ANAHEIM, Calif. – Killian Tillie will meet an old European nemesis in Gonzaga’s Elite Eight matchup with Texas Tech Saturday.
And perhaps it bodes properly for the Bulldogs that their French forward has by no means misplaced to Davide Moretti, the Red Raiders’ Italian-born factor defend, in a worldwide sport.
A member of France’s children national groups, Tillie estimates he’s faced Moretti’s Italian groups as a minimum three instances – at the U-sixteen, U-18 and U-19 ranges.
It’s 3-0 in the desire of Tillie at this point.
“I realize him a bit, I played in opposition to him lots when I become younger,” Tillie said. “It’s going to be fun to see him again and I continually beat him, so I look forward to seeing him and looking to beat him again.”
Moretti averages eleven.6 points, 2.Five assists and a pair of.1 rebounds for the Red Raiders – and he’s an ace from past the arc, making forty-five percentage of his three-hints. The Bologna, Italy, local scored 15 factors and dished out 4 assists in Tech’s 63-forty four wins over Michigan within the Sweet Sixteen.
“He’s an outstanding player,” Tillie stated. “I suppose he’s a simply clever player, he is aware of the game and a surely exact shooter, a without a doubt right passer and a terrific factor guard average. So it’s going to be vital to play him straight up.
Saturday’s matchup has lots of international taste to it, beyond Tillie and Moretti. Gonzaga starts offevolved Rui Hachimura – a Toyoma, Japan, local – and once in a while brings Serbian forward Filip Petrusev and French shield Joel Ayayi off the bench. Guard Brandon Francois, a Dominican Republic native, and ahead of Josh Mballa, a French native who became born in Bordeaux – equal as Ayayi – come off the bench for the Red Raiders.
