Gonzaga has the look of a Final Four team after beating Florida State.
Gonzaga beat Florida State, 72-58 to get to the Elite 8, but forgive us for looking ahead and the reasons why Mark Few’s team is destined to make the Final Four.
3. Frontcourt versatility
Their biggest strength is the versatility of their frontcourt. Tonight’s game showed they can bang with bigger teams, but they also can space the floor and spread an opponent out and feast that way too. In Clarke, Hachimura, and Tille Gonzaga has the players to use in any situation–against Florida State tonight, they finished the game with all three on the floor alongside Josh Perkins and Zach Norvell Jr.
The Bulldogs were the lone team to beat the Duke Blue Devils at full strength this year and their three-headed monster of a frontcourt was a big reason. Clarke spaces the floor vertically, Tille drags opposing bigs out of the paint, and Hachimura does a little of both and can also push the pace by himself in transition. Out of all of the teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament, there isn’t another team that gets the same type of versatility and production from their forwards and centers.
2. Invaluable experience
Another reason a trip to the Final Four seems destined for this team, their experience. Only Norvell Jr. and Corey Kispert are rotation players and underclassmen (both are sophomores). In Hachimura, Tille, and point guard Josh Perkins, this team features players who were on the team when they made their way to the national title game against the North Carolina Tar Heels–Perkins was a starter in that game.
The common belief in March Madness is that leadership and guard play are the requirements to make a deep run in the tournament. Gonzaga has both of those things. The Bulldogs only averaged 10.4 turnovers per game and keeping the ball away from the opposing teams grow even more crucial in the one-and-done style of the NCAA Tournament. Talent can bring you far in March, but in order to capitalize it often requires the poise and leadership that comes from players who have been through the wringer before.
1. Most complete team in the Tournament
Finally, the Bulldogs are a complete team; they ranked second in Ken Pomeroy’s 2019 Adjusted Efficiency Margin (plus-33.13). Though their offense is their calling card, they have turned it up defensively. In their three wins, they have allowed an average of 59.3 points per game. With the firepower that they bring on the other end of the floor (they’re averaging 80.7 points per game) it is highly unlikely any team will be able to defeat them if they aren’t even getting into the 60s.
Of their starting five, only Kispert is a minus defensively, and they simply could bring Geno Crandall off the bench who is a one-man press at times to fix that issue. Clarke is one of the best rim protectors in the country and as an added bonus, he can handle his own if switched onto a guard, Hachimura doesn’t have the same ceilings as Clarke on the defensive end, but his floor is above average in both cases. Norvell Jr. wreaks havoc in the passing lanes and when they get the momentum going it’s hard to stop them.
The reason is that they have a multi-faceted offense. Against Florida State, they carved the Seminoles up in transition getting to the basket and knocking down open three-pointers. They also run Few’s motion offense crisply and have no trouble springing someone free coming off of the move or through a screen.
Put it all together and you don’t have just a Final Four team, but one that has a very good shot at cutting down the nets and having their highlights close “One Shining Moment” when all is said and done. Under Few, Gonzaga has transitioned from pesky Cinderella into a perennial title contender. Like his team, Few rose from overlooked (started as a graduate assistant at Gonzaga) to top of the class over his 19 seasons running the show. This group that he has now is likely the most talented roster he has had yet. This team should definitely make the Final Four.