Gonzaga-Pepperdine key matchup: Keep an eye on Kessler Edwards-Corey Kispert matchup

Colbey Ross has been a mainstay in our Gonzaga-Pepperdine key matchup since his freshman season. Nothing has changed, but we’re changing it up a little bit.

Ross remains Pepperdine’s driving force at 16.5 points and 7.4 assists per game in his senior season, but sidekick Kessler Edwards gives the Waves a strong one-two punch.

Edwards, a 6-foot-8 junior forward, leads Pepperdine in scoring (18.3) and rebounding (6.6). He’s hitting 56.3% inside the arc, 38.6% on 3-pointers and 83% at the free-throw line.

The Zags held Edwards to 14 points and four boards in a 95-70 win on Jan. 14. Edwards bounced back from an 11-point outing in a loss to BYU last Saturday with 18 points and six rebounds as the Waves won Wednesday’s rematch.

It should be a quality pairing of small forwards with Edwards and GU’s Corey Kispert facing off. Both can score in a variety of ways and rarely leave the floor. The Zags could switch it up with a bigger defender in Anton Watson or a smaller one in Joel Ayayi or Andrew Nembhard.

And yes, the Ross-Jalen Suggs matchup still rates as the co-main event.