#1/1 Gonzaga (23-2, 12-0 WCC) at San Francisco (22-7, 9-5 WCC)
THURSDAY, FEB. 24 | 6 P.M. | WAR MEMORIAL GYM | SAN FRANCISCO
TELEVISION: ESPN2
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THE TIP OFF
- No. 1/1 Gonzaga visits San Francisco in the penultimate game of the regular season Thursday at 6 p.m. It's the 89th meeting between the programs and the Zags own the all-time series 66-22.
- GU has won 22 straight meetings in the series, including nine consecutive victories at USF. The Dons last win in the series came on Feb. 18, 2012, 66-65, at San Francisco.
- The Zags have won 33 straight conference games, 32 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 30 consecutive WCC games by double-digits by an average margin of 25.12 points.
- GU has won 11 straight true road games, which is the longest active streak in the country.
- Gonzaga is coming off an 81-69 victory over Santa Clara Saturday. Drew Timme had 23 points and 9 rebounds.
- The Zags are one of three unbeaten teams in conference play. GU is on a 16-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 12-0 in WCC play for the third straight season, they have opened 13-0 the past three seasons.
- Gonzaga has clinched its 25th straight 20-win season, which is the second longest active streak in the nation.
- The Bulldogs ride a national-best, and program-best, 67-game home win streak, with the last loss in 2018.
- Gonzaga is No. 1 in the AP Poll, the 39th week as the nation's top team and sixth this season. GU boasts a 63-7 record as No. 1 in the AP poll. Since 2017, Gonzaga has been No. 1 in 36 of the 111 AP polls (32 percent). That stat leads the country, with Duke second at 18 weeks.
- GU is first in the nation in scoring offense (89.5), field goal percentage (52.9), scoring margin (24.9), two-point percentage (61.8) and defensive rebounds (32.7), second in assists per game (18.9), rebound margin (10.1), and field goal percentage defense (37.2), third in rebounds per game (42.7), fourth in assist-turnover ratio (1.6).
- Andrew Nembhard is sixth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.25). Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme are seventh and 13th in the nation shooting 62 percent and 59.6 percent from the field. Holmgren is fourth with 87 blocks and fourth averaging 3.48 blocks per game. He's also 11th grabbing 7.8 defensive rebounds per outing.
- The Zags are first in KenPom's rankings (second offensive efficiency and sixth efficient defense).
- The Bulldogs have won 75 of their last 79 games, and since the start of the 2019-20 season, GU has won a national-best 85 out of their last 90 games. Gonzaga is also 56-3 since the start of 2020-21.
 
SERIES NOTES
- This is 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.
- Gonzaga has won 33 in-a-row in Spokane in the series, including all 18 in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- The Bulldogs are 38-2 against USF in Spokane all-time. The Dons last won in Spokane on Feb. 10, 1989, 67-64.
- GU has won four of the five all-time meetings in the West Coast Conference Tournament, including the latest in the 2020 semifinals. Joel Ayayi scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half and the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs survived a scare to beat San Francisco 81-77.
- San Francisco edged GU, 64-62, in the first-ever meeting at USF on Jan. 28, 1961.
 
SCOUTING THE DONS
- San Francisco is rolling in off a 104-71 victory at Pacific Monday. Four Dons finished in double-digit scoring led by Khalil Shabazz's 21 points with five three-pointers. Jamaree Bouyea added 15 points and 11 assists. USF made 59 percent from the field, its best output of WCC play.
- Bouyea is fourth in the West Coast Conference averaging 17.2 points, second playing 36.5 minutes, third with 1.6 steals, fourth making 2.2 three-pointers and seventh with 3.7 assists.
- Shabazz is second in the WCC making 1.9 steals per game. He chips in 13.2 points per outing.
- Massalski is second averaging 9.5 rebounds, third at 2.3 blocks per game, and 10th scoring 13.9 points. He's grabbing 11.5 rebounds per conference game, which leads the league.
- Gabe Stefanini is scoring a team-best 17.4 points per game over the last five games, while shooting 50.9 from the field.
 
