After having their hands full with their last opponents, No. 3 Gonzaga and Arizona are set to face off tonight in Maui. Gonzaga took down Illinois, who gave a larger fight than the Bulldogs could’ve ever expected in the final minutes. And Arizona came back and uprooted the seeds of doubt that fans had for their team this year.
How Gonzaga Can Win
Just keep on the path. No, not that path taken against Illinois where a late-game struggle saved them. I am talking about the Gonzaga team we saw before the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. This means getting to the basket after shots, taking many good shots, and passing the ball. We have all seen that this works for this Gonzaga team when executed on their part and it usually opens their scoring ceiling to the nineties range.
How Arizona Can Win
Arizona needs to strive for great on-ball defense to cause this Gonzaga team to think on its heels. For Arizona, this really got them back into their game against Iowa State where they came back in the second half to pull off the win. Also, just taking smart shots with the lead or when down will help with this tough Gonzaga team. Nothing worse when Arizona shot themselves in the foot last game, when they took some non-favorable shots when down.
Players to Watch
Gonzaga: Brandon Clarke will need to work alongside Hachimura to ensure Gonzaga stays ahead. Clarke brings a large amount of paint presence that can help pull in rebounds for Gonzaga. And the more rebounds attained, the more opportunities this team has to score.
Arizona: Brandon Rudolph is the scoring leader for Arizona and he needs to display that. This Arizona team will need to score to keep up with a Gonzaga team that has the capacity to pull away. Watch Rudolph to take the smart shots for Arizona to keep them toe-to-toe with their Top-5 foe.
Score Prediction
Arizona really got lucky with the amount of missed shots from Iowa State last game that gave them the edge. I don’t think Arizona is at the level of Gonzaga, yet, in the season. However, Arizona will give Gonzaga a great level of opponent that will prepare them for their next opponent (Duke that means you). Gonzaga 91, Arizona 78
Photo Credits: https://www.slipperstillfits.com/2018/11/19/18102666/gonzaga-illinois-time-tv-schedule-how-to-stream-online-maui-invitational-bracket
