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The top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs will face off against the No. 16 Virginia Cavaliers on a neutral-site court in Fort Worth, Texas. This will be the undefeated Bulldog's fourth game against a team ranked in the AP top-25 poll.
Match Details
Fixture: Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Virginia Cavaliers - NCAA Men's Basketball
Date & Time: Saturday, December 26th, 4 PM ET
Venue: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
Gonzaga Bulldogs Preview
The Gonzaga Bulldogs will have another chance on Saturday to prove why they are the nation's number one team.
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The biggest strength of this team is their ability to score. The Gonzaga Bulldogs are shooting 55.1 percent from the field compared to their opponents, 43.5 percent. All five starters for Gonzaga are scoring 9.7 points or higher and they have two players averaging over 20.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs will need to continue to get production from every position on the court to avoid an upset against the Virginia Cavaliers.
Key Player - Jalen Suggs
The key player for the Gonzaga Bulldogs in Jalen Suggs. The freshman guard will need to be able to push the pace against a slow Virginia team and continue to up his average scoring numbers of 16.3 PPG. If Suggs can control the Bulldogs' pace, they will have no issues against the Virginia Cavaliers.
Gonzaga Bulldogs Predicted Lineup
Drew Timme, Anton Watson, Corey Kispert, Joel Ayayi, Jalen Suggs
Virginia Cavaliers Preview
The Virginia Cavaliers are 4-1 on the year. Their most recent win came against the William & Mary Tribe. The game against the Tribe was the first game for the Cavaliers since Dec. 4th, as two games were postponed, and the Villanova game was canceled due to COVID-19 related issues.
Despite going 17 days without a game, the Virginia Cavaliers looked focus and energized in their win against William & Mary. Here is what their starting guard, Trey Murphy III, had to say about his team's time off,
Really, I think that quarantine put a little bit of hunger in us and we were all just so eager to play and when we came back on Saturday, it was just clicking.
Murphy was right. The Cavaliers were right back in their defensive ways, only giving up 40 points on Tuesday night. According to Kenpom.com, Virginia ranks fourth in defensive efficiency by only allowing 86.8 points per 100 possessions.
The Virginia Cavaliers will need to maintain their defensive excellence and slow down the offensive powerhouse of the Gonzaga Bulldogs to come out of Texas with a win.
Key Player - Sam Hauser
Sam Hauser will be the key player for the Virginia Cavaliers against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The redshirt senior forward leads the team in points with 13.4 a game on 56.3 percent shooting. Hauser will need to continue his proficient scoring and take more chances to lead his team to a win on Saturday.
Virginia Cavaliers Predicted Lineup
Sam Hauser, Jay Huff, Kihei Clark, Trey Murphy III, Tomas Woldetensae
Gonzaga vs. Virginia Prediction
The Gonzaga Bulldogs will remain undefeated and go to 7-0 on the year and 4-0 against ranked opponents after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday. The Bulldogs will be able to maintain the pace of play and break down the disciplined Cavaliers defense.
Where to watch Gonzaga vs. Virginia
The game will be broadcast live on CBS.
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