INDIANAPOLIS — Gonzaga men's basketball plays USC on Tuesday in the Elite 8.
With a chance to reach the Final Four, a lot is on the line and the Bulldogs know this will be a tough challenge.
Head coach Mark Few holds the Trojans defense in high regards.
"I think they've discovered basically like a Syracuse 2-3 zone," Few said. "They've had some really good success with it. Their numbers in the NCAA Tournament have been really impressive."
All-American forward Corey Kispert noted key players on USC's team that makes them so good.
"Those Mobley brothers can really protect the rim," he said. "They're really good at it. It's going to take a huge effort from us on offense to get what we want around the rim."
USC's Evan Mobley is made the Wooden All-American team and was a second team Associated Pres All-American. He also was the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. He's a 7-foot tall forward.
His brother Isaiah has scored in double digits every game. He's a 6-foot-10 forward.
Gonzaga forward Drew Timme will have his hands full scoring against those two. Timme is averaging 20.7 points per game in the tournament so far. He also was selected for the Wooden All-American team and was a second team Associated Press All-American.
"He's faced size before, but maybe not as much as the Mobley's have," Few said. "I'm sure Drew is looking forward to it."
Kispert said Timme will be hyped up for this matchup.
"Timme wants to go toe-to-toe with the best," he said. "That's the sign of a competitor. Drew can play with anybody, he can beat anybody. He's been showing that on full display all tournament long."
According to KenPom, Gonzaga has the highest field goal percentage from two-point range. USC has the second best defensive field goal percentage on two-point attempts.
Kispert said he's confident the offense will get the job done.
"It's hard to scout us," he said. "We've seen that all year long. "You know it's part of the reason why this offense is so good. We feel like we are elite with our playmakers because no matter what teams throw at us we've seen it before and we can handle it."
Gonzaga and USC will play at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday. That game will broadcast on TBS.