Gonzaga vs. UConn Elite 8 preview: 4 keys to beating the Huskies
After taking down UCLA 79-76 in an epic Sweet 16 showdown on Thursday night, Gonzaga will now face off against UConn in the Elite 8 on Saturday in Las Vegas. The Huskies clobbered Arkansas in their Sweet 16 matchup winning 88-65.
Here are four keys for Gonzaga to beat UConn:
REBOUND, OR ELSE
UConn is one of the best rebounding teams in the country. Coming into the Sweet 16, the Huskies' +9 rebounding margin ranked tied for second in the country. UConn is big, physical and extremely active on the glass.
In the Sweet 16, Gonzaga put on a clinic rebounding the basketball grabbing 50 boards compared to UCLA's 26. The Bulldogs scored 20 second-chance points, which contributed massively to the win. Gonzaga's +5 rebounding margin was tied for 18th nationally prior to the Sweet 16, which is a very good number. UConn is in a different class on the glass though.
In three of the Bulldogs' five losses this year, Gonzaga has been out rebounded.
LIMIT ADAMA SANOGO
The Drew Timme vs. Adama Sanogo matchup will be a fascinating one. Timme averages 21.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Sanogo, a 6-foot-9, 245 pound power forward, scores 17.3 points and grabs 7.5 rebounds per game. Both players lead their team in scoring and rebounding averages and have recorded a double-double in the NCAA Tournament.
Sanogo is the one player on UConn who can really hurt Gonzaga in the post on offense. UConn has incredible team depth (more on that later), but slowing down Sanogo and making a different Husky beat them should be a winning formula for the Bulldogs. Of course, that's much easier said than done.
DON'T RUN OUT OF GAS
Dan Hurley consistently rolls with an eight-man rotation that sometimes jumps up to nine or ten. The Huskies will throw a lot of bodies at the Zags, who play mostly with seven players, although it can be eight depending on the matchup and how much Ben Gregg sees the court.
Gonzaga made UCLA tired in the Sweet 16 down the stretch limiting the Bruins to zero field goals over an 11-minute span. Gonzaga, the nation's No. 1 team on offense, certainly won't go as cold as UCLA did in the Elite 8, but battling fatigue against a team with such great depth is certainly a concern.
Against UCLA, Timme put in 19 first-half points and really carried the Bulldogs when the team struggled to score. No other Gonzaga player scored more than five first-half points. UConn will make Timme's life much more difficult than UCLA did because they'll throw better bigs at him in Sanogo, Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan. Making sure Timme stays fresh enough to be at his best in crunch time is another key.
In the second half of UConn's three NCAA Tournament games, the Huskies have outscored their opponents 131-85. They're not a team that fades away.
DEFEND THE THREE-POINT LINE
UConn has shot 44.8% from deep in their three NCAA Tournament games. Jordan Hawkins, the Huskies' second-leading scorer, is 10-of-21 from three-point range in the tournament. Joey Calcaterra is another dangerous shooter. Those two are capable of getting hot and winning UConn the game.
