Gonzaga vs. Davidson
Guards
Strongest position on the team. Jeremy Pargo earned WCC player of the year honors, not so much for his scoring but for leading the conference in assists (6.2), assists- to-turnover ratio (1.9), and being eighth in steals (1.47). Four of Pargo’s five best scoring games have come in GU losses. Matt Bouldin is the team’s top scorer at 12.7 points, but he struggled in the WCC tournament (6 of 16 field goals, 0 of 5 3-pointers, seven turnovers, four assists). Steven Gray’s scoring average has dipped by nearly a point over the last month, but he still made 44.1 percent of his 3-pointers.
Forwards and centers
The Bulldogs have relied on four players at the two positions. At post, Abdullahi Kuso and Josh Heytvelt combined for 16.6 points and nearly 10 rebounds per WCC game. Heytvelt has only reached double figures once in the last seven games. At forward, David Pendergraft is one of the team’s best 3-point shooters (44 percent) and steadiest players. Austin Daye adds scoring punch, rebounding and shot-blocking in his 18.4 minutes per game.
Bench
Micah Downs, Daye and Heytvelt should give the Bulldogs an advantage off the bench. All three are capable of 20-point games. Center Robert Sacre has started all but one game the last month, but typically comes out after 2-3 minutes. Kuso started GU’s last game.
Guards
Strongest position on the team. Southern Conference player of the year Stephen (pronounced Steff-in) Curry is a scoring machine (double figures every game this season) with a green light to shoot from anywhere. He scored 27 points in the first half against Tennessee-Chattanooga, outscoring the Mocs by himself. Point guard Jason Richards‘ eight assists per game lead the nation and he’s also a capable scorer. Max Paulhus Gosselin is considered the team’s defensive specialist. He averages only 3.4 points per game.
Forwards and centers
Like Gonzaga, the Wildcats use four interior players, three of whom play roughly 20 minutes per game. Boris Meno (7.8 points, 5.9 rebounds) and Thomas Sander (7.7 points, 5.0 rebounds) have nearly identical stats and Andrew Lovedale (6.4 points, 5.2 rebounds) isn’t far behind. Stephen Rossiter leads Wildcats regulars in field-goal percentage (59.1).
Bench
Meno is the primary contributor. The senior has 13 career double-doubles. Nobody else averages more than 5.4 points, but Bryant Barr has provided a spark with 49 3-pointers.
Summary
The battle of backcourts figures to loom large. Gonzaga appears to have a slight edge inside and a considerable one off the bench, but the Wildcats will have the backing of a partisan Davidson crowd. Despite being a higher seed, No. 7 Gonzaga is a two-point underdog, but it has shown it can thrive in tough road/neutral court environments with wins over UConn and Saint Joseph’s.