#1/1 Gonzaga (9-0) vs. #7/7 Tennessee (6-1)
DEC. 9 | 12 P.M. | PHOENIX, AZ | TALKING STICK ARENA
TV: ESPN
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP-OFF:
- Gonzaga faces Tennessee in the first-ever Jerry Colangelo Classic on Sunday, at 12 p.m. Pacific, in Phoenix, Ariz.
- GU has won four of the previous five matchups. This the fifth meeting between the programs on a neutral court.
- Gonzaga has won the last four meetings between the programs, including the last, 86-76, in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 18, 2016.
- The Bulldogs are 14-8 all-time versus current members from the SEC, including a 94-71 win over Texas A&M in Spokane earlier this season.
- The Zags are coming off of an 81-79 win over Washington Wednesday. Rui Hachimura made the game-winning shot with 0.6 seconds left. He finished with 26 points. GU finished 19-of-19 from the free-throw line.
- GU is 9-0 for the third time since joining the NCAA in 1958.
- Josh Perkins is one assist away from tying John Stockton for the fourth-most assists in a career in program history with 554.
- The Zags are second in the nation in field goal percentage (53 percent) and scoring offense (96.4), and third with 181 total assists.
 
HOT START:
- With a win Sunday, Gonzaga will have its second 10-0 start to a season since joining NCAA Div. I in 1958-59.
- The only other Zag team to start a season at 10-0 was the 2016-17 squad that won their first 29 games and advanced to the national championship game.
- This is just the third time since the 1958-59 season that Gonzaga has started the season 9-0.
- In 2012-13, the Bulldogs started the season 9-0 before falling to Illinois in the 10th game.
 
SERIES NOTES:
- This is the sixth all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Tennessee. GU has won four of the previous five matchups. This the fifth meeting between the programs on a neutral court.
- Gonzaga has won the last four meetings between the programs, including the last, 86-76, in Nashville on Dec. 18, 2016. Five Zags finished in double-digit scoring, including Josh Perkins' 15 points. Killian Tillie added five points.
- The teams have met twice in the Battle in Seattle.
- The Volunteers won the first matchup between the teams, 82-72, in the 2007 Battle in Seattle.
- The Bulldogs are 14-8 all-time versus current members from the Southeastern Conference. GU eased to a 94-71 win over Texas A&M earlier this season in Spokane.
 
SCOUTING THE VOLUNTEERS:
- Tennessee is coming off of a 79-51 win at home over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Sunday.
- Admiral Schofield scored 16 points for the Vols, while Grant Williams and Jordan Bowden both had 14 points. Kyle Alexander recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Bone dished out 10 assists.
- Tennessee made 53 percent of its shots from the field and held Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to 32.2 percent.
- Five Vols are averaging double-digit scoring led by Williams' 20.4 points per game. He adds a team-high 8.9 rebounds per game, and is shooting 59.3 percent from the field.
- Schofield and Bone chip in 16.1 and 13 points per game. Bone has a team-high 40 assists.
 
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Extend Gonzaga's win streak to 10 games.
- Be the second 10-0 start since joining the NCAA in 1958.
- Improve the Bulldogs' record to 15-8 all-time versus current members from the Southeastern Conference.
- Make Gonzaga 106-40 in December games under Mark Few.
- Improve Josh Perkins' record to 110-15 in games he has played in for Gonzaga.
 
JERRY COLANGELO CLASSIC INFO:
- Gonzaga faces Tennessee in Phoenix as part of the inaugural Jerry Colangelo Classic. The doubleheader also will include a matchup between Nevada and Grand Canyon.
- The event is organized by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will take place at Talking Stick Resort Arena, the home of the NBA's Phoenix Suns.
- One of the most innovative and influential owners in NBA history, Jerry Colangelo has spent most of his life involved with the game of basketball.
- In 1968, he became the youngest general manager in professional sports with the expansion Phoenix Suns. In only his second season with the new club, Colangelo turned the Suns into a legitimate playoff threat.
- In 1976, Colangelo received his first Sporting News NBA Executive of the Year award for taking the Suns to the NBA Finals.
- Since 2005, Colangelo has served as Managing Director of the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program, and he has served as he has served as Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame since 2009.
 
THE ZAGS RETURN TO THE VALLEY OF THE SUN:
- Gonzaga has had its share of success in Phoenix, Ariz.
- Casey Calvary's famous tip-in gave GU a 73-72 win over Florida and propelled the Bulldogs to their first-ever Elite Eight in 1999. That Sweet 16 victory happened in the now-named Talking Stick Arena.
- The Zags advanced to the program's first-ever Final Four in Phoenix in 2017. Gonzaga beat South Carolina in the semifinals, before falling to North Carolina in the national championships in the University of Phoenix Stadium.
- The Bulldogs beat No. 25 Texas in the 2006 Hall of Fame Challenge in Phoenix, 87-77.
- GU fell to Arizona in the 2009 Duel in the Desert in Phoenix, 69-64.
 
TOP DOGS:
- Rui Hachimura's game-winning shot with 0.6 seconds left gave Gonzaga an 81-79 win over Washington.
- Four Zags finished in double-digit scoring led by Hachimura's 26 points. Zach Norvell Jr. added 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Corey Kispert chipped in 13 points, while Brandon Clarke had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
- GU had 21 assists on 27 made shots from the field.
- The Bulldogs have now won 12 of the last 13 matchups.
 
PERFECTION FROM THE LINE:
- GU made all 19 free throws in its win over Washington.
- Rui Hachimura went 8-for-8 and Zach Norvell Jr. was 6-of-6.
- The Zags have made their last 24 free-throws, and 28 of their last 29.
- Norvell Jr. has made his last nine free-throws.
- This is the first time Gonzaga has made all of its free throws in a game since going 7-of-7 against Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 2, 2014.
- It was the most makes from the free-throw line without a miss by a GU team in the last 20 seasons.