#6 Gonzaga Continues WCC Play vs. Santa Clara

After destroying San Francisco 88-57, Gonzaga is now set to battle the Santa Clara Broncos.

Santa Clara is coming off of a 17 point loss to Portland.  So far the Broncos are 2-3 in conference play.  Their wins have come against Pacific and San Diego.  The Broncos are led by senior guard Brandon Clark and sophomore guard Jared Brownridge.  It will be key for these two to play well against the Zags if they want to stand a chance.

Nov 24, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; Santa Clara Broncos guard Jared Brownridge (23) lays up the ball over Michigan State Spartans forward Matt Costello (10) during the 2nd half of a game at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. MSU won 79-52. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

I expect this game to look a lot like Gonzaga’s last game, which was against San Francisco.  Santa Clara’s big men don’t quite match up to Gonzaga’s.  I don’t think they will be able to hang with Kyle Wiltjer and Przemek Kanowski.  Santa Clara’s tallest players are 6′ 9″ centers Matt Hubbard and Emmanuel Ndumanyna.  It will be difficult for these young, inexperienced, and small (compared to Gonzaga’s post players) players to keep up with Gonzaga.

In the past few games, Gonzaga’s post players have dominated.  No one in the conference can seem to figure out a way to stop them.

One thing I will be watching for is the battle between the guards from both teams.  Both teams are led by senior guards.  Their experience will definitely show in this game, so I will be looking for excellent passing and reading of the court.

Overall, I expect another lopsided victory for Gonzaga.  The biggest issue for the Zags is to keep up their good play and not to get used to playing against weaker teams.