I watched Gonzaga play a ton last season, so I think I have a decent handle on the type of team they should be.
I think the kid people are sleeping on is Perkins. I'm sure most of us around here remember him - five star recruit who played well at the beginning of the season for Gonzaga before missing the rest of the year with a broken jaw.
I suspect Wiltjer and Sabonis will be two of the best players in the country next year. We'll probably be able to limit one of them and be forced to live with the other making some plays. Sabonis is 6'10, 230 but he plays bigger than that - he'll catch the ball real deep in the post and he knows how to use his body to gain territory. He's one of those kids where you can tell his dad played. Rebounding rate and scoring efficiency off the chart for a frosh - he was essentially a poor man's Jahlil Okafor last season and by next year he might be the real thing.
For as good as Miller is, he's giving up a lot of size to Sabonis. In Wiltjer, you've got a fifth year senior with the entire catalog of driveway moves - he'll upfake, back you down, get you off balance, shoot over you...he's a nightmare guard, but if Miller's as good as advertised, you have to think he matches up about as well as anybody.
My guess is Ollie will send a hard double at Sabonis if he torches us early, as reacting out of the traps was one of the areas he had trouble last season. The other big man, Karnowski, won't let you do that - he can pass, and honestly, assuming Brimah picks up some early fouls - which he probably will - this will be one of those games where Phil is useful. He can at least give some fouls and make Karnowski, a bad free throw shooter, earn his points at the line.
I don't think Ollie lets post touches beat him in this game, at least not with Gonzaga trotting out as many unproven shooters - sans Wiltjer - as they are. Him and the coaching staff are masters at disguising coverages, and despite being outmanned up front for most of his tenure, you can never really say we've lost a game exclusively because of post points.
Gonzaga could have some trouble guarding us - they obviously are conceding some quickness with their ultra-big lineups, and none of their big men are particularly great shot blockers, but they're so big that we'll have to be precise with out passes and cuts to beat them.
I think UConn and Gonzaga are both preseason top five teams (of course, they will not be ranked that way by the media). Good thread topic. Would be an awesome game if it happens (and if it doesn't, maybe it will in the big tournament).