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Gonzaga's fifth-straight NCAA appearance is one of the school's most rewarding and definitely the toughest road to travel with Cincinnati, Arizona, Illinois and Duke standing in the Zags' way. Gonzaga's first ever at-large bid will take place in Salt Lake City, 9:40am PST, Thursday, March 20.
Head Coach Bob Huggins, who overcame heart problems just before the season started, is best known for preparing his teams like few others and for instilling a physical, aggressive style of play in his Bearcats.
Much like how Gonzaga lost All-American Dan Dickau and his points, savvy and leadership, Cincinnati lost a 1st-team All-American guard last year too in Steve Logan. Both teams have had up and down, Jeckyl and Hyde type seasons dealing with these key player losses.
But as many have seen on TV, "Cincy" still poses plenty of problems. Leading the way for the Bearcats is Leonard Stokes, a long, athletic 6'6" 200 pounder who knows how to get to the hoop. Stokes averages 16 points per game (ppg) and is a matchup problem for undersized guards or oversized forwards.
While 6'4" Tony Bobbitt only averages 8 ppg, it's deceiving. Anybody who watched the Bearcats destroy Oregon in the Jimmy V Classic knows Bobbitt can be scary-good. He put over 30 on the Ducks that December day, shooting treys and getting inside.
Field Williams (11.7 ppg) and Taron Barker (6.5 ppg) round out the backcourt. Barker is a good 3-point shooter but Williams' overall game is more important to Cincy's success on offense.
The Bearcat interior may be thin but 6'7" Jason Maxiell is a physical beast who plays much taller than he is. At a solid 235, Maxiell anchors the middle, defends exceptionally well and averages 12 ppg and 7 rebounds. He is the typical Cincinnati Bearcat: tough and mean.
Huggins is a defensive-minded coach, though, and this year is no exception. The Bearcats play the stickiest, most disruptive, "in your face" defense that Gonzaga will see all year, equal at least to St. Joe's and NC State. How good can Huggins' defense be?
They held high-octane Oregon to 55 points.
They stifled Oklahoma State, allowing only 50.
They held Rick Pitino's Louisville team to 77 and 80 points in two games, barely losing one and scoring over 100 to blow out the Cardinals in the other game.
Gonzaga better execute crisply on offense and bring intensity to the defensive end, along with dominating inside while keeping Cincy honest with treys. If the Zags don't, they can ask Rick Pitino, Reese Gaines, Ernie Kent, the two Lukes and Eddie Sutton what to expect.