#1/1 Gonzaga (6-0) vs. North Dakota State (2-4)
NOV. 26 | 6 P.M. | SPOKANE, WA | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
TV: KHQ/ROOT
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP-OFF:
- Gonzaga welcomes North Dakota State to the McCarthey Athletic Center for the first time on Monday, at 6 p.m., in Spokane.
- The Zags own a 2-0 lead in the series, winning the most recent meeting, 86-76, in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament in Seattle.
- Since joining the NCAA in 1958-59, the Zags are 9-0 against current Summit League members.
- GU won its last meeting against a current Summit League foe, beating North Dakota last season, 89-83, in overtime.
- The Zags are coming off of an 89-87 win over top-ranked Duke in the Maui Invitational Championships. Rui Hachimura led GU with 20 points. Zach Norvell Jr. scored 18 points, while Brandon Clarke chipped in 17 points and six blocks. It was the Bulldogs' first win over a No. 1 ranked team in program history.
 
SERIES NOTES:
- Gonzaga has won both of the two meetings in the all-time series. Both meetings came on a neutral court.
- In the latest meeting between the programs, the second-seeded Zags defeated 15th-seeded NDSU, 86-76, in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament in Seattle.
- The Bulldogs won the first meeting between the programs, 74-70, on Dec. 29, 1956, in Williston, N.D.
- Since joining the NCAA in 1958-59, the Zags are 11-0 against current Summit League members.
- GU won its last meeting against a current Summit League foe, beating North Dakota last season, 89-83, in overtime. UND was a member of the Big Sky Conference at the time.
- The Bison will be the fourth Summit League opponent for Gonzaga over the last five seasons. The Zags host another Summit League member, Denver, on Dec. 21.
 
SCOUTING THE BISON:
- North Dakota State is coming off of a 79-61 loss at East Tennessee State Saturday.
- Rocky Kreuser led NDSU with 13 points and seven rebounds. Tyson Ward scored 11 for the Bison, while Jarius Cook scored a season-high 10 points off the bench.
- ETSU made 59 percent of its shots from the field, while North Dakota State made 39 percent from the field.
- Kreuser is averaging a team-high 11.5 points per game, and Ward is adding 11.3 points per outing.
- Ward is grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game. Vinnie Shahid has dished out a team-best 17 assists.
 
GONZAGA WINS MAUI INVITATIONAL TITLE:
- The Zags defeated top-ranked Duke in the Maui Invitational Championships, 89-87.
- GU led by as many as 16 points in the second half, and held off a rally by the Blue Devils.
- The Bulldogs made 64.5 percent of their shots from the field, including 6-of-10 from three-point range, in the first half. Gonzaga finished 52.3 percent from the field and 10-of-19 from behind-the-perimeter.
- It was the Zags' second Maui Invitational title, after winning the tournament in 2009 as well.
- Duke entered the championships 17-0 all-time in the event.
- Gonzaga improved to 11-4 all-time in the tournament.
 
ZAGS VS. NUMBER ONE:
- Gonzaga's win over Duke in the Maui Invitational Championships, was the program's first-ever victory over a No. 1 ranked team.
- Prior to the win, GU lost its two previous meetings against a top-ranked team in the AP Poll.
- The Zags fell at No. 1 Memphis, 81-73, on Jan. 26, 2008, and to No. 1 Cincinnati, 75-68, in Cleveland, Ohio, on Dec. 4, 1999.
- GU's last win over a Top-5 ranked team in the AP Poll, was over No. 2 North Carolina, 82-74, in the 2006 NIT Tip-Off Classic in New York City.
 
HACHIMURA AND NORVELL EARN HONORS IN MAUI:
- Gonzaga's Rui Hachimura and Zach Norvell Jr. were named to the Maui Invitational's All-Tournament Team.
- Hachimura was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after guiding GU to the title.
- He averaged 22.3 points and six rebounds in the Zags' three victories. The junior forward made 54.5 percent of his shots, including a 3-of-6 effort on 3-pointers.
- Against Duke, Hachimura scored 20 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out five assists and made three blocks.
- Norvell Jr. made nine three-pointers while averaging 17.7 points.
- He had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the semifinal victory against Arizona. He also had six assists against the Wildcats.
 
JONES'ING IN MAUI:
- Gonzaga's Jeremy Jones recorded his first collegiate double-double in the Maui Invitational quarterfinal win over Illinois.
- It was his 85th collegiate appearance, 64th at Gonzaga.
- Jones' 14 points were a new career-high, and he reached a double-digit rebound total for the first time in collegiate career with 11.
- The redshirt senior recorded the double-double in a season-high 17 minutes.
- In the tournament, he averaged 7.7 points and seven rebounds per game, while making eight of his 10 shots from the field.
 
PERK'S GOING TO WORK:
- Josh Perkins leads the West Coast Conference with 50 assists and 8.3 assists per game.
- His 50 assists are the second-most in the nation, and his 8.3 average per game ranks third in the country.
- During the Maui Invitational, the redshirt senior averaged 8.3 assists and 12.3 points per game.
- 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 15 turnovers to 50 assists through the first six games.
 
BIG MAN BC:
- Brandon Clarke averaged 15 points per game in the Maui Invitational, shooting 82.6 percent from the field (19-of-23).
- The transfer from San Jose State also averaged five blocks per outing during the tournament.
- Against No. 1 Duke's big men, Clarke blocked six shots and scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field.
- This season, he's averaging 15.5 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game, which ranks eighth in the conference.
- Clarke's 24 blocks are the most in the country, and his four blocks per game ranks third in the nation and tops the WCC.
- The redshirt junior leads the WCC and is fifth in the nation, shooting 74.1 percent field. He is second in the league making 73.1 percent from inside-the-arc.
 
WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY:
- Not only is Clarke a national leader in blocks, but as a team, Gonzaga ranks third in the country with 40 blocked shots.
- The Zags' 6.7 blocks per game rank sixth in the nation.
- GU tops the conference in both blocks per game and total blocked shots.
- The Bulldogs have blocked 10 shots in twice already this season. The program record for most blocks in a game is 11.
- Austin Daye currently owns the single-season program record with 70 blocks in 2008-09. Clarke has 24 through six games.
 
OFFENSIVELY SPEAKING:
- Gonzaga is averaging 97 points per game, which is the most in the West Coast Conference and fourth in the nation.
- The Zags are sixth in the country with 117 assists, and ninth averaging 19.5 assists per game. GU leads the conference in both of those stat categories.
- GU's 53.1 field goal percentage tops the WCC and is seventh in the nation.
- The Bulldogs are fourth in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom at 118.3.
- Gonzaga is fourth in the nation shooting 62.7 percent inside-the-arc.