
Leading statistician Ken Pomeroy has been tracking college basketball since 2002, using advanced analytics to rate and rank teams at KenPom.com. His algorithm currently has Gonzaga pegged as the No. 3 team in the sport, behind only Texas and Kentucky. You might want to familiarize yourself with those two teams, as the Zags travel to Austin to face Texas on Wednesday before returning home to host Kentucky at Spokane Arena on Sunday.
Gonzaga won the first leg of a home-and-home series with Texas last season at the Kennel by a dozen against a Longhorns team in the first year under head coach Chris Beard. That Texas squad was loaded with transfers playing their first games in the program, and the lack of chemistry and cohesion made for a rocky road. Things look to be different this year, as most of those transfers are back for another go in Austin. The Longhorns have started three seniors (Timmy Allen, Dylan Disu, Marcus Carr) in each of their two games so far this season and have three more seniors in the rotation who come off the bench.
On the offensive end, the Longhorns have five players averaging more than nine points per game, led by sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter scoring 14 points per game. Senior forward Allen led the Longhorns in scoring last season against the Zags, and is averaging 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds so far this year.
Offense isn’t the Longhorns’ calling card, however. Chris Beard is a defensive coach, as Zags fans will remember when his Texas Tech squad knocked off GU in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. After moving to Tech’s cross-state rival, his players have bought into his approach. Texas held Houston Christian to just 31 points in their most recent game.
Under Mark Few, the Zags are always near the top of the sport on the offensive end. This season, Pomeroy projects Gonzaga to be the most efficient offense in the sport. On the other hand, KenPom’s model projects Texas as the top defense, which makes this a high-level strength-on-strength matchup.
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here won’t be much time for the Zags to recuperate after the test in Texas. Four days later, they’ll face off against Pomeroy’s No. 1 team in the country, the Kentucky Wildcats.
The first of a six-year series between the Zags and Wildcats will take place off campus at Spokane Arena — despite having a capacity more than twice that of The Kennel, tickets for this heavyweight bout sold out in under an hour (in part because you basically can’t purchase tickets for games at McCarthey). Gonzaga’s been as consistent and elite as any program in the sport for the past two decades. You could say the same about Kentucky, except without the two-decade caveat. Kentucky has more wins all-time than any team in the sport other than reigning national champion Kansas.
Kentucky has national championship aspirations of its own. However, the Wildcats have some injury concerns to address if those dreams are to become a reality. Reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe averaged 17.4 points and 15.2 rebounds per game a season ago but has been held out of Kentucky’s two games to start this season after undergoing a “minor” knee surgery just last month.
In positive injury news, the Wildcats saw the return of senior point guard Sahvir Wheeler, who suffered a leg injury in a preseason exhibition. Wheeler missed the opener but bounced back in the second game of the season with 11 points and 11 assists.
A matchup of Drew Timme’s finesse against Tshiebwe’s strength in the post would be must-see TV. Even if Tshiebwe has to remain sidelined with injury on Sunday, the return of Wheeler to run their potent offense makes this as enticing of a game as college basketball has seen so far this season.
THIS WEEK
Gonzaga at #11 Texas • Wed, Nov. 16 at 6:30 pm • ESPN2
Kentucky vs. Gonzaga • Sun, Nov. 20 at 4:30 pm • Spokane Arena • ESPN