#1/1 Gonzaga (6-1, 0-0 WCC) vs. Tarleton State (1-5, 0-0 WAC)
MONDAY, NOV. 29 | 7 P.M. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER | SPOKANE
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THE TIP OFF
- After three games in Las Vegas, Gonzaga welcomes Tarleton State for the first-ever meeting between the programs Monday. Tip in the McCarthey Athletic Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.
- The Zags were named the 2021 Empire Classic champions after cruising to wins over Central Michigan and then-ranked No. 2 UCLA in Las Vegas on Nov. 22 and 23. Andrew Nembhard was named the event's MVP.
- The Bulldogs own a 12-point win over then-No. 5 Texas and a 20-point victory over then-ranked No. 2 UCLA.
- Gonzaga is just the fifth team in the AP Poll era with multiple wins over Top-5 opponents in November, joining: 2016-17 Indiana (2), 2012-13 Duke (3), 2001-02 Ball State (2), 1989-90 Kansas (2). 
- The Bulldogs are coming off an 84-81 loss to No. 5/6 Duke in Las Vegas Friday. Four GU players finished in double-digit scoring led by Julian Strawther's 20 points and 10 rebounds.
- From ESPN Stats and Info, Gonzaga was the first AP No. 1 team to play two Top-5, non-conference opponents in the same week of the regular season since Kentucky did it in the 1954 UKIT (Kentucky Invitational).
- The Bulldogs currently lead the nation in field goal percentage (55.2) and total assists (136), third in scoring offense (90.0), eighth in scoring margin (26.4) and 10th in total blocks (39).
- Chet Holmgren is second in the country with 26 blocks and eighth averaging 3.71 per game. He is also eighth in the nation shooting 69.1 percent from the field. Andrew Nembhard's 41 assists are ninth in the country.
- Nembhard is six points shy of 1,000 in his collegiate career. He has scored 358 points at GU.
- The Zags top KenPom's rankings with the nation's most efficient offense and eighth-best defense.
- Gonzaga leads the country with 98 consecutive appearances in the AP Top 25, with Villanova second at 43.
 
SCOUTING THE TEXANS
- Tarleton State, out of Stephenvile, Texas, opens the season with a 1-5 record.
- The Texans are coming off a 65-54 loss at Michigan Wednesday. Montre Gipson led Tarleton State with 17 points and seven rebounds. Tahj Small had 12 points for TSU. The Texans forced 21 turnovers in the loss.
- Gipson averages a team-high 14.8 points per game, while Small adds 11.8 points. Small is grabbing 5.7 rebounds a game as well. Shakur Daniel has dished out a team-best 15 assists, and Shamir Bogues has a team-high 11 steals.
- Tarleton is set to draw the three highest-rated teams in the Pomeroy College Basketball Rankings as of Nov. 20: No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 2 Kansas and No. 3 Michigan.
- The Texans were picked in a tie for ninth in the WAC Preseason Coaches' poll.
 
ON THIS DAY IN ZAG HISTORY
- Gonzaga is 10-5 on Nov. 29 since joining Div. 1 in 1958-59.
- The last game on this date was the 2018 Battle 4 Atlantis Championship game against Michigan. The Wolverines defeated the Bulldogs, 82-64.
- GU won at St. Joseph's in 2008, 70-65. In 2003, the Zags beat Georgia in overtime in the Spokane Arena, 82-76.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Andrew Nembhard is six points from 1,000 in his career.
- Nembhard is 11 rebounds from 300 in his career.
 
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Extend the nation's longest home win streak to 56 games, also continuing the program record.
- Be the 61st in-a-row over an unranked foe.
- Be the 42nd straight home win over a non-conference opponent and 51st straight at home over an unranked foe.
- Improve Drew Timme's record in games he's appeared in at Gonzaga to 69-4 (.945).
 
WHAT'S UP NEXT FOR THE ZAGS
- Gonzaga returns to the Battle in Seattle for the 14th time, but the first since 2015, when it faces Alabama Sunday.
- The programs meet for the first time ever in the new Climate Pledge Arena in front of a sold-out crowd.
- GU held off Tennessee, 86-79, in the last Battle in Seattle in 2015. The Bulldogs have won the last five Battle in Seattle games, and hold a 9-4 record in the event all-time.
 
LEADING THE EMPIRE
- GU was crowned champions of the 2021 Empire Classic in Las Vegas with back-to-back dominant wins over Central Michigan (107-54) and then-ranked No. 2 UCLA (83-63).
- Andrew Nembhard was named the event's Most Outstanding Player after scoring 24 points with six assists and five rebounds versus UCLA. He had a team-high 19 assists in the three games during the week in Las Vegas.
- Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme were named to the All-Tournament team.
 
SENSATIONAL IN SIN CITY
- Julian Strawther made the most of his homecoming during his three games in Las Vegas.
- The sophomore had a breakout week averaging 15.7 points on 50 percent (17-of-34) shooting from the field in 30.4 minutes per game, which was second on the team.
- Strawther pulled down a team-high 7.3 rebounds over the three-game span in T-Mobile Arena, while making a team-best eight three-pointers at 44 percent.
- After playing a then-career-high 31 minutes against No. 2 UCLA, Strawther played a new career-high 35 minutes versus No. 5 Duke. He scored a career-best 20 points against the Blue Devils and matched his career-high of 10 rebounds.
 
GONZAGA NEARING HISTORIC AP MARK
- The Zags' 98 straight AP Poll appearances top the nation, with Villanova second at 43.
- Gonzaga is the only program in the country to appear in every AP poll since 2017, with a No. 5 average ranking.
- Since 2017, the Bulldogs have been in the Top 5 for a national-best 62 polls (63.3 percent of the 98 rankings). Kansas is second appearing in 60 polls.
- Since 2017, GU has been in the Top 10 in 81 of the 98 polls (82.7 percent), which leads the country. Kansas is second at 77 polls in the Top-10 since 2017.
- Since 2017, Gonzaga has been No. 1 in 33 of the 98 AP polls (33.7 percent). That stat leads the country, with Duke second at 17 weeks.