Mike Hopkins said it in his press conference, and on the radio show: the Dawgs need to show poise against #1 ranked Gonzaga on the road. They have yet to have a real complete game this season, and if tonight isn't the night to have one, I don't know when is. The Huskies need to control the tempo, slow Gonzaga down, rebound the ball, and defend the three to have any shot at a close game.



Gonzaga is a powerhouse. They have the best shooting percentage in all of college basketball at 54.2%, make 38.7% of their threes on 24.25 attempts, shell out 20 assists a game (9th in the country), swat the ball 6 times per game (also 9th in the country), and score 98.4 points per game, while only giving up 76. They are just insane. And it's not like they've been playing cupcakes either. They've already beaten Arizona, Duke, and Creighton.



But enough gobbling all over Gonzaga. I'm a Husky fan, and just like hopefully all of you, I despise the Bulldogs. This may not be the year the Dawgs finally beat them, but it may be closer than you think if we have a solid game plan like we had last season against #2 ranked Kansas.



I do believe Washington can keep it close, and potentially win this game. Yes, it is a long shot, but the Huskies do have an elite defense, and it's that defense that can ultimately win us this game. We are holding teams to only 66.4 points per game on 39.8% shooting, blocking 7 shots a game (4th in the country), and steal the ball 7.5 times per game. If the Huskies can force turnovers, slow the tempo down by stopping fast breaks, out rebound, hold the Bulldogs to under 40% shooting, and around 30% from three, I think we have a chance. A lot to do I know, but it is possible. Although it might be all for nothing if the Dawgs can't convert on the offensive end.



Tonight, I believe it will be up to Dominic Green, Matisse Thybulle, and Noah Dickerson to be the difference offensively. Of course, Jaylen Nowell needs to be on point too, but he will be heavily guarded, and other players will need to step up.



Tony Castricone said it on the Mike Hopkins show that when Dom makes at least three 3 point shots the Huskies haven't lost. I've said it before that Dom needs to keep shooting. Yes he is streaky, but you never know when it could be a hot streak. I'm hoping Dom sinks at least 4 tonight against the Zags.



When Matisse is on offensively the Dawgs also rarely lose. His elite defense will always be a factor, but if he continues to shoot like he has the past couple of games, Gonzaga will have a lot more than Noah and Jaylen to worry about. I hope to see Matisse drain a couple threes tonight, and finally take the ball hard to the rim and try and draw some fouls on their bigs.



Noah just needs to be Noah; draw fouls and make his foul shots. Pretty simple. The only thing he does need to worry about is staying out of foul trouble himself. In this game, we cannot afford to have him off the court. It has been pretty clear that we have almost zero offense without him out there. I'm also hoping that Hameir Wright stays out of foul trouble, because he has been a beast defending the low post so far this season. And if Wright is on the floor, Noah has a better chance of not committing fouls on the defensive end.



It is going to be a battle tonight out there in the Kennel, but don't count the Huskies out of this one so soon. Our defense has been know to disrupt a lot of teams, and if our offense shows up tonight, this could be a really good game. I truly hope Washington can finally give it to Mark Few and Gonzaga, and make this a real rivalry again.



Go Dawgs!





