#2/2 Gonzaga (12-2, 1-0 WCC) vs. RV/RV Brigham Young (14-3, 2-0 WCC)
THURSDAY, JAN. 13 | 8 P.M. | McCARTHEY CENTER | SPOKANE
TELEVISION: ESPN2
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE RADIO | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP OFF
- No. 2/2 Gonzaga welcomes BYU to Spokane for the 29th meeting between the programs Thursday at 8 p.m. The Zags have a 21-7 advantage in the series all-time, and have won three straight against the Cougars.
- GU has not trailed in the last 158 minutes and 47 seconds of game play, since trailing 2-0 to Texas Tech on Dec. 18, at the 19:47 mark of the first half. Since falling to Alabama, the Zags have trailed for 14 seconds. In Gonzaga's nine home games this season (360 minutes), the Zags have trailed for four minutes and 23 seconds.
- The Zags have won 22 straight conference games, which is the longest active streak of its kind in the nation.
- GU rides a national-best, and program-best, 60-game home win streak inside the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- Gonzaga is coming off a 117-83 victory over Pepperdine in Spokane on Saturday. Six Zags finished in double-digit scoring led by Anton Watson's had 19 points. Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren both scored 18 points. The Bulldogs finished 54 percent from the field, including 10-of-25 from three-point range.
- The Bulldogs have now won 26 straight West Coast Conference openers, dating back to a 72-61 loss at Santa Clara in 1996. GU has won all 23 West Coast Conference season-openers under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga has won seven straight true road games, which is tied for the longest active streak in the country.
- The Zags appear in the Associated Press poll for the 105th consecutive ranking, the longest current streak in the nation, with Villanova second at 50. Gonzaga is the only program in the country to appear in every AP poll since 2017, with a No. 5 average ranking.
- GU is first in the nation in field goal percentage (52.3), and in defensive rebounds (31.5), second in scoring margin (23.9) and scoring offense (87.9), fifth in rebound margin (11.3) and rebounds per game (42.86).
- Chet Holmgren is seventh in the country shooting 74.3 percent from inside-the-arc, seventh with 47 blocks, and eighth averaging 3.36 blocks per game. Drew Timme is 16th in the nation shooting 61.2 percent from the field. Holmgren currently leads the WCC in rebounds (8.4) and blocks (3.36) per game.
- The Zags are second in KenPom's rankings in offensive efficiency with the 15th-most efficient defense.
- The Bulldogs have won 64 of their last 68 games. And since the start of the 2019-20 season, GU has won a national-best 74 out of their last 79 games.
 
SERIES NOTES:
- This is the 29th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and BYU. The Zags have a 21-7 advantage in the series, with all 28 matchups coming under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga has won the last three meetings dating back to a 91-78 loss in Provo on Feb. 22, 2020, the Zags last WCC setback. GU was No. 2 at the time and BYU was No. 23.
- The Bulldogs won the last matchup, defeating BYU in 2021 WCC Tournament Championships, 88-78. Drew Timme scored 14 points and had seven rebounds, while Andrew Nembhard added 13 points in 40 minutes.
- Gonzaga has won seven of the 10 Spokane matchups in the series, all coming inside the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- The Zags won last season's meeting in Spokane, 86-69, on Jan. 7. Timme and Nembhard both scored 12 points, while Anton Watson had eight points and eight rebounds.
- GU has won seven of the 10 meetings in Provo, including six of the last seven matchups at BYU.
- GU has won all six of the meetings against the Cougars in the WCC Tournament, including in the 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2021 championship games.
- The Cougars won the first-ever meeting, 89-67, in the third round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament in Denver, Colo.
 
SCOUTING THE COUGARS:
- BYU is coming off a 52-43 home win over Saint Mary's Saturday. The Cougars held SMC to 29 percent shooting from the field and forced 19 turnovers. All nine Cougars that played scored, led by Te'jon Lucas' 10 points. Fousseyni Traore had nine points and 11 rebounds. BYU was limited to 1-of-13 shooting from behind-the-arc.
- Alex Barcello averages a team-high 16.6 points per game, and has made a team-best 42 three-points on 46.7 percent shooting from behind-the-perimeter.
- Lucas adds 10.1 points per game, and dishes out a team-high 4.71 assists. Traore grabs a team-high 7.8 rebounds.
- BYU was picked second in the WCC Preseason Poll, and climbed to 12th in the AP poll on Nov. 29.
 
ON THIS DAY IN ZAG HISTORY
- Gonzaga is 17-1 on Jan. 13 since joining Div. 1 in 1958-59.
- GU's average margin of victory on the date is 15.06 points.
- In their last game on this date, the Bulldogs defeated San Francisco on the road, 75-65, in 2013.
- Gonzaga has won 13 straight games on this date.
- The Zags lone loss on this date was to Portland, 79-77, in 1980.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Drew Timme is 16 rebounds away from 500 in his career.
- Rasir Bolton is three games shy of 100 in his career.
 
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Extend the nation's longest conference winning streak to 23 games, dating back to a loss at BYU on Feb. 22, 2019.
- Be the 28th straight GU win in January.
- Make Gonzaga 161-17 in January games under Mark Few.
- Be the 67th in-a-row over an unranked foe.
- Extend the nation's longest home win streak to 61 games, also continuing the program record.
- Be the 56th straight at home over an unranked foe.
- Be the 31st straight home win over a WCC opponent.
 
WHAT'S UP NEXT
- Gonzaga plays its first true road game of the season at Santa Clara Saturday at 1 p.m.
- This is the 97th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Santa Clara. GU owns a 66-30 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 45 of the last 47 meetings against the Broncos, including the last 22 straight matchups.
- Santa Clara's last win in the series was an 85-71 home victory on Jan. 20, 2011.
- The Bulldogs are 45-4 against SCU under Mark Few.
- In the lone meeting last season, Corey Kispert scored 25 points, Drew Timme had 16 of his 18 points in the second half and No. 1 Gonzaga won its 50th straight at home, beating Santa Clara 89-75 on Feb. 25, 2021.
- Gonzaga is 23-23 all-time at Santa Clara but have won 19 of their last 20 at SCU.
- Santa Clara won the first all-time meeting between the programs, 67-62, in Santa Clara on Feb. 3, 1959.
 
THAT'S A WHOLE LOTTA POINTS
- Gonzaga's 117 points versus Pepperdine were the most by a Div. 1 school against a Div. 1 school since Arkansas scored 142 versus Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 25, 2020.
- It was the most points scored by GU since beating Idaho State in 2018, 120-79.
- It matched the sixth-most points scored in a game in program history.
- It was the third-most in a West Coast Conference, and the most since scoring 121 in a win over LMU in 1994.
 
CONFERENCE OPENING SUCCESS
- Gonzaga has now won 26 straight West Coast Conference openers, dating back to a 72-61 loss at Santa Clara in 1996.
- The Zags have won all 23 West Coast Conference openers under Mark Few.
 
ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WATSON
- Over the last six games, Anton Watson has averaged 12.5 points per outing on 62.8 percent shooting from the field.
- His 12.5 points are the third-most on the team during the stretch, while his 62.8 field goal percentage is second.
- He's added 6.2 rebounds a contest over the last six games, with 17 of his 37 boards coming on the offensive end.
- Watson has 12 steals and 11 assists over the six-games.
- He is coming off a season-high 19 points versus Pepperdine, and recorded his first collegiate double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) in the game before that versus North Alabama.