The Washington Huskies have had a solid start to their basketball season with wins against their weaker out-of-conference opponents, but the Huskies did lose to then No.8 Auburn and are lined up for a real test on Wednesday night when they travel to Spokane to take on the top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs.
While it’s still early in the season, Gonzaga—to this point—has more than earned that top ranking. This has been one of the best teams in college hoops for years now, earning them some preseason love, but so far this year, they’ve taken care of business against the big boys when given the chance, toppling Duke 89-87 to leapfrog the Blue Devils in the rankings.
The Bulldogs take on the Pac-12 again on Wednesday. The Zags toppled Arizona earlier this year and now get a Washington team hungry for an upset. Off course, the team can be as hungry as it wants to be, but is it good enough? The likely answer is: probably not.
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Washington Huskies vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Date and Time: Wednesday, December 5, 2018, 11 p.m. ET
Location: McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, Washington
College Basketball Odds: Check Back Later
Huskies vs. Bulldogs TV Coverage: ESPN2
Gonzaga remains undefeated going into this game. Most recently, the Zags topped the Bluejays of Creighton 103-92, their second consecutive 100+ point game and fourth of the season. The Bulldogs are currently 8-0 on the year.
The Bulldogs have been rolling. They’ve outscored the competition by 22.4 PPG, averaging 98.4 PPG and shooting a staggering 54.2-percent from the floor and a solid 38.7-percent from three-point range.
The offense for Gonzaga has been great, but the defense has done well, too. The competition is barely shooting over 41-percent from the floor and 30-percent beyond the arc.
While the Creighton win was nice, the biggest win on the season came against Duke, when Gonzaga won the game 89-87 and leapfrogged the Blue Devils in the rankings.
In that game, Gonzaga was more than able to keep up with the Blue Devils’ collection of NBA prospects. Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke, in particular, did well. The duo of forwards combined for 38 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocks.
On the season, the Zags are getting 21.9 PPG from Hachimura and 17.3 PPG from Clarke. Hachimura has shot over 60-percent from the floor and has shown himself to be a solid shooter even from the perimeter. Clarke is sinking even more shots. He’s also got 7.8 RPG and 3.9 BPG.
In the game against Washington, these two should allow Gonzaga to win the battle of the boards and own the paint, but that’s not the only strength of the Bulldogs. The Zags are also a good team inside with a pair of guards averaging at last 11.6 PPG. Zach Norvell Jr., for one, has 18.6 PPG, second on the team to Hachimura. Perkins, meanwhile, is the general on the court.
Few teams can compete with Gonzaga inside the paint or on the outside, much less both, considering the team has two elite performers inside and out while also sprinkling in a number of other excellent players. Washington doesn’t have the same depth of talent.
While Gonzaga has four players with at least 11.6 PPG. The Huskies have two. As a team, Washington is averaging just 72 points. That’s below the number of the Gonzaga opposition on the year, the same number that the Zags are averaging more than 22 PPG more than.
As for the players averaging double digit points for Washington, those are Jaylen Nowell and Noah Dickerson. Nowell will battle with Norvell and Perkins outside while Dickerson will try and get past Hachimura and Clarke without all his shots being blocked.
In terms of the team, Washington is coming off a 67-63 win over UC Santa Barbara on Sunday. The win pushes the Washington record to 6-2, but it was a four point victory over the Gauchos. Dickerson scored 22 with eight rebounds. Nowell has 17 with five assists, but the team got little else.
Depth is a problem for this team. Dickerson and Nowell scored 50 in their loss to Minnesota as the rest of the team scored just 16.
Live Betting
The Bulldogs have already proven their worth against Duke. Illinois played them tough, but they’ve managed big wins against Arizona, Creighton and plenty of other solid basketball programs.
Gonzaga’s team is just strong and deep. The front court, in particular, is stacked with Hachimura and Clarke. Look for great games from both, but Washington has some viable options inside to at least provide competition for the Gonzaga stars. Watch if Dickerson is able to find his way around Clarke for some shots. Meanwhile, keep tabs on Matisse Thybulle and Hameir Wright who aren’t big scorers inside, but provide quality defense that’ll be needed if the team is going to slow down Hachimura and Clarke enough to cover the spread.
Look for all the exciting live betting opportunities at BookMaker.eu in this one and watch the early results. Look for Washington’s front court to hang tough early, but this Gonzaga team is so good and so deep, they’ll wear down the Huskies in the end and capture a commanding victory.
Key Player
Hachimura and Clarke give Gonzaga a sizeable front court advantage against nearly any other team in college hoops. Meanwhile, the Zags have a solid backcourt presence, too, but it’s Norvell that gets the attention. He’s second on the Bulldogs in points and provides a solid blend of rebounds, assists and steals. It also doesn’t hurt that his NCAA Tournament play was great, earning him a big of recognition.
While there’s no doubt these are all important players and evidence as to the strength and depth of the Zags’ roster, the key in this game is Josh Perkins.
The most experienced player on the court of Gonzaga, Perkins has played in the National Title game and is, as a result, calm, cool and collected. He’s also the team’s leader in assists. He’s great at creating opportunities for his teammates. Of course, it helps to have such great players as teammates. Still, he’s the leader on the court and while his 8.6 APG are impressive, the fact, he’s a solid outside shot with 11.6 PPG of his own makes him, and the team, all the more dangerous.
Huskies vs. Bulldogs Live Betting
Last year’s Huskies made a major jump and the expectations there were for a solid next step for Washington. That, of course, could still happen, but it appears the Huskies are at least a few steps back from joining the elite, putting Gonzaga in a very favorable place in this game.
Look for the hosting Zags to put together an impressive game and win this one handily. There’s a lot to like from this Washington team, but at the end of the day, the Huskies lost to Auburn and Minnesota as they’ beat up on the team’s they’re supposed to beat, but struggled in the tougher contests.
In the end, the Bulldogs’ offense is just too potent while the defense has proven good enough to avoid a shootout in this one.
Check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for Wednesday’s college basketball action.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Gonzaga 91, Washington 67
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