ON THIS DAY IN ZAG HISTORY
- Gonzaga is 12-5 on Feb. 24 since joining Div. 1 in 1958-59.
- In their last game on this date, the Zags beat BYU, 79-65, in 2017.
- The Bulldogs have won five straight games on Feb. 19.
- GU won at San Francisco on this date in 2007 in overtime, (86-79) at San Francisco in 1994 (93-89), and in Spokane over USF in 1980 (84-66).
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Chet Holmgren's 87 blocks rank second in program history for most in a season. Brandon Clarke set the record in 2018-19 with 117. Clarke had 77 blocks after 25 games that season, averaging 3.08 per outing.
- Holmgren is eight blocks from tying Josh Heytvelt for eighth for most in a GU career at 95.
- Rasir Bolton is five steals from 100 in his career.
- Anton Watson is 10 steals from 100 in his career.
- Drew Timme is 19 points from 1,400 in his career. He is 49 points away from 21st all-time at Gonzaga.
- Drew Timme is 42 rebounds from 600 in his career.
- Rasir Bolton is 22 assists from 300 in his career.
A ZAG WIN WOULD ...
- Extend the nation's longest conference winning streak to 34 games, dating back to a loss at BYU on Feb. 22, 2019.
- Be the 17th straight GU win in February.
- Improve Mark Few's record in February to 161-23.
- Be the 77th in-a-row over an unranked foe.
- Extend the nation's longest true road win streak to 12.
 
WHAT'S UP NEXT
- The 108th all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Saint Mary's. The Bulldogs lead the series 76-31, winning the last seven, and 22 of the last 26 meetings.
- The Zags are 50-11 against SMC under Mark Few.
- This will be the eighth time the programs have met while both were ranked, as Saint Mary's is No. 23 in both polls
- Gonzaga won the matchup earlier this season in Spokane, 74-58. Drew Timme scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Chet Holmgren had 11 points and 13 rebounds.
- The Bulldogs are 26-18 all-time at Saint Mary's.
- GU won last season's meeting in Moraga, 73-59, on Jan. 16, 2021. Timme had 14 points and eight rebounds.
- Gonzaga is 34-11 all-time at home against SMC. GU is 17-4 in the meetings in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- The last 13 WCC Tournament titles have been won by either Gonzaga or SMC. GU has 10 of those 13 titles.
- The Zags are 15-4 against SMC in the WCC Tournament, winning six of the last seven meetings in the event. The teams have met in the tournament 12 of the past 14 years.
- The Bulldogs won the first all-time meeting between the programs, 86-84, in Moraga on Dec. 23, 1971.
 
PERFECT TEN
- Gonzaga has clinched 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 10 seasons.
- Gonzaga has 25 WCC regular season, Coach Few has led GU to 21 of them.
- Gonzaga currently owns the nationally-best active streak of regular season titles, owned or shared at 10.
- Since 1997-98, the Bulldogs have either won or shared 23 of the 25 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.
 
PERFECTION AT HOME
- The Zags finished an undefeated record at home this season
with the win over Santa Clara.
- The 16-0 record was the seventh unbeaten home record in
program history, and the fourth consecutive season.
- Gonzaga has now finished perfect at home in conference
action 12 times.
 
TOP DOG IN VEGAS
- Gonzaga has clinched the one seed 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.
 
HOLMGREN NAMED WCC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
- Chet Holmgren earned WCC Freshman of the Week recognition for the ninth time this season Monday.
- Holmgren earned his fifth Freshman of the Week award in the last six weeks after picking up back-to-back double-doubles in Gonzaga's wins at Pepperdine and at home against Santa Clara last week.
- The freshman scored 18 points with 17 rebounds at Pepperdine before notching 10 points and 10 rebounds against the Broncos.
- This is Holmgren's ninth WCC Freshman of the Week award and his 10th WCC weekly honor after being named Player of the Week on Feb. 7.
- Holmgren's former high school teammate, and former Zag, Jalen Suggs received WCC Freshman of the Week honors 10 times last season.
- The 2020-21 season was the first year of the honor. The WCC has one more edition of the award this season.
 
ARE YOU KIDDING ME CHET
- Chet Holmgren has more blocks (87) than missed shots from the field (81) so far this season.
- Holmgren is already ninth in program history for most blocked shots in a career, just eight away from eighth.