#1/1 Gonzaga (22-2, 11-0 WCC) vs. Santa Clara (18-9, 8-4 WCC)
SATURDAY, FEB. 19 | 6 P.M. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER | SPOKANE
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THE TIP OFF
- No. 1/1 Gonzaga hosts Santa Clara in the Zags' final home game of the season Saturday at 6 p.m. It's the 98th meeting between the programs and the Bulldogs own the all-time series 67-30.
- A victory clinches the outright West Coast Conference regular season title for the Zags. Gonzaga has either won or shared the title for nine straight years, which is the longest active streak in the nation.
- GU has won 23 straight meetings in the series, including 14 consecutive victories at home over Santa Clara. The Broncos last win came in 2011, 85-71 at SCU. Santa Clara's last win in Spokane was in 2007, 84-73.
- The Zags have won 32 straight conference games, 31 by double-digits, 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. The Bulldogs have won 29 consecutive WCC games by double-digits by an average margin of 25.12 points.
- The Bulldogs ride a national-best, and program-best, 66-game home win streak, with the last loss in 2018.
- Gonzaga is coming off an 86-66 victory at Pepperdine Wednesday. Andrew Nembhard had 14 assists for GU.
- The Zags are one of three unbeaten teams in conference play. GU is on a 15-game win streak, tied for the longest active streak in the nation. It's the sixth straight season GU has had a 10-game or more win streak.
- The Zags are 11-0 in WCC play for the third straight season, they have opened 13-0 the past three seasons.
- GU has won 11 straight true road games, which is the longest active streak in the country.
- Gonzaga returned to No. 1 in the AP Poll, the 38th week as the nation's top team and fifth this season. GU boasts a 62-7 record as No. 1 in the AP poll. Since 2017, Gonzaga has been No. 1 in 35 of the 110 AP polls.
- GU is first in the nation in scoring offense (89.9), field goal percentage (53.5), scoring margin (25.5), two-point percentage (62.2) and defensive rebounds (32.88), second in assists per game (19.1) and rebound margin (10.2), third in field goal percentage defense (37.1) and rebounds per game (42.7), fifth in assist-turnover ratio (1.6).
- Andrew Nembhard is fifth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.29). Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme are seventh and 13th in the nation shooting 63.2 percent and 60.2 percent from the field. Holmgren is fifth with 82 blocks and fifth averaging 3.42 blocks per game. He's also ninth grabbing 7.88 defensive rebounds per outing.
- The Zags are first in KenPom's rankings (second offensive efficiency and seventh efficient defense).
- The Bulldogs have won 74 of their last 78 games, and since the start of the 2019-20 season, GU has won a national-best 84 out of their last 89 games. Gonzaga is also 53-3 since the start of 2020-21.
 
SERIES NOTES
- This is the 98th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Santa Clara. GU owns a 67-30 advantage in the series.
- GU has won 46 of the last 48 meetings against the Broncos, including the last 23 straight matchups.
- Santa Clara's last win in the series was an 85-71 home victory on Jan. 20, 2011.
- The Bulldogs are 46-4 against SCU under Mark Few.
- In the meeting earlier this season at SCU, Drew Timme scored 32 points and Andrew Nembhard had 19 as No. 2 Gonzaga routed Santa Clara 115-83.
- The Bulldogs are 33-6 all-time in Spokane in the series, and has won 13 straight at home versus the Broncos.
- In last season's meeting in Spokane, Corey Kispert scored 25 points, Drew Timme had 16 of his 18 points in the second half and No. 1 Gonzaga beat Santa Clara 89-75 on Feb. 25.
- Gonzaga is 24-23 all-time at Santa Clara, but have won 20 of their last 21 at SCU.
- Santa Clara won the first all-time meeting between the programs, 67-62, in Santa Clara on Feb. 3, 1959.
 
