a tough ask defensively for Solo Ball and Hassan Diarra, but if this team is going to threepeat as National Champions, they need to be up for the task. This will be a huge proving point for this team to see if they can shut down these scorers, especially with an effectively home crowd behind them in MSG, their home away from home.

Perform in the rebounding department

Gonzaga is a very strong rebounding team with 41.4 rebounds per game. UConn on the other hand has sat at 37.5 rebounds per game. This is where that veteran presence of Samson Johnson comes into play. They will have to put in a strong team rebounding performance, and those are the players you look to.

This will also need to be a significant game for Tarris Reed Jr. who leads the team in rebounds with 8.2 per game this season. He may need to produce a double-digit rebound performance if they want to win this game.

While they may be outclassed in multiple areas talent wise, this is still a Dan Hurley coached UConn Huskies team. They should expect to play like a National Champion would, but this is a tall task for the Huskies. They get the advantage of a favorable crowd, and they are very used to this arena. So, while the Huskies may need a perfect storm to get this done, they have gotten it time and time again.