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LIVE on News 3: No. 1 Gonzaga faces tough test vs No. 16 Virginia

Towson Virginia Basketball
Posted at 8:40 AM, Dec 26, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-26 08:40:23-05

No. 1 Gonzaga (6-0) vs. No. 16 Virginia (4-1)

Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 16 Virginia presents a tough challenge for No. 1 Gonzaga. Gonzaga has won both of its games against ranked teams this season. Virginia is coming off a 76-40 win over William & Mary in its most recent game.

VETERAN LEADERSHIP: Gonzaga's Drew Timme, Corey Kispert and Joel Ayayi have combined to account for 54 percent of the team's scoring this season, including 52 percent of all Bulldogs points over the last five games.SOLID SAM: Sam Hauser has connected on 43.5 percent of the 23 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 7 of 17 over the last three games. He's also made 75 percent of his foul shots this season.

ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Bulldogs have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Cavs. Virginia has an assist on 48 of 79 field goals (60.8 percent) across its past three outings while Gonzaga has assists on 68 of 108 field goals (63 percent) during its past three games.

PACE OF PLAY: The upbeat Gonzaga offense has averaged 77.5 possessions per game, the 16th-most in Division I. Virginia has operated at a slower pace and is averaging only 61.5 possessions per game (ranked 327th, nationally).

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