#4/4 Gonzaga (11-2, 0-0 WCC) vs. Pepperdine (6-9, 0-0 WCC)
SATURDAY, JAN. 8 | 6 P.M. | McCARTHEY CENTER | SPOKANE
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THE TIP OFF
- Gonzaga opens its 33rd season in the West Coast Conference versus Pepperdine Saturday in Spokane at 6 p.m. The Zags have a 61-31 advantage in the series all-time, and have won 41 straight against the Waves.
- The Bulldogs have won 24 straight West Coast Conference openers, dating back to a 72-61 loss at Santa Clara in 1996. GU has won all 22 West Coast Conference season-openers under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga is coming off a 93-63 victory over North Alabama in Spokane on Dec. 28. Five Zags finished in double-digit scoring led by Julian Strawther's 15 points, and Anton Watson had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Bulldogs limited the Lions to 32.4 percent shooting from the field, including 27 percent from three-point range.
- GU has not trailed in the last 118 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 eight home games this season (320 minutes), the Zags have trailed for four minutes and 23 seconds.
- The Zags have won 21 consecutive conference games, which is the active streak of its kind in the nation.
- GU rides a national-best, and program-best, 59-game home win streak inside the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- 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 104th consecutive ranking, the longest current streak in the nation, with Villanova second at 48. 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 (52.1), and in defensive rebounds (31.2), third in scoring margin (23.1), sixth in scoring offense (85.6) and rebound margin (11), and ninth in rebounds per game (42.2).
- Chet Holmgren is fifth in the country shooting 75.8 percent from inside-the-arc, sixth averaging 3.46 per game, and seventh with 45 blocks. Drew Timme is 18th in the nation shooting 60.9 percent from the field. Holmgren currently leads the WCC in rebounds (8.4) and blocks (3.46) per game.
- The Zags are second in KenPom's rankings in offensive efficiency with the 12th-most efficient defense.
- The Bulldogs have won 63 of their last 67 games. And since the start of the 2019-20 season, GU has won a national-best 73 out of their last 78 games.
 
SERIES NOTES:
- This is the 93rd all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Pepperdine.
- The Zags have a 61-31 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 41 straight versus the Waves, with the last Pepperdine victory in the series coming on Jan. 18, 2002, 88-79, in Malibu.
- The Bulldogs are 45-2 against the Waves under Mark Few.
- In the latest matchup, the Bulldogs had six players score in double figures in a 97-75 rout of Pepperdine on Jan. 30, 2021, in Malibu. Drew Timme led the way with 19 points. Andrew Nembhard came off the bench and finished with 17 points and eight assists.
- In the last meeting in Spokane, Corey Kispert had 23 points and eight rebounds as undefeated Gonzaga stormed back in the second half to beat Pepperdine 95-70 on Jan. 14, 2021.
- GU has 31-12 advantage in the meetings in Spokane.
- The Bulldogs have won 23 in-a-row against Pepperdine in Spokane. The last time the Waves won at Gonzaga was on Feb. 19, 1998, 65-64.
- Gonzaga has won 18 in-a-row inside the Firestone Fieldhouse and is 24-17 all-time in the meetings in Malibu.
- Gonzaga won the first-ever meeting, 93-70, in the Knights
of Columbus Tournament in Portland, on Dec. 11, 1964.
 
SCOUTING THE WAVES:
- Pepperdine is coming off a win in its last outing, 96-69, over Westmont on Dec. 23. The Waves' Maxwell Lewis led all scorers with 27 points off the bench. He was one of five double-digit scorers for Pepperdine. Keith Fisher III has 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Mike Mitchell and Jade Smith dished out seven and six assists.
- Jan Zidek averages a team-best 12.4 points per game, while Houston Mallette chips in 11.3 points.
- Fisher III grabs a team-high 6.3 rebounds per outing. Mitchell has thrown 74 assists, which leads the team.
- The Waves are 6-2 at home, but 0-7 away from Malibu.
- Pepperdine was picked seventh in the WCC preseason poll.
 
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Extend the nation's longest conference winning streak to 22 games, dating back to a loss at BYU on Feb. 22, 2019.
- Be the 27th straight GU win in January.
- Make Gonzaga 160-17 in January games under Mark Few.
- Be the 66th in-a-row over an unranked foe.
- Extend the nation's longest home win streak to 60 games, also continuing the program record.
- Be the 55th straight at home over an unranked foe.
- Be the 30th straight home win over a WCC opponent.
 
WHAT'S UP NEXT
- Gonzaga hosts Brigham Young on Jan. 13 at 8 p.m.
- It will be the 29th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and BYU. GU has a 21-7 advantage in the series.
- All 28 matchups have come under Mark Few.
- The Zags have won three straight versus the Cougars. BYU's last win in the series came on Feb. 22, 2020, 97-78, in Provo.
- The teams last met in last season's WCC Tournament Championships, an 88-78 GU victory.
- Gonzaga won last season's meeting in Spokane, 86-69.
- Gonzaga has won seven of the 10 Spokane matchups in the series, all coming inside the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- GU has won seven of the 10 meetings in Provo, including six of the last seven matchups at BYU.
- The Cougars won the first-ever meeting, 89-67, in the third round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament in Denver, Colo.
 
CONFERENCE OPENING SUCCESS
- Gonzaga has won 24 straight West Coast Conference openers, dating back to a 72-61 loss at Santa Clara in 1996.
- The Zags have won all 22 West Coast Conference openers under Mark Few.
- Gonzaga opened West Coast Conference play last season with an 85-72 win at Portland.
 
WAVE BREAKERS
- Gonzaga has won 41 straight games against Pepperdine.
- It ranks as the third-longest streak versus an opponent in Div. 1 history.
 
ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE WCC STAT:
- Since losing 69-66 at San Diego on Feb. 22, 2014, the Zags have gone 103-0 (including conference tournament games) vs. WCC teams not named St. Mary's or BYU.
- Saturday will be 2,878 days since a team other than Saint Mary's or BYU defeated Gonzaga in WCC play.
 
HICKMAN NAMED WCC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
- Nolan Hickman was named the West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Freshman of the Week Monday.
- Hickman helped Gonzaga to a 93-63 win over North Alabama, scoring 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
- It marked Hickman's third game scoring in double figures this season and his three 3-pointers tied a career high.
- For the season, he is averaging 7.2 points and shooting 50.0 percent from the field.
 
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
- The Zags got their 10th win of the season against Northern Arizona.
- Gonzaga has entered conference-play with at least 10 wins in six of the past eight seasons. (2020-21 only nine non-conference games total)
- It's been 11 seasons since the Bulldogs entered WCC action with more than three losses (10-5 in 2010-11).