#2/1 Gonzaga (16-2, 5-0 WCC) vs. Portland (11-9, 2-3 WCC)
SATURDAY, JAN. 29 | 6 P.M. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER | SPOKANE
TELEVISION: KHQ/ROOT NW/Bally's SoCal/Bally's San Diego/NBC Sports California
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THE TIP OFF
- No. 2/1 Gonzaga hosts Portland in a West Coast Conference contest Saturday at 6 p.m. It's the 171st meeting between the programs and the Zags own the all-time series 104-66.
- GU has won 13 straight versus the Pilots. Portland's last win in the series came in 2014, 82-73, at UP. The Bulldogs have won 15 in-a-row in Spokane in the series, all coming in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- The Zags have won 26 straight conference games, which is the longest active streak of its kind in the nation. Gonzaga's last league loss was a 91-78 setback at BYU on Feb. 22, 2020.
- GU rides a national-best, and program-best, 63-game home win streak inside the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- Gonzaga is coming off an 89-55 victory over Loyola Marymount Thursday. Chet Holmgren had 21 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Nolan Hickman had 11 points and Julian Strawther and Rasir Bolton scored 10 apiece. The Zags shot 61.8 percent from the field and held the Lions to 32.8% shooting.
- The Bulldogs are 5-0 in WCC play for the seventh straight season, they have been 6-0 the past five seasons.
- Gonzaga has won 31 straight games in January, dating back to a 74-71 home loss to Saint Mary's in 2018.
- GU has won eight straight true road games, which is the longest active streak in the country.
- The Zags appear in the Associated Press poll for the 107th consecutive ranking, the longest current streak in the nation, with Villanova second at 52. Gonzaga is the only program in the country to appear in every AP poll since 2017, with a No. 5 average ranking. Since 2017, GU has been No. 1 in 34 of the 107 AP polls (32 percent), which leads the country. The Bulldogs boast a 61-7 record all-time as the No. 1 ranked team.
- GU is first in the nation in scoring offense (90.1), field goal percentage (53.9), scoring margin (24.6), two-point percentage (63.4) and in defensive rebounds (31.61), second in assists per game (19.4), fifth in rebounds per game (41.8) and assist to turnover ratio (1.6), and sixth in rebound margin (9.2).
- Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme is fifth and sixth in the nation shooting 63.2 percent and 63.1 percent from the field. Holmgren is seventh in the country averaging 3.39 blocks per game and eighth with 61 blocks. Holmgren is also seventh in the nation shooting 74.1 percent inside-the-arc.
- The Zags are first in KenPom's rankings (second offensive efficiency and 17th efficient defense).
- The Bulldogs have won 68 of their last 72 games, and since the start of the 2019-20 season, GU has won a national-best 78 out of their last 83 games. Gonzaga is also 47-3 since the start of 2020-21.
 
SERIES NOTES
- This is the 171st all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Portland. The Zags have a 104-66 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 13 straight versus the Pilots, and is 39-6 at home in the series. Gonzaga has won 15 in-a-row over Portland at home, dating back to a 72-68 loss on Feb. 19, 2003.
- The programs have not met at Gonzaga since 2018.
- The Bulldogs are 40-2 against Portland under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga won the latest meeting between the teams, 116-88, on Jan. 9, 2021, in Portland. Joel Ayayi posted the first triple-double in GU history. Drew Timme had 26 points.
- The Pilots last win in the series came on Jan. 9, 2014, 82-73, at Portland.
- Gonzaga is 36-22 at Portland in the series. Gonzaga has won 23 of the last 24 inside the Chiles Center.
- Portland edged GU, 70-66, in the first-ever NCAA meeting on Jan. 18, 1959, inside the Spokane Coliseum.
 
SCOUTING THE PILOTS
- Portland picked up a 64-56 home victory over Pacific Thursday. Four Pilots finished in double-digit scoring led by Moses Wood's 19 points. Tyler Robertson had 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
- Four Portland players average double-digit scoring paced by Chris Austin's 14.5 points per game. Wood adds 14.2 points per outing. Robertson averages 13.9 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds and four assists.
- Portland tops the conference shooting 80.1 percent from the free-throw line. Mike Meadows (90.4), Robertson (89.4) and Wood (85.7) are second, third and sixth in the WCC.
 
ON THIS DAY IN ZAG HISTORY
- Gonzaga is 7-7 on Jan. 27 since joining Div. 1 in 1958-59.
- In their last game on this date, the Zags beat San Francisco, 82-73, in 2018.
- The Bulldogs lost to Loyola Marymount on this date in 1990, 99-88, at GU.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Chet Holmgren' 61 blocks currently rank seventh in program history for most blocks in a single season, one blocked shot from sixth.
 
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Extend the nation's longest conference winning streak to 27 games, dating back to a loss at BYU on Feb. 22, 2019.
- Be the 32nd straight GU win in January.
- Make Gonzaga 165-17 in January games under Mark Few.
- Be the 71st in-a-row over an unranked foe.
- Extend the nation's longest home win streak to 64 games, also continuing the program record.
- Be the 59th straight at home over an unranked foe.
- Be the 34th straight home win over a WCC opponent.
 
WHAT'S UP NEXT
- The 100th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and San Diego. GU has a 77-22 lead in the series.
- GU has won 14 straight versus the Toreros, 25 of the last 26, and 47 of the last 50 matchups.
- The Bulldogs are 48-4 against San Diego under Mark Few.
- The Toreros' last win in the series came on Feb. 22, 2014, 69-66, at San Diego.
- Gonzaga won the last matchup, 106-69, in Spokane on Feb. 20, 2021. Drew Timme scored 21 points for the Zags. In last season's meeting at San Diego, GU won 90-62. Timme scored 21 points.
- Gonzaga is 33-13 all-time at San Diego. The Zags have won 12 of their last 13 at USD.
- The Zags won the first-ever meeting, 72-62, on Feb. 1, 1980, in San Diego.
 
HOLMGREN NAMED TO NAISMITH DPOY LIST
- The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year Watch List and Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren was one of the 15 student-athletes recognized.
- Holmgren has blocked at least three shots in 12 games this season, four or more nine times, and a season-high seven blocks in his collegiate debut against Dixie State. His seven blocks matched the most in a single game in program history under head coach Mark Few.
 
CHET'S HEATING UP
- Chet Holmgren has 22 points and 21 points on 14-of-18 shooting from the field in his last two games. He's made five of his seven three-pointers during those games.
- Over the last five games, the freshman averages 16.8 points, nine rebounds and 3.2 blocks. During that span he's shooting a team-best 68.3 percent from the field, 64.3 percent from three-point range (9-of-14), and 19-of-23 from the free-throw line.
- His 68.3 field goal percentage during WCC play tops the conference, followed by Hunter Sallis (68.2), Drew Timme (67.1) and Anton Watson (59.5) who are second, third and fifth in the league.
-Per STATS, Holmgren is ...
                -averaging 14.0+ points per game
                -averaging 3.0+ blocks per game
                -shooting 60 percent overall
                -shooting 40 percent on threes (with 50+ att)
No Div. 1 player in the last 25 years can match that stat line even when taking his best mark in each category from any season of his career.