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NCAA Tournament: Storylines For Every Sweet 16 Team

By Nathan Giese

Mar 20, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) celebrates defeating the Virginia Commonwealth Rams 85-81 during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) celebrates defeating the Virginia Commonwealth Rams 85-81 during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 19, 2016; Denver , CO, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Domantas Sabonis (11) z guard Silas Melson (0) forward Kyle Wiltjer (33) and guard Kyle Dranginis (3) in first half action of Utah vs Gonzaga during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2016; Denver , CO, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Domantas Sabonis (11) z guard Silas Melson (0) forward Kyle Wiltjer (33) and guard Kyle Dranginis (3) in first half action of Utah vs Gonzaga during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

Gonzaga Bulldogs: Can The Big Men Roll Over The Competition?

Guard play was one of the biggest concerns for Gonzaga entering the season. To this point, they’ve done just enough to make this a successful season despite losing three starters from last year’s Elite Eight squad.

Eric McClellan and Josh Perkins have stepped up to the challenge all season. McClellan took home West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors while Josh Perkins has been the scorer (10.2 points per game) and distributor (140 total helpers) the Bulldogs needed to build around Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis.

While those two plus Kyle Dranginis have been just good enough to get Gonzaga somewhere, it’s been Wiltjer and Sabonis that have carried the load.

Combined, Wiltjer and Sabonis average 38 of the teams 79 points and 18 of the team’s 39 rebounds per game. Without them, the team is a group of talented players without a focus.

The guards have done just enough to make a difference for the two big men. In a college basketball world dominated by guard play, it’s the two posts that have been the focus for Gonzaga.

Can Gonzaga continue to put itself into a position to make this Mark Few’s most successful postseason run? Or will the guards need to become the focus more than normal, especially against Syracuse’s zone defense?

Next: Well Orange You A Bit Lucky?