Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State tactical breakdown: 3 ways the Bulldogs can beat the Owls

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have not lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in almost exactly 18 years, when on March 21, 2008, they fell to No. 10 seed Davidson and future Hall of Famer Steph Curry.

That streak will be put to the best on Thursday, when the No. 3 seed Zags take on No. 14 Kennesaw State at 7:00 PM PT at the Moda Center in Portland, OR.

Kennesaw State (21-13) finished sixth in the Conference USA regular season, but rattled off three straight wins over Western Kentucky, Sam Houston State, and LA Tech to win the league's autobid and secure their second-ever appearance in the Big Dance.

The Owls are a high-tempo team that snaps up offensive rebounds at a strong clip, takes great care of the basketball, and loves to foul and get fouled, which will test Gonzaga in a handful of ways on Thursday night.

Below is a look at three things Gonzaga needs to do strategically to ensure they move on to the Round of 32 and a (potential) matchup with No. 6 BYU and freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa:

1. Attack the basket

This may seem obvious, but there is little reason for Gonzaga to settle for boatloads of outside shots in this matchup. While it's likely the Owls will do whatever they can to reduce Graham Ike's touches down low, the Zags have other ways of getting to the rim.

Tyon Grant-Foster's ability to beat guys off the dribble, get into the lane, and use his pump fake and craftiness to get fouled and/or get a lay-up is critical for Gonzaga in this one. While plenty has been made about TGF's inability to hit free throws (60.1% from the line on the year) it's his ability to get to the line that is valuable here.

Kennesaw State does not have the depth to hang with Gonzaga for a full 40 minutes - especially if they dare take them on in a track meet - and if Grant-Foster can take advantage of fatigued defenders by getting them in foul trouble, it will test coach Antonie Pettway's ability to keep running on Thursday night.

Jalen Warley and Davis Fogle are great drivers as well, while Adam Miller has grown into a two-dribble floater over the last few weeks of the season.

Ike will, of course, get his looks down low, and should be near automatic if he gets low post position, but the guards getting downhill and to the basket - or the line - will be key on Thursday.

2. Run them off the line

Kennesaw State is an average three-point shooting team, knocking down 35% of their attempts on the season - a number that drops to 33.7% when you take out non-D1 competition.

Still, Pettway comes from the Nate Oats coaching tree, so this Owls team loves to space the floor and shoot plenty of threes. They average 26.9 3PA per game, 56th in the country, and make 9.4 per game on average - good for 62nd.

The number one recipe for a major upset in March is a team getting hot from the perimeter, and it is imperative that Gonzaga does not let that happen on Thursday.

Fortunately, Gonzaga has been excellent at defending the three this season - even if fans may not agree with that sentiment. The Zags have allowed opponents to shoot just 30.8% from beyond the arc, good for the 30th-best in CBB. Recent struggles against San Francisco (14-28), Oregon State (10-18) and Saint Mary's (16-33) certainly stand out, but in the WCC Tournament, OSU and Santa Clara shot a combined 15-59 (25.4%), which contributed to Gonzaga's victories.

The Owls will not have their best shooter, Simeon Cottle, who shot 37.7% on 8.6 attempts per game before he was removed from the team and charged in the ongoing points shaving scandal impacting college basketball.

Still, guys like RJ Johnson (43.3%, 3.8 3PA/G), Jaden Harris (37.6%, 5.3 3PA/G) and Trey Simpson (34.5%, 4.9 3PA/G) can make life difficult for Gonzaga if they get hot.

This is another area where Grant-Foster's impact will be measured. The 6'7 wing is Gonzaga's best shot blocker, and he does most of his damage on the perimeter - a skill coach Few has marveled at a handful of times this season.

"He's just got a real gift for blocking shots out there on the perimeter," Few said back in January. "It's crazy. I've never had a guy like that [who] can just challenge a shot and block it. You don't see very many perimeter [guys] block shots, and he does it a lot."

Jalen Warley, Emmanuel Innocenti, Adam Miller, and the rest of Gonzaga's perimeter defenders will also need to keep Kennesaw State's shooters from getting too many open looks by chasing them off the line, fighting hard through screens, and communicating well on that end of the floor.

3. Punish them in transition

Kennesaw State is among the best offensive rebounding teams in the country. The Owls average 13.9 offensive boards per game - the seventh most in college basketball - and while some of that is due to their high-tempo offense, they still have a very solid 35.5% rate on the offensive glass, 40th in the country.

Gonzaga is also great on the offensive and defensive glass, but the key here is not simply to box out better and grab more rebounds, but rather to punish Kennesaw State for selling out for second-chance opportunities.

This is what the Zags did so effectively against Santa Clara last Tuesday. The Broncos crashed hard after taking a shot, hoping to secure an offensive rebound and another chance to score. It worked well in the first half, but Gonzaga adjusted in the second half by having Grant-Foster sky in for defensive rebounds and immediately look to push the pace.

This led to multiple transition opportunities, as Santa Clara didn't have enough help getting back. Gonzaga has high-quality athletes in Grant-Foster, Warley, Innocenti, and Fogle who can go get a rebound and immediately push up the floor - and teams that aren't flying back on defense as soon as a shot goes up are in danger of giving up easy points to the Zags in transition.

If Gonzaga can force KSU to abandon the offensive glass to avoid giving up easy points, it will limit their second-chance opportunities and make life far easier on Thursday.

Gonzaga and Kennesaw State are set to tip at 7:00 PM on March 19 at the Moda Center, and the game will be broadcast on TBS.