No. 1 Gonzaga (6-0) vs No. 16 Virginia (4-1)

4 p.m., CBS

The Cavaliers wrap up their non-conference slate on Saturday in a game that wasn’t even on the schedule less than two weeks ago. The Wahoos will take on top-ranked Gonzaga in Texas, helping both teams recoup challenging games after other matchups were called off.

UVa lost chances to play Florida, Michigan State, and Villanova while Gonzaga saw its matchup with Baylor, which would have pitted the top two teams in the AP Top 25 against each other on December 5th, vanish as well.

Saturday’s neutral-site tilt will be Virginia’s toughest test to date by far. The Bulldogs are off to a great start to their 2020-2021 campaign after entering the season as a favorite to cut down the nets in Indianapolis. The Zags are 6-0 to start the season and have played a very challenging early schedule. Gonzaga can already claim wins over No. 3 Kansas, No. 4 Iowa, No. 7 West Virginia, and Auburn, all on neutral courts.

This game at the Dickies Arena in Texas is a classic made-for-TV event that should be a great test for both teams as they head into conference play. This meeting is also the first between UVa and Gonzaga since 2007, when the Wahoos blew out the Zags at home after losing in Spokane the previous year.

Gonzaga is ruthlessly efficient on offense and once again the Cavaliers will square off in a tempo war. The Zags have the sixth-fastest pace in the nation and are second in offensive efficiency. They are great around the rim, ranking fourth nationally in field-goal percentage on two-point tries. The Bulldogs are one of the top teams in the nation on the offensive glass, grabbing 35.1 percent of their rebound opportunities. They don’t shoot a lot from deep, with just 30.3 percent of their points coming on made 3s on 34.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc, which isn’t bad necessarily but outside shots aren’t the strength of their game.

On defense, Gonzaga has been more than solid. The Zags are 14th nationally in defensive efficiency, which may seem odd when looking at their box scores. Gonzaga has played a lot of high-scoring affairs but against top competition and at a breakneck pace. While Gonzaga’s offensive possessions are the second-fastest nationally, its opponents are having to work quite a bit harder, ranking 111th in pace of play with the ball. The Zags do a nice job on the glass keeping opponents from having many second-chance opportunities. Opponents are shooting 33 percent from deep and 49 percent on two-pointers, both of which are above average if not spectacular. Gonzaga forces a good number of steals on defense but oddly hasn’t created many dead-ball turnovers, like errant passes thrown out of bounds or procedural violations like traveling.