#3/4 Gonzaga (3-0) vs. Illinois (1-1)
NOV. 19 | 8:30 P.M. PT | LAHAINA, HAWAII | LAHAINA CIVIC CENTER
TV: ESPN2
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP-OFF:
- Gonzaga faces Illinois in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Maui Jim Maui Invitational on Monday, at 8:30 p.m. Pacific, in Lahaina, Hawaii.
- Illinois owns a 5-1 lead in the all-time series, including an 85-74 win in the latest meeting on Dec. 8, 2012, in Spokane.
- Gonzaga's lone win in the series came in 2010, in an 85-83 overtime win at the United Center.
- The Zags are 13-19 all-time against Big Ten opponents and 11-12 under Mark Few. GU has won its last four meetings against Big Ten foes.
- Gonzaga won its last matchup with a Big Ten foe, beating Ohio State, 90-84, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year.
- The Bulldogs are 3-0 for the eighth straight season. GU has started 4-0 in eight on the last nine seasons.
- Gonzaga started this season No. 3 in the Associated Press preseason poll, the highest preseason ranking in program history.
- GU returns three starters and eight letterwinners from last season's squad that claimed the Zags' sixth consecutive West Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles. GU was picked first in the WCC preseason poll for the 17th time in the last 18 years.
 
SERIES NOTES:
- This is the seventh all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Illinois.
- Illinois leads the series 5-1, defeating the Zags last time they met 85-74 in 2012 in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
-GU's lone win in the series came in 2010, in a 85-83 overtime win at the United Center.
-The Zags are 13-19 all-time against Big Ten opponents and 11-12 under Mark Few.
 
SCOUTING THE ILLINI:
- Illinois is coming off an 88-80 loss at home to Georgetown on Tuesday.
- Freshman Ayo Dosunmu dropped 25 points against the Hoyas. Through his first two games he is averaging 21.5 points per game.
- The Illini shot 46.3 percent from the field, including going 6-of-19 from behind-the-arc.
- Illinois started the season off with a 99-60 win over Evansville.
- Dosunmu is leading the team in points per game, followed by Andres Feliz with 14.5.
- The Illini were chosen to finish 13th in the Big Ten Preseason Poll.
 
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Advance the Zags to the Maui Invitational semifinals.
- Extend Gonzaga's win streak to three games.
- Be the 18th straight over an unranked opponent.
- Improve GU to 14-19 all-time against Big Ten opponents.
- Make Gonzaga 93-16 in November games under Mark Few.
- Improve Gonzaga's record to 104-15 during Josh Perkins' collegiate career.
 
GONZAGA RETURNS TO MAUI:
- This will be Gonzaga's fifth trip to the Maui Invitational.
- The Bulldogs are 8-4 all-time in the championship round of the tournament.
- The Zags won the annual event in 2009, placed second in 2005, fifth in 2013, and fourth in 2002.
- Adam Morrison owns the individual record for most points in a single game in the championship round of the tournament. He scored 43 points in the Zags' 109-106 three-overtime win over Michigan State in 2005.
- Morrison led GU to the 2005 title and was named the tournament's MVP.
- Gonzaga's Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray shared the tournament MVP honors in 2009.
 
ZAGS ALL-TIME MAUI RESULTS ...
2002 - Fourth Place
11/25: def. Utah, 71-52
11/26: loss Indiana, 75-76
11/27: loss Kentucky, 72-80
 
2005 - Second Place
11/21: def. Maryland, 88-76
11/22: def. Michigan State, 109-106 (3OT)
11/23: loss Connecticut, 63-65
 
2009 - First Place
11/23: def. Colorado, 76-72
11/24: def. Wisconsin, 74-61
11/25: def. Cincinnati, 61-59 (OT)
 
2013 - Fifth Place
11/25: loss Dayton, 79-84
11/26: def. Chaminade, 113-81
11/27: def. Arkansas, 91-81
 
GIVING THANKS FOR THESE TOURNAMENTS:
- Gonzaga is 33-9 under Mark Few in tournaments during the week of Thanksgiving.
- The Zags are 22-3 in the last seven Thanksgiving tournaments.
- Under Mark Few, GU has won five tournaments during the week of Thanksgiving, and played in eight of the 12
tournament championship games.
 
