Gonzaga Round of 32 Preview

Sooooo, the Round of 64 was far from pretty for our Gonzaga Bulldogs, but in March, all that matters is the win. After finishing off Kennesaw State, they now turn their focus to the 11-seed Texas Longhorns out of the SEC. Let’s see who they are and what we need to do to keep playing in March.

Meet the Longhorns

Texas is on one of those "First Four" runs you gotta be very scared of. They’ve already taken down NC State and BYU. They are a very balanced team centered around their 7-foot big man, Matas Vokietaitas. His length will be something to keep an eye on against our own big man, Graham Ike. That will no doubt be the matchup of the game; whichever big bests the other will likely give their squad a major advantage.

UT isn't just a one-man show, they have some very good scoring guards in Dailyn Swain and Travon Mark. They both have great size as well, so they could prove to be an issue on both ends of the court. These two and Vokietaitas have averaged a combined 50.5 of their team's 73.5 PPG in their two tournament games. They are the game-changers on offense.

What do the Zags need to do?

HIGH-PERCENTAGE SHOTS! Yesterday, we took too many contested 3s and off-the-dribble jumpers. For Gonzaga to advance, they cannot play offense like they did against the Owls. That said, the inside may not be as clogged up this time since Texas won’t feel the need to double Ike as much since they have a 7-footer. It will be important to move these defenders around through some sets to find lanes & spot up shots.

I believe though it will be DEFENSE that’s gonna win this game. If they can force Texas to play one-on-one and take contested jumpers, it should feed right into our transition offense, but if we let them get it inside, be ready for a long night, Zags fans.

Keys to the Game

1. Ike vs. Vokietaitas: Which player can stay on the floor and out of foul trouble?

2. Win the 3pt Line: The Zags will need to hit a few from deep to keep the defense honest.

3. Who complements the bigs? Secondary scoring will be the name of the game.

Key Players

Graham Ike

Ike will be truly challenged by the 7-footer. After a decent first-round game, he will need to be "Herculean" if the Zags want to get back to the Sweet 16. More importantly, he needs to stay on the court. Vokietaitas is known for drawing fouls at an incredible rate; if Ike can’t play at least 32 minutes, we will be in grave danger of going home early.

Tyon Grant-Foster

This is the type of game where we need our slasher. Tyon has an amazing knack for drawing fouls; if he can force Texas to turn to their much thinner bench, it will prove to be a major advantage for the Bulldogs. His scoring will also be crucial if Ike finds himself in foul trouble.

No one said it was going to be easy, and this matchup proves that to a tee. Texas is a hot, confident squad that will not be on their heels at all goin’ up against our Zags. We will need a much sharper all-around game to stay alive into the second week. 40 minutes of clean basketball could put us in a spot to win another one!