No. 6 Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary’s Game Preview: Graham Ike returns for top WCC showdown with Geals | Gonzaga Men’s Basketball

SPOKANE, Wash. — One of college basketball’s fiercest rivalries returns Saturday in front of a national audience as No. 6 Gonzaga (21-1, 9-0) puts its perfect West Coast Conference record on the line against Saint Mary’s (19-3, 8-1). The Gaels come to town looking to snap that streak in what will be the final conference battle between the two in Spokane. Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s tip off at 7:30 pm PT at the McCarthey Athletic Center on ESPN.

It will be the 120th meeting between the longtime WCC rivals, two programs that have played more games against each other than any pair in the nation over the past decade. Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s have met 29 times in that span, with the Zags winning 19 of those matchups. The last 24 regular-season WCC titles have been won or shared by the two schools.

Both teams enter Saturday well-rested, as each has had the past week off.

About Gonzaga

The Bulldogs entered the weekend riding a 14-game winning streak after sneaking out a 68-66 win over San Francisco last Saturday in Spokane. In the absence of Graham Ike and Braden Huff, Jalen Warley led Gonzaga with 19 points, while Davis Fogle added 15 points and secured the game-winning rebound in the closing seconds. Tyon Grant-Foster also scored 15 points for GU, which played its third straight game without its two leading scorers.

The good news is Gonzaga will likely be getting one of those scorers back. Mark Few said Thursday that Ike should make his return after missing the last three games.

“He’s practiced the last couple of days. He’s back moving around. He looks good to me,” Few said.

When asked if he expects him to return Saturday, he said, “For sure. Hopefully, he doesn’t get hurt (Friday). So you just never know.”

With Ike back in the lineup, the Zags will have two double-digit scorers on the floor. Ike averages 18.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, while Grant-Foster is scoring 11.5 points per game with 4.8 rebounds. Ike currently leads the WCC and ranks ninth nationally with 11 double-doubles this season. He is second among all active Division I players with 2,284 career points and second with 1,053 career rebounds, making him the only active player in the country with at least 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

GU also has four other players averaging between 7.3 and 8.6 points per game: Mario Saint-Supery (8.6), Fogle (7.6), Warley (7.4) and Adam Miller (7.3).

As a team, the Bulldogs average 88.9 points, 42.6 rebounds, 18.5 assists and 9.2 steals per game, with 10.5 turnovers. Gonzaga is shooting 51.7% from the field and 35.4% from 3-point range.

Gonzaga is one of only eight Division I programs with both its offense (19th) and defense (12th) ranked within KenPom’s top 20. GU currently sits No. 10 overall at KenPom and No. 4 in the NCAA NET.

Statistically, GU sits atop the WCC in numerous categories, including assist-to-turnover ratio (1.79), assists (18.5), bench points (38.1), field-goal percentage (51.7), fast-break points (15.2), defensive rebounds (29.7), total rebounds (42.6), scoring margin (22.4), scoring offense (88.9), steals (9.2), turnover margin (4.7) and turnovers forced (10.3). Gonzaga also ranks among the national leaders in effective field-goal percentage and field-goal percentage defense.

About the Gaels

Saint Mary’s comes to Spokane for the final time as WCC comes with a 19-3 overall record. Its only conference loss came against Santa Clara, 62-54, two weeks ago. The Gaels have won their last two games before having a week off to prepare for GU.

Saint Mary’s plays the same physical and aggressive style it always has, continuing to dominate the glass and slow down the game, which has caused trouble in the past for the Zags. The Gaels rank seventh in the country in rebound margin, while Gonzaga ranks ninth.

The key for Saint Mary’s is Paulius Murauskas, a 6-foot-8 junior forward averaging 19.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in all but one game this season and had a season-high 30 points against Seattle U.

The Gaels’ next top contributors are 6-foot-3 guard Joshua Dent, who averages 13.3 points and 5.4 assists per game, and fellow 6-foot-3 guard Mikey Lewis, who is scoring 13.2 points per game.

As a team, Saint Mary’s averages 78.6 points, 39.6 rebounds, 15.4 assists and 5.5 steals per game, with 11.2 turnovers. The Gaels are shooting 46.6% from the field and 37.6% from 3-point range.

At KenPom, Saint Mary’s ranks 37th with the 39th-best defense and the 50th-ranked offense. In the NCAA NET, the Gaels are 30th with a 0-2 record in Quad 1 games and a 4-1 mark against Quad 2 teams.

No. 6 Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary’s Betting Odds, Picks, Preview:

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are favored by 9.5 points over Saint Mary’s, with the over/under set at 145.5. The Zags are -575 on the MoneyLine, while Saint Mary’s is +425 to win.

The Pick: When Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s go head-to-head, it’s usually a close battle coming down to the final possession. I think 9.5 points is too much, give me Saint Mary’s +9.5.

How to Watch Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary’s:

Gonzaga hosts Saint Mary’s at 7:30 pm PT Saturday at the McCarthey Athletic Center. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN. Fans can stream the broadcast live on the ESPN app or ESPN+ with a valid cable subscription that includes ESPN. The game is also available through live TV streaming services that carry ESPN, including YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV (with the appropriate add-on), and FuboTV.