#2/2 Gonzaga (1-0) vs. Michigan State (1-0)
FRIDAY, NOV. 11 | 3:30 P.M. | USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN | SAN DIEGO
TELEVISION: ESPN
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP OFF
- Gonzaga faces Michigan State in the 2022 Armed Forces Classic Carrier Edition on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, across the bay from downtown San Diego Friday.
- The Zags are appearing in their second Armed Forces Classic after playing Pittsburgh in the 2015 event at U.S. Marine Corps Base Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan.
- Gonzaga is coming off a 104-63 season-opening victory over North Florida Monday. Six Zags finished in double-figure scoring led by Drew Timme's game-high 22 points. GU made 63.2 percent of its shots from the field, and forced 22 turnovers with 15 steals. The Bulldogs dished out 22 assists.
- The Bulldogs have now won 18 straight regular season-openers dating back to a loss to Saint Joseph's in 2003.
- GU has won 33 consecutive regular season home-openers since a 73-65 loss to Boise State on Dec. 7, 1988.
- The Zags are No. 2 in the Associated Press preseason poll entering the year. The Bulldogs' 114 straight AP Poll appearances top the nation. Gonzaga has been in the Top 10 for a national-best 81 straight polls, and in the Top 5 for 50 consecutive polls. The Bulldogs' 50 straight appearances in the Top 5 ranks as the third-longest in AP poll history, while its 81 straight polls in the Top 10 is fourth.
- Timme was named the CBS Sports Preseason National Player of the Year and to the NABC and Naismith Player of the Year Preseason Watch Lists. He was also tabbed Preseason AP All-American First Team.
- The Zags own the country's longest home win streak with 68 consecutive victories inside the McCarthey Athletic Center, breaking the previous program record last season which was 50.
- GU has sold out every game since the 6,000-seat McCarthey Athletic Center opened, a streak of 268 games. The Bulldogs currently have a home sell-out streak of 290 consecutive games, dating back to 2001-02.
 
THE SERIES
SERIES INFO: Michigan State has won four of the five all-time meetings  
STREAK: Michigan State has won the last two meetings 
FIRST MEETING: Michigan State won in East Lansing, 70-68, on Nov. 29, 1997       
LAST MEETING: Michigan State won in Spokane, 74-67, on Dec. 10, 2011
AGAINST BIG TEN: The Zags are 16-20 against Big Ten competition, including 15-14 under Mark Few
 
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS:
- Michigan State opened its season with a 73-55 victory over Northern Arizona Monday. Joey Hauser had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Pierre Brooks added 14 points off the bench. A.J Hoggard added nine points and eight assists, while Jaxon Kohler chipped in with six points and nine rebounds. MSU handed out 17 assists on 29 made field goals.
- Malik Hall was one of 11 players selected to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. Hall appeared in all 36 games and started seven times, finishing fourth on the team in scoring with 8.9 points and third on the team with 4.6 rebounds with 1.1 assists per game.
- The Spartans were picked fourth in the Big Ten preseason media poll.
- Michigan State finished 23-13 last season, falling to Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
GONZAGA RETURNS TO ARMED FORCES CLASSIC
- GU is appearing in its second Armed Forces Classic after playing Pittsburgh in the 2015 event at U.S. Marine Corps Base Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan.
- A slippery court forced the cancellation of the 2015 season-opener between No. 9 Gonzaga and Pitt at halftime, with the Panthers leading 37-35.
- The 2022 Armed Forces Classic will mark the second time the Spartans play in a game on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. In the 2011 Carrier Classic, Michigan State faced North Carolina on the USS Carl Vinson, also in San Diego harbor.
- It's the ninth edition of the Armed Forces Classic and first since 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska.
- Michigan State participated in the inaugural Armed Forces Classic in 2012. The Spartans played Connecticut at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany in a C-5 transport airline hangar.
 
UP NEXT
- Gonzaga travels to No. 12 Texas Wednesday for a 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time tipoff.
- It is the fifth all-time meeting between the programs, with the Zags winning all four previous matchups.
- Last season, GU beat No. 5 Texas in the first-ever Top-5 clash in the McCarthey Athletic Center, 86-74. Drew Timme led all scorers with 37 points.
- It will be the first meeting between the programs in Austin, in the brand-new Moody Center.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Timme ranks 15th in program history with 1,543 points and 15th with 623 rebounds. He is four points from tying Jerry Vermillion for 14th, and seven rebounds from matching Bill Quigg's 14th-best mark.
- Rasir Bolton is three steals from 100 in his career.
- Rasir Bolton is 11 assists from 300 in his career.
 
SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
- The Zags have won 17 straight regular season-openers dating back to a 73-66 loss to Saint Joseph's in the 2003 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in New York City.
- In last year's season-opener, No. 1 Gonzaga beat No. 6 Kansas in the Fort Myers Tipoff in Florida, 102-90.
- GU has won 32 consecutive regular season home-openers since a 73-65 loss to Boise State on Dec. 7, 1988.
- Gonzaga has won all 17 regular season home-openers in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- The Bulldogs have won all 22 regular season home-openers under Mark Few.
 
DUO NAMED TO NAISMITH PRESEASON LIST
- Julian Strawther and Drew Timme were named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year Preseason Watch List.
- The midseason 30 team will be announced in February, and then the competition will be narrowed down to 10 national semifinalists in early March. Following those results, four finalists will be named on March 21, and the winner of the 2023 Naismith Trophy for Men's Player of the Year will be announced on April 2.