The Gonzaga Bulldogs came into this season with high expectations, like usual, and a pretty tough non-conference schedule. Before the season the toughest game on their schedule looked to be Arizona and although the Wildcats haven't played great this season it will still be a tough test for Gonzaga on Saturday afternoon. The Zags may have to go into this one shorthanded though as center Przemek Karnowski may not be able to play due to back spasms, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
Karnowski is currently dealing with back spasms that caused him to miss Thursday night's game against Washington State. Gonzaga won that game anyway by nine points but Arizona is a tougher test than Washington State is. Head coach Mark Few said that the spasms have gotten "slightly better" but he is still unsure if he will have his seven footer available for the game.
The good news for Gonzaga if Karnowski can't play is the fact that Arizona's center Kaleb Tarczewski will also not be playing in this game as he is dealing with foot injuries that will likely keep him out 4-6 weeks. The Bulldogs also have one of the best frontcourts in America, if not the best, so they should be able to withstand this loss long-term but they would obviously like to have all of their guys available against a fellow top 25 opponent.
Gonzaga already has a couple of impressive wins this season as they have beaten UConn and Washington and their lone loss to Texas A&M is not a bad loss but beating Arizona would be huge for potential NCAA Tournament positioning later in the season. Through five games Karnowski is averaging 8.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game while making 59 percent of his field goals.
If Karnowski were to miss this game his size would certainly be missed but Gonzaga will likely go with Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis in the frontcourt for more minutes than usual. Wiltjer was a preseason All-American and he is playing like an All-American so far while Sabonis has also been great for the Bulldogs this season so where Karnowski would be missed if he didn't play would be depth as Few only likes to play those three big guys. Against Washington State Few played sophomore center Ryan Edwards for a season high ten minutes and he would likely see some time on Saturday if Karnowski wasn't able to go.