NCAAB Game Preview - Ohio State at Gonzaga

Fri Nov 24, 2017 12:37 AM EST

Gonzaga coach Mark Few is about to see what kind of team he has.

The No. 17 Bulldogs begin play Thursday in the PK80 tournament in Portland, Ore.

The 16-team field is divided into two eight-team tournaments. First up for Gonzaga is Ohio State in the Motion Bracket, which includes No. 1 Duke and No. 7 Florida.

"This is the greatest tourney they've ever put together," Gonzaga coach Mark Few told The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash. "It's a big, big, big-time deal for our program and our fans."

The Zags (3-0) lost three starters, plus NBA lottery pick Zach Collins, from the team that lost to North Carolina in the national title game in March. (The Tar Heels play in the PK80 Victory Bracket.)

Few doesn't want to see the team that gave up eight 3-pointers in the first half against Utah State on Saturday.

"They came right at us," forward Killian Tillie said. "We didn't come into the game with a lot of intensity, and we didn't guard them right."

Added Few: "We were switching our pick-and-roll coverages in the first half, but it didn't matter what we did. It was more of an intensity, alertness and toughness deal."

The Zags recovered, leading by as many as 20 in the second half en route to a 79-66 win, behind 20 points and nine rebounds from Tillie, a sophomore who was a role player on last year's team.

Much of the toughness came from freshman Corey Kispert, who finished with 12 points and nine rebounds after a slow first half.

"He physically got us going with some tough-guy efforts on the glass," Few said of the 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward, who became the first Gonzaga freshman to start a season opener since 2009.

He has been steady, scoring 10, 13 and 12 in the first three games, while shooting 54 percent.

"We all know he's a big-time shooter," said senior guard Silas Melson, who will be making a homecoming in Portland this weekend. "Obviously, his shots weren't falling the way he wanted them to, but he came in with nine rebounds. As a guard that's big-time, especially in a game we needed some energy to help us out."

Ohio State is 4-0 for new head coach Chris Holtmann, who arrived in the offseason from Butler, which is also in the Motion Bracket.

The Buckeyes are expected to be at full strength after center-forward Micah Potter was injured in the second half of an 80-55 win over Northeastern on Sunday.

"We think he will be available to play," Holtmann told The Columbus Dispatch on Tuesday. "He's going to be somewhat limited in practice leading up to it, but we anticipate that he should be good to go for Thursday night."

Potter scored a career-high 17 points in a win over Texas Southern.

He and 6-foot-9 freshman center Kaleb Wesson face a big challenge going against Tillie and 6-9 Zags senior Johnathan Williams, who is on the early Wooden Award list.

"(Potter and Wesson) give us a low-post threat," Holtmann said. "Obviously we want Micah to be able to stretch the defense some as well. I think Kaleb will be able to do that probably later in his career, but right now he's a really effective low-post finisher."

A win by the balanced Bulldogs -- seven Zags are averaging at least 9.7 points per game -- could mean a matchup with No. 7 Florida, which plays Stanford in the first round.

Gonzaga, ranked No. 2 at the time, beat the Gators 77-72 a year ago.