Gonzaga looks to maintain WCC lead in tough road test at San Francisco

3 keys for the Zags to survive the Bay Area showdown

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Warley (8). | Photo by Erik Smith

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs took a short few days to recover from Saturday's gritty road win over Santa Clara before heading back to California for a road tilt against the San Francisco Dons.

The game is set to tip off on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 8:00 PM PT on ESPN2 and will be played at the Chase Center instead of USF's home floor at War Memorial.

This will be the third year in a row Gonzaga has played San Francisco at Chase, the home of the Golden State Warriors, with the Zags winning each of the previous two meetings.

Gonzaga (25-2, 13-1) is alone in first place in the WCC and controls their destiny with four regular-season games remaining. San Francisco (15-13, 7-8) is the toughest matchup left on the schedule before the Zags close conference play in Moraga against Saint Mary's on Feb. 28.

The Dons nearly took down GU at the Kennel back on Jan. 24, falling 68-66 when a game-winning three-point attempt from Barry Wang rimmed out. The game took place during the three-game stretch when Gonzaga was missing both Graham Ike and Braden Huff. With Ike back in the mix, Gonzaga will have a huge part of their offensive and defensive identity with them as they look for their fourth straight win of the year and 35th straight over the Dons.

Below is a look at three things the Zags need to do to leave San Francisco with a win on Wednesday:

1. Control the glass

Gonzaga's narrow win over San Francisco in Spokane was largely due to USF's scorching hot outside shooting, but a lesser discussed issue was the Zags getting outrebounded, 41-37, by the Dons.

Of course, Gonzaga was missing both Graham Ike and Braden Huff in that game, and 7'0 center Ismaila Diagne played just eight minutes - leaving the other 32 minutes to be manned by 6'7 wings Jalen Warley, Tyon Grant-Foster, and Davis Fogle in the frontcourt.

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Emmanuel Innocenti (5). | Photo by Myk Crawford

Ike's presence in this game should make a huge difference on the glass, with the big man averaging 9.3 boards per game since returning from his ankle injury three weeks ago. Meanwhile, San Francisco's star sophomore wing Tyrone Riley IV - who had 10 rebounds against the Zags in Spokane - has missed the past two games with an injury, and as of now, it's unclear if he will be suiting up on Wednesday evening.

USF averages 36.8 rebounds per game this year - 114th in college basketball - while Gonzaga sits 14th with 41.2 boards per game. That number has dipped to just 34.3 in the nine games Huff has been out, however, and the Zags will likely need to top that in order to secure a win in the Bay on Wednesday.

2. Shut down outside shooting

The single biggest factor in USF nearly taking down Gonzaga in Spokane was three-point shooting. The Dons shot out of their mind at the Kennel, drilling 14 threes on 28 attempts. It is the most threes a team has made against the Zags this season, and one of just two games where a team shot 50+% from three, with Oregon State being the other.

San Francisco Dons guard Legend Smiley (13). | Photo by Myk Crawford

While Ike isn't a perimeter defender, his presence will once again help in this area simply because it allows Warley, Grant-Foster, and Fogle to spend more time using their length to defend the three-point line - rather than having to play down low in a lineup without any bigs.

USF is shooting 34.7% from three as a team, and in the six games since they last played Gonzaga, they have shot just 29.7% - a prolonged slump that Zag fans hope will continue through Wednesday night.

3. Make your dang free throws

Gonzaga is shooting 69.5% from the free-throw line this year, good for 276th in the country according to KenPom. They shot 11-22 from the line against USF last time out, and it was another key reason they were nearly taken down by the Dons.

The Zags have been under 71% from the line in seven of their last nine games, with the lone exceptions being Oregon State (14-16) and Washington State (12-14).

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Myk Crawford

Six of Gonzaga's rotation players shoot over 72% from the line, but the issue is the poor shooters - namely Tyon Grant-Foster and Jalen Warley - take a large percentage of Gonzaga's shots from the stripe. Grant-Foster is elite at drawing contact, which often helps put key opponents on the bench, but he's just a 60.5% shooter on the year.

This game could end up close down the stretch, and Gonzaga's ability to score from the line could be make or break in this one.

Gonzaga and San Francisco will tip off Wednesday at 8:00 PM PT on ESPN2.

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