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
- Santa Clara is coming off an 84-80 victory at Loyola Marymount Thursday. The Broncos shot 53.6 percent from the field, and were led by PJ Pipes' 19 points. Josip Vrankic added 18 points and a team-high six rebounds.
- Jalen Williams leads Santa Clara averaging 17.8 points and 3.78 assists per game.
- Vrankic, Keshawn Justice and Pipes add 15.1, 13.6 and 11.2 points per game. Vrankic is shooting 55.2 percent from the field, while Justice is pulling down a team-best 7.4 rebounds per contest. Justice has made a team-high 65 threes.
- SCU has victories over Saint Mary's, Stanford and TCU.
- Vrankic and Williams were both named Preseason All-WCC. Vrankic was First Team All-Conference last season.
 
ON THIS DAY IN ZAG HISTORY
- Gonzaga is 9-8 on Feb. 19 since joining Div. 1 in 1958-59.
- In their last game on this date, the Zags won at Pacific, 86-74, in 2015.
- The Bulldogs have won five straight games on Feb. 19.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Chet Holmgren's 82 blocks rank second in program history for most in a season. .
- Holmgren is three blocks from 10th for most in a GU career.
- Rasir Bolton is five steals from 100 in his career.
- Anton Watson is 10 steals from 100 in his career.
 
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Extend the nation's longest conference winning streak to 33 games, dating back to a loss at BYU on Feb. 22, 2019.
- Be the 16th straight GU win in February.
- Improve Mark Few's record in February to 160-23.
- Be the 76th in-a-row over an unranked foe.
- Extend the nation's longest home win streak to 67 games, also continuing the program record.
- Be the 37th straight home win over a WCC opponent, which would set a new record for the longest home win streak versus WCC foes in program history set from 2011-15.
 
WHAT'S UP NEXT
- The 89th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and San Francisco. GU has a 66-22 advantage in the series.
- GU is 45-4 against San Francisco under Mark Few.
- The Zags have won 22 straight versus the Dons. USF's last win in the series came on Feb 18, 2012, 66-65, at USF.
- GU is 24-18 all-time at San Francisco. The Bulldogs have won the last nine matchups at USF.
- The Bulldogs won last season's meeting in San Francisco, 100-61, on Feb. 13. Drew Timme scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Andrew Nembhard had five assists.
- Gonzaga won the meeting earlier this season in Spokane, 78-62, on Jan. 20. Chet Holmgren scored 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots. Drew Timme finished with 23 points.
- San Francisco edged GU, 64-62, in the first-ever meeting at USF on Jan. 28, 1961.
 
GOING FOR TEN STRAIGHT
- With a win Saturday, Gonzaga would clinch the outright West Coast Conference regular season title.
- The Zags have either shared or owned the WCC regular season title outright in each of the last nine seasons.
- Gonzaga has 24 WCC regular season, Coach Few has led GU to 20 of them.
- Gonzaga currently owns the nationally-best active streak of regular season titles, owned or shared at nine.
- Since 1997-98, the Bulldogs have either won or shared 22 of the 24 regular season titles, sharing only three (2015-16 with Saint Mary's, 2010-11 with Saint Mary's, 2001-02 with Pepperdine). SMC won the 2011-12 title and Pepperdine took the 1999-2000 title, both by one game over Gonzaga.
- The Zags shared the title with Santa Clara in 1995-96, and won it outright in 1993-94.
 
TRIPLE BYE IN VEGAS
- Gonzaga has clinched one of the top two seeds in the 2022 West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas.
- The top two seeds earn triple byes in the event to the semifinals on March 7.
- GU has been the top seed in the WCC Tournament in 10 of the 13 years that the event has been in Las Vegas since 2009. The other three years, GU has been the two-seed.
- Gonzaga has been the top seed in the WCC Tournament 20 times in program history.
- GU is 41-6 in the WCC Tournament as the one-seed.
 
BIG NUMBERS IN MALIBU
- Andrew Nembhard dished out 14 assists in the victory at Pepperdine. It was the second-most assists in a game in program history, matching Joel Ayayi's 14 last season at Portland. Blake Stepp set the record of 16 in 2002. Nembhard's 14 assists came with only two turnovers.
- Chet Holmgren matched his season-high with 17 rebounds. He also scored 18 points and blocked four shots.