Jalen Warley crucial for Gonzaga in first weekend of NCAA Tournament

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play in Portland against No. 14 Kennesaw State on Thursday evening.

Unfortunately, the team's path to the Sweet 16 will need to happen without star forward Braden Huff, who remains out with a left knee injury suffered back in January.

Few provided a brief update on Huff's status at the team's Selection Sunday event, confirming his absence for the games this week.

"B-Huff's jogging and shooting," Few said. "He's not gonna be able to play this weekend or anything, but he is jogging and shooting."

Huff started 18 games for the Zags, averaging 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting a ridiculous 69.7% on two pointers and 33.3% from three. He was among the most productive and efficient offensive players in the country prior to his injury and was a significant contributor on the offensive glass for Gonzaga.

Not having Huff will present a challenge against a very physical Owls team that went 21-13 this year, even with star point guard Simeon Cottle getting suspended indefinitely in January as part of the sport-wide gambling scandal.

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Braden Huff. | Photo by Lane Mathews

Kennesaw State averages nearly 14 offensive rebounds per game - eighth in the country - and they are adept at getting to the free throw line, averaging 27 attempts per game - which ranks second in the country.

This puts a lot on the shoulders of Jalen Warley, who stepped into a starting role for the last two months - and battled through a brutal quad contusion suffered back on Feb. 4 against Portland.

The injury ultimately took Warley out of Gonzaga's final two regular-season games - at home against Portland and at Saint Mary's - but the 6'7 senior returned for the Zags in the WCC Tournament, and according to Few, he's "moving around pretty good" after playing 39 minutes in those two contests.

Warley is Gonzaga's most versatile defensive player, proving capable of guarding 1-5, although his impact on the glass has been limited since his injury, which sapped some of his explosiveness. The 6'7 wing averaged 5.3 rebounds in 22.3 minutes in the first 23 games of the year, but that dropped to 2.1 boards in 19 minutes in his most recent eight games.

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Warley. | Photo by Lane Mathews

The senior is also going to make a big impact offensively, particularly as a big playmaking wing who can get Gonzaga out in transition and facilitate for Graham Ike.

Ike has thrown this team on his back over the last two months and willed them to a 13-2 record in Huff's absence. The 6'9 senior won the WCC Player of the Year after averaging 19.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in his final season of eligibility, which included an eight-game streak of 20+ points down the stretch.

Gonzaga will tip off against Kennesaw State on Thursday, March 19, at 7:00 PM at the Moda Center in Portland, OR, and will be broadcast on TBS.