Texas Basketball vs. Gonzaga: 5 bold predictions for top-12 showdown

The biggest game of the non-conference slate is set to take place for head coach Chris Beard and No. 11 ranked Texas basketball at home at the Moody Center in Austin on Nov. 16. Texas will host the No. 2 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs and head coach Mark Few this week to cap the back end of a home-and-home series.

Beard and the Longhorns began the home-and-home series with Gonzaga last season, in what amounted to a convincing defeat for Texas out on the west coast.

But this is Texas’ shot to avenge the loss to the Zags from last season. Texas is sure to have an electric crowd present at the shiny new Moody Center on Nov. 16, which could give this team a boost against one of the most talented opponents in the entire country in Gonzaga.

Moreover, Texas comes into this game with a record of 2-0 (0-0 Big 12) following a blowout win over the Houston Christian Huskies by 51 points at home on Nov. 10. Meanwhile, Gonzaga comes into this matchup with a record of 2-0 (0-0 WCC) after a narrow one-point win on Nov. 11 over the Michigan State Spartans.

The ESPN Basketball Power Index gives Texas a surprisingly-favorable 67.3 percent chance to beat Gonzaga.

Bold predictions as Tyrese Hunter and Texas basketball square off against Drew Timme and Gonzaga

Here’s a look at five bold predictions as Texas gets set to host Gonzaga for a massive non-conference matchup at the Moody Center on Nov. 16.

Texas plays at its fastest pace of any non-conference game this season

Last season, Texas and Gonzaga dramatically slowed down the pace to a speed that usually would benefit Beard’s style of play when these two teams met during the non-conference slate.

But slowing the pace down against Gonzaga had quite the opposite effect, as the Texas offense wasn’t able to do enough with the possessions it had to keep up on the scoreboard. The slower pace also allowed Gonzaga to let big man Drew Timme go to work in the paint against the Longhorns as they didn’t have to worry about the frontcourt players getting tired.

In fact, it’s worth noting that Gonzaga posted a record of 11-0, including wins over four ranked opponents, in games when it averaged 71 or fewer possessions per 40 minutes. Gonzaga also had an average margin of victory of roughly 19 points in those 11 games with a slower pace.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga posted a record of 17-4, including multiple losses to ranked opposition, when the pace was over 71 possessions per 40 minutes.

Gonzaga is a good team and can thrive while playing at different speeds against different types of opponents. But the general success rate in the last couple of seasons when facing Gonzaga was a lot higher when playing at a faster pace.

And since Texas now has some of the types of players needed to run at a faster tempo, such as guards Tyrese Hunter and Arterio Morris that are capable of playing fast in transition, it makes sense to up the pace.