Gonzaga (20-7, 11-3 WCC) at Washington State (16-11, 6-8)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19 | 6 P.M. | PULLMAN, WA | BEASLEY COLISEUM
TELEVISION: ESPN2
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE RADIO | LIVE STATS
THE OPENING TIP
– Gonzaga makes the 77-mile trek to Washington State for a West Coast Conference matchup Wednesday at 6 p.m.
– GU is coming off a 107-55 blowout win over Pepperdine Saturday. The Bulldogs shot 57 percent from the field and made 12 threes. Khalif Battle scored a game-high 24 points.
– Gonzaga clinched its 28th straight 20-win season. The Zags’ 28-straight 20-win seasons ranks as the second longest active run in the country. (Kansas 33)
– GU broke the program’s 45-year-old single game assist team record in the win over Pepperdine. The Zags had 33 assists on 45 made shots, breaking the previous record of 32 set in 1980.
– Mark Few was named one of 17 finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a first-time nominee.
– Ryan Nembhard was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week. He is fifth in WCC history with 270 assists this season, 14 away from the league record. The senior set a new WCC record for most assists in a single conference play season, he is currently at 140 (previous record was 136).
– Nembhard became the 51st player in NCAA Div. 1 history to reach 800 career assists, and is now at 808. His 270 assists are first in the nation, to only 62 turnovers. He broke his own single season assist program record. Nembhard’s 10.0 assists per game also tops the country. His 4.35 assist-to-turnover ratio is third.
– As a team, the Zags are first in the nation in assists per game at 20.0 and assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.09.
– Gonzaga is second in the country averaging 88.0 points per game, third in field goal percentage (49.9), and seventh in free-throw percentage (79.9).
– Since Jan. 24, Bart Torvik computer ratings ranks GU eighth in the nation, with the 16th best offense and 13th best defense.
– Khalif Battle is third from the free-throw line at 93.6 percent (1st in WCC). Graham Ike (58.5%) and Braden Huff (56.9%) are first and second in the WCC in field goal percentage.
– Ike is fourth in the WCC averaging 16.7 points, while shooting a WCC-best 58.9 percent from the field in league games.
– Ryan Nembhard was named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Top 10 Watch List. Graham Ike was named to the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Top 10 Watch List.
– Graham Ike and Nembhard Named to Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watchlist.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
– Washington State won its first three games of West Coast Conference play, but is 3-8 since, including 1-6 in its last seven games. The Cougars are coming off a 77-56 setback at Saint Mary’s Saturday. WSU trailed by four at halftime, after shooting 52 percent from the field in the first half. LeJuan Watts led WSU with 17 points. Isaiah Watts added 12 points and six rebounds. Ethan Price had 11 points.
– The Cougars are 14th in the country shooting 48.9 percent from the field.
– Washington State lost its leading scorer, Cedric Coward (17.7 ppg), after six games to a season-ending injury. Five other Cougars are averaging double-digit scoring led by Calmese at 15.8 points, and 4.1 assists, per game. LeJuan Watts adds 13.6 points, 4.2 assists, and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per outing. Price and Dane Erikstrup both average 12.3 points per game, while Isaiah Watts scores 12 a game.
SERIES INFO
– This is the 152nd all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Washington State in Pullman Wednesday at 6 p.m.
– The Cougars have an 98-53 all-time lead.
– GU has won eight of the last nine meetings, including each of the last six.
– The Zags are 13-3 against WSU under Few.
– Gonzaga won the first meeting this season in Spokane, 88-75. Graham Ike had 21 points and seven rebounds. Nolan Hickman added 19 points and hit five 3-pointers, and Ben Gregg had 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
– Washington State has a 45-20 advantage in the series at home in Pullman.
– The Cougars last win in the series came in Pullman on Dec. 8, 2010, 81-59. Klay Thompson scored 24 points and had six assists for WSU, and the Cougars made 11-of-21 from three-point range. Sam Dower led GU with 11 points, while Rob Sacre grabbed 10 rebounds.
– WSU has a 54-37 advantage in the meetings in Spokane, including games at the Spokane Arena.
– Gonzaga is 30-33 against the Cougars in games on the GU campus all-time, but the Zags have won five of the six matchups in the McCarthey Athletic Center, including the last 90-74 in 2013.
– Gonzaga won the first-ever meeting with Washington State, 21-18, in Spokane on Dec. 16, 1907.
UP NEXT
– The 118th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s Saturday in Spokane at 5 p.m. The Bulldogs lead the series 82-36, winning 26 of the last 34 meetings.
– Gonzaga is 57-16 against SMC under Mark Few.
– In last season’s meeting in Spokane, Aidan Mahaney scored 20 points and SMC rallied late to beat GU 64-62. Ryan Nembhard had 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting to lead the Bulldogs, while Graham Ike had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
– Gonzaga is 37-11 all-time at home against SMC.
– Saint Mary’s won the first matchup this season, 62-58, in Moraga on Feb. 1. Graham Ike led the Bulldogs with 24 points and eight rebounds. Ryan Nembhard added 11 points, 12 assists and three steals. The game featured six ties and six lead changes, GU had the lead with 6:15 remaining in regulation, and the score was tied at 58 with 50 seconds left.
– The Bulldogs are 27-21 all-time at Saint Mary’s.
– The Bulldogs won the first all-time meeting between the programs, 94-77, in Spokane in 1955.
– The Zags are 18-4 against SMC in the WCC Tournament, winning eight of the last 10 meetings in the event. The teams have met in the tournament 13 of the past 15 years.
20/28 VISION
– GU has clinched its 28th straight 20-win season.
– The Zags’ 28-straight 20-win seasons rank second for the longest active run in the country. (Kansas 33)
– Prior to the previous 27 seasons, the Bulldogs reached 20 wins in a season eight times since 1907-08.
– Gonzaga has won at least 25 games in each of the last 17 consecutive seasons, which is a NCAA Div. 1 record.
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
– Gonzaga dished out a record 33 assists in a 107-55 victory over Pepperdine in Spokane. The Bulldogs broke the program’s 45-year-old team assist record.
– The Bulldogs’ previous single game team assist record was 32 set versus Loyola Marymount on Jan. 19, 1980.
– GU had 33 assists on 45 made shots from the field against Pepperdine. Seven Zags finished with multiple assists in the win, including Nolan Hickman who was one of his career-high with seven.
NEMBHARD NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
– Ryan Nembhard was named the Heluva Good Dip West Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.
– Nembhard, the nation’s leader in assists became just the 51st player in NCAA Div. 1 history to dish out 800 assists in a career. He is one of only two active players in the country with 800 career assists.
– The Aurora, Ontario, native needed three assists versus Pepperdine to reach that plateau, and he finished with a game-high 11. The senior had 10 assists by halftime.
– He set a new West Coast Conference record for most assists in a single season in conference play. Kyle Collinsworth of BYU had the previous record of 136 in 18 games during the 2015-16 season.
– In the win over San Francisco, Nembhard recorded his WCC-leading 11th double-double, which ranks 14th in the nation. He scored 18 points, one off his season-high.
FEW NAMED HALL OF FAME FINALIST
– Gonzaga head coach Mark Few is one of 17 Finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced at NBA All-Star Weekend.
– Few was named a first-time nominee in December.
– The Finalists will be put forward to the Honors Committee to be considered for election as members of the Class of 2025. The new class will be announced in San Antonio on April 5, at the NCAA Men’s Final Four.
