No. 10 Gonzaga eyes different outcome in another Seattle showdown against Huskies

SEATTLE – Gonzaga’s recent trip to the Emerald City to face the Huskies didn’t go as planned.

The 10th-ranked Zags, upset by Washington 78-73 last Saturday, are back in town for another showdown with another breed of Huskies – one that has five national championships in its trophy case over the past 25 years.

The past 25 years have been remarkable for the Zags, too, but they could really use a marquee win with dwindling opportunities remaining on their nonconference and West Coast Conference schedules.

No. 5 UConn (9-1) has the look of a title contender again entering Friday’s 7 p.m. date with Gonzaga (8-2) in the Continental Tire Seattle Tip-Off at Climate Pledge Arena.

“They’re doing a really good job of building their program, and what I mean by that is they’re stacking their classes so they can absorb guys leaving early, stuff like that,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “After winning that championship last year, now they have the feeling of that and they’re loading up and look like they’re playing well enough to get there this year.

“It’ll be a huge challenge, but a fun challenge, a great opportunity for our guys. It’ll be an awesome crowd in Seattle, so we’re looking forward to it.”

The teams collide nine months after UConn handed Gonzaga its worst NCAA Tournament loss, 82-54, in the Elite Eight en route to the championship. It’s hard to call it a rematch when both teams sent several key players to the professional ranks, added through the transfer portal and returning players have assumed new roles.

“We got punched in the mouth first and we never really responded,” said Zags forward Ben Gregg, who played 20 minutes off the bench in the game last March. “They were a great team … the best team in college basketball. So now that we’ve had a taste of it and what they can do, we know what to expect going into Friday. It’s going to be a battle, so we’ve just got to be ready to fight and hopefully make some shots and get stops.”

Gonzaga returns two starters, Anton Watson and Nolan Hickman. UConn returns two starters, Tristen Newton and Alex Karaban, and a few more reserves than GU, led by 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan, who has taken over in the post from Adama Sanogo.

Clingan has been projected as a first-round NBA pick. Freshman wing Stephon Castle, a McDonald’s All-American, has returned from a knee injury and could become another double-figures scorer to join Newton (17.0), Rutgers transfer guard Cam Spencer (15.8), Karaban (15.6) and Clingan (13.2).

UConn has a slight edge statistically. The Huskies average 87.9 points, 63.2 allowed, 50.9% shooting, 33.6% on 3-pointers, plus-13.8 rebounding. The Zags check in at 84.9 points, 65.3 allowed, 49.9% shooting, 33.2% on 3s, plus-12.4 rebounding.

The Huskies are fourth in KenPom’s metrics, including fourth in adjusted offensive efficiency and 16th on defense. The Zags are 12th overall, 17th on offense and 18th on defense. UConn is sixth in the NET rankings with Gonzaga at 33.

“I mean, they’re good every year,” Zags freshman wing Dusty Stromer said. “We have to be ready, come with that fire, a chip on our shoulder from taking that loss that we didn’t want to take and just hit them early.”

Gonzaga has several concern areas to address after the UW loss. That game marked the third time the Zags have had more turnovers (12) than assists (11) after they committed nine second-half miscues to go with just one assist.

The Zags also lost the boards (36-28) for the first time this season. They’ve made only 10 of their past 42 3-pointers, 5 of 33 in the last three halves. That’s an area Gonzaga could have an advantage if it finds its perimeter touch against a UConn squad that gives up 37.4% from deep on the season compared to GU’s 27.9%.

“Obviously, we know who UConn has,” forward Braden Huff said. “The 3-ball is going to be a big thing, but also still being aggressive inside and looking for those shots if they’re there. You can’t just get tentative and just rely on the 3-ball. Just finding that balance is the biggest thing.”

Clingan isn’t as much of a scoring threat as Purdue center Zach Edey, but the sophomore has been big on defense with 21 blocks and just 16 fouls in 10 games.

“He’s going to try and block every shot, so getting into his body and trying to get him in foul trouble early will be key for us,” Gregg said. “I would say he’s most like Zach Edey that we’ve played, just with how big he is and physical he is and his touch around the rim is great. So just not giving him easy angles to get baskets, that’s going to be a big challenge.

“They’re all around a great team. They’ve got shooters and with him, they’re dangerous.”