Most of the time, Utah center Jakob Poeltl does not have to worry about someone sizing up with him. He usually has his way in the paint, and when he misses a shot it’s typically because of something he did wrong, not something a defender did right.
However, this probably won’t be the case Saturday night against Gonzaga. Utah’s big man may have trouble getting to the rim because he’s going have to get through Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga’s own big man, who Poeltl only has one inch on.
Sabonis stands at 6-foot-11, compared to Poeltl, who is a seven-footer. While Poeltl has demonstrated his uncanny ability to grab loose balls near the rim — he had 18 boards against Fresno State in addition to 16 points — it’s not going to be as easy against Sabonis or several of the other big men in Gonzaga’s lineup.
Sabonis averages 11.7 rebounds per game, and Poeltl averages 9.2, and when it comes to points per game the two are nearly identical, with Poeltl averaging 17.6 and Sabonis averaging 17.5. Poeltl has a lot of respect for what Sabonis can do on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor and will certainly have his hands full in Denver.
“He’s a very talented player, especially in the post,” Poeltl said. “I’m definitely going to look forward and take on the challenge. He’s very aggressive. He looks to run the court. He can drive and shoot a little midrange. He’s a very versatile player.”
Just as Poeltl gives credit to what Sabonis has been able to do for the Bulldogs this season, Sabonis does the same for Poeltl. Sabonis is not overlooking this matchup and expects it to be a physical one the entire time the two are going up against each other.
Like Poeltl, Sabonis has not really had to face many players of his length, so it’ll be an interesting game from start to finish. In Gonzaga’s first-round win against Seton Hall, he finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds and is positive this will be much more of a challenge going up against Poeltl.
“He’s a very, very talented big man,” Sabonis said. “I know tomorrow night’s going to be very tough. It’s going to be tough to stop him. He drives the ball really well. I can’t wait for tomorrow. It’s going to be an awesome opportunity to play against him.”
This isn’t the first time the two are going up against each other. Since Poeltl is from Austria and Sabonis is from Lithuania, they have plenty of familiarity with each other from international competitions. However, all of that goes out the door once the ball is in the air.
Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak is eager to see how things play out and is expecting to see some old-school basketball.
“The chances you run into teams that have dominant big men in their positions playing in the game against each other probably doesn’t happen very often,” Krystkowiak said. “But this is unique, having a couple true throwback five men that are the heads of their respective snake.”
Stopping a player of either Sabonis’ or Poeltl’s caliber is no easy task, but Poeltl is confident he will be able to make enough in-game adjustments to not only find success against him, but also find a way to limit him. He will need the rest of the Utes to step up and do their job of taking care of the other players on the court.
“Got to do my best and take away whatever I can,” Poeltl said.
@kbrenneisen