REMEMBER NOVEMBER:
- Since the 2011-12 season, the Zags boast a 42-3 record in the month of November.
- Under Mark Few, Gonzaga is 92-16 during the month of November.
 
LIFE ON THE ROAD:
- The Bulldogs have won 24 straight WCC games on the road, the longest active streak in the country. GU's last loss to a conference opponent on the road was at Saint Mary's, 70-67, on Jan. 21, 2016.
- The Zags have won 37 of their last 38 road games in conference play. Since 2014-15, GU is 35-1 in WCC road games.
- If you include the WCC Tournament, GU has won 49 of their last 50 road or neutral league contests.
- Since the 2005-06 season, Gonzaga is 194-62 in road or neutral games.
- The Zags' 75.4-win percentage in road or neutral games tops the nation over that span.
- Also since the 2007-08 season, the Zags are 90-24 in true road games.
- GU's 78.8-win pct. in true road games is best in the nation over that span.
 
S-E-C SUCCESS:
- Gonzaga's 94-71 win over Texas A&M on Nov. 15 was the Zags' largest margin victory over an SEC opponent ever.
- GU improved to 14-8 all-time versus current members from the Southeastern Conference.
- The Bulldogs welcomed an SEC opponent to the McCarthey Athletic Center for the first-time ever. It's also the first time the Zags have played an SEC team in Spokane.
 
PERKINS REACHES MILESTONE:
- At the 2:39 mark in the first half of Gonzaga's 94-71 victory over Texas A&M, Josh Perkins dished out his 500th career assist.
- He became just the sixth Zag in program history to reach that milestone.
- He finished with six assists and only one turnover against Texas A&M.
 
PERK GOES TO WORK:
- Josh Perkins leads the West Coast Conference with 25 assists and 8.3 assists per game after the first three games of the season.
- Perkins dished out 11 assists in the win over Texas Southern, with only two turnovers.
- Jeremy Pargo was the last Zag to dish out 11 assists in a game in 2007.
- Perkins has only three turnovers to 25 assists through the first three games.
 
WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY:
- Brandon Clarke's first three games in a Zag uniform included 48 points, a team-high 33 rebounds, a West Coast Conference high nine blocks and five steals.
- He had six blocks in the win over Texas Southern.
- After missing a double-double by a rebound in his GU debut, he has recorded his 15th and 16th career double-doubles in the last two games.
- Clarke went 21-of-31 (67.7 percent) from the field, which ranks fifth in the WCC.
 
FREE-THROW ACCURACY:
- Filip Petrusev has made the first 14 free-throws of his collegiate career.
- His 14-of-14 start to the season tops the conference, and is fourth in the nation, for most makes without a miss.
- After shooting 30-of-37 from the free-throw line in the opening win over Idaho State, Gonzaga was 22-of-25 from the line in the win over Texas Southern.
- The Zags' 79.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line is second in the West Coast Conference.
 
HE'S ONLY A FRESHMAN!:
- With his 14-of-14 start from the free-throw line, Petrusev is off to a start to his collegiate career.
- Through his first three games, he is averaging 12 points per game, along with 5.3 rebounds.
- His production is coming in an average of 19 minutes per game off of the bench.
- He's also 10-of-20 from the field, with four blocks.
- The 6-11 freshman from Serbia has also made two three-pointers.
 
EXCELLING IN THE CLASSROOM:
- For the second straight year, Gonzaga men's basketball had a perfect 100 percent Graduation Success Rate.
- Gonzaga is one of only 59 men's basketball programs to have 100 percent GSR, out of the 351 Div. 1 programs.
- Zag men's basketball achieved a 100 percent GSR score, 19 percentage points higher than the national average of 81 percent for the sport.