Gonzaga-Iowa key matchup: Doesn’t get better than Drew Timme, Luka Garza

Good luck finding a better matchup of college basketball bigs this season than Gonzaga’s Drew Timme and Iowa’s Luka Garza.

They go about it in different ways, but both are creative scorers that do most of their damage in the lane, which helps teammates thrive on the perimeter.

The 6-foot-11, 265-pound Garza is putting up amazing numbers: 29.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 69.1% from the field, 68.4% on 3-pointers, 2.2 blocks. He’s scored 175 points in 149 minutes. Timme, 6-10 and 235, isn’t far behind: 23.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 60.4% from the floor, 73.3% at the foul line. He scored 25 against Kansas, 28 vs. Auburn and 17 against West Virginia, including 14 in the second half.

“I think he’s a tremendous player,” Garza said of Timme. “He’s developing into one of the best players in college basketball. I’m a competitor and I like to play against the best. It’s going to be a fun matchup. He’s a very skilled guy and he knows how to score the ball.”

Timme’s challenge will be trying to regain his form following an extended break from practices and games. Both bigs will be challenged to stay out of foul trouble. The Zags will probably turn to 7-footer Oumar Ballo when Timme needs a break, but Anton Watson and Pavel Zakharov could be options, too.

“He’s been a guy who’s had to sit out almost 13 days,” coach Mark Few said of Timme. “It’s getting his conditioning and timing up to speed, and then hopefully staying out of foul trouble.”