#16/16 Gonzaga (19-5, 8-2 WCC) vs. San Francisco (15-11, 4-7)
THURSDAY, FEB. 9 | 6 P.M. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER | SPOKANE
TELEVISION: ESPN2
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE RADIO | LIVE STATS
 
THE TIP OFF
- Gonzaga and San Francisco meet for the 92nd time in the McCarthey Athletic Center Thursday at 6 p.m.
- The Bulldogs are one win from their 26th straight 20-win season. The Zags' 25-straight 20-win seasons ranks second for the longest active run in the country. (Kansas 32)
- In their last game, the Zags fell at No. 18 Saint Mary's in overtime, 78-70. GU didn't trail for the first 37 minutes of regulation. Drew Timme scored 23 points, while Malachi Smith and Julian Strawther added 13 and 10.
- Timme needs one made field goal for sole possession of first place on Gonzaga's career list. He's currently tied for the top spot with Frank Burgess with 800 made shots from the field. Timme needs two rebounds to become the sixth Zag to grab 800 boards in a career. He is 16 points from 10th all-time in WCC career scoring history.
- Gonzaga leads the country shooting 52.0 percent from the field and averaging 85.7 points per game. The Zags are also first in effective field goal percentage (.582). Timme is third in the nation with 203 made field goals and is ninth with 509 points. His 21.2 points per game rank 13th in the nation. Timme and Anton Watson are first and second in the WCC in field goal percentage at 60.2 and 60.1 percent. Watson is second in two-point field goal percentage at 67.2 percent. Timme is sixth averaging 7.5 rebounds. Strawther's 6.8 rebounds per game are 10th. Nolan Hickman is third with a 2.02 assist-to-turnover ratio. Anton Watson is fourth averaging 1.79 steals.
 
SCOUTING THE DONS
- After winning three straight games, San Francisco has dropped its last two including an 84-70 home loss to Santa Clara Saturday. In the setback, USF's Khalil Shabazz finished with a game-high 31 points, which marked a new season-high and his fourth 30+ point performance. He knocked down 6-of-13 from beyond-the-arc and 9-of-11 from the free throw line while also adding eight rebounds and three steals. Tyrell Roberts (17 points) and Isaiah Hawthorne (10 points) also finished in double figures for the Dons. San Francisco was limited to 34.4 percent shooting from the field.
- Shabazz averages a team-best 16 points, three assists and 2.1 steals per game. Roberts adds 15.2 points per outing. The duo has combined for 127 made threes. Zane Meeks chips in 12.1 points and a team-high 5.8 rebounds per contest.
 
SERIES INFO
- This is the 92nd all-time meeting between Gonzaga and San Francisco. GU has a 69-22 advantage in the series.
- GU is 48-4 against San Francisco under Mark Few.
- The Zags have won 25 straight versus the Dons. USF's last win in the series came on Feb 18, 2012, 66-65, at USF.
- In the first meeting this season at San Francisco, Rasir Bolton scored on a follow shot with seven seconds left to give No. 9 Gonzaga its first lead since the opening minutes and the Bulldogs beat USF 77-75. Bolton scored 11 of his 21 points in the final 5:15 to lead GU back. Julian Strawther added 16 points and Drew Timme had 11.
- 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.
- In last season's meeting in Spokane, Chet Holmgren scored 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots in the Bulldogs' 78-62 victory over San Francisco. Anton Watson scored 11 points and Andrew Nembhard added 10.
- GU is 26-18 all-time at San Francisco. The Bulldogs have won the last 11 matchups at USF.
- San Francisco edged GU, 64-62, in the first-ever meeting at USF on Jan. 28, 1961.
 
UP NEXT
- Gonzaga welcomes BYU Saturday at 7 p.m.
- It will be the 32nd all-time meeting between Gonzaga and BYU. The Zags have a 24-7 advantage in the series, with all 31 matchups coming under Mark Few.
- GU has won the last six meetings dating back to a 91-78 loss in Provo on Feb. 22, 2020. Gonzaga was No. 2 at the time and BYU was No. 23.
- On Jan. 8 at BYU, Julian Strawther hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 9.8 seconds left to lift No. 8 Gonzaga to a 75-74 win. Drew Timme had 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs. Anton Watson added 18 points and Strawther finished with 11.
- Gonzaga has won eight of the 11 Spokane matchups in
the series, all coming inside the McCarthey Athletic Center.
- The Bulldogs won last season's meeting in Spokane,
110-84. Drew Timme scored 30 points on 13-of-14 shooting. Andrew Nembhard had 22 points and 12 assists, and Julian Strawther added 20 points.
- Gonzaga has won nine of the 12 meetings in Provo, including eight of the last nine matchups at BYU.
- GU has won all six of the meetings against the Cougars in
the WCC Tournament, including in the 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2021 championship games.
- The Cougars won the first-ever meeting, 89-67, in the third
round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament in Denver, Colo.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
- Drew Timme ranks second in program history with 2,030 points and eighth with 798 rebounds. He is 167 points from first. Timme needs to average 23.9 points during the next seven games to surpass Frank Burgess for the top spot by the end of the regular season. Timme is 22 rebounds from sixth in GU history.
- Malachi Smith is four made free-throws from 300 in his career and is at 150 steals in his career.
- Rasir Bolton is four assists from 350 in his career.
- Anton Watson is 11 steals from 150 in his career.
 
ONE FROM TWENTY
- GU is one win from its 26th straight 20-win season.
- The Zags' 25-straight 20-win seasons rank second for the longest active run in the country. (Kansas 32)
- Prior to the previous 25 seasons, the Bulldogs reached 20 wins in a season eight times since 1907-08.
- Gonzaga has won at least 25 games in each of the last 15 consecutive seasons.
 
DAN THE MAN
- Dan Dickau, who helped usher the Gonzaga men's basketball program into national prominence, will be honored by GU Athletics during a ceremony at the game Thursday.
- Dickau, who will become the fifth player in men's program history to have his jersey displayed in the McCarthey Athletic Center, will be present for the ceremony. He will join Frank Burgess, John Stockton, Adam Morrison and Kelly Olynyk among those with their jersey numbers hung in the arena.
- Dickau set America on fire in 2001-02 as the senior became the Bulldogs first first-team Associated Press All-America selection. Dickau helped guide the Bulldogs to a No. 6 national ranking and at the time a school record 29 victories.
- Dickau was Gonzaga's third John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year candidate and the first Wooden Award Top Five All-American. Dickau was also a finalist for the James Naismith Player of the Year Award as he earned West Coast Conference Player of the Year honors.
- Dickau finished his two-year Gonzaga career ranking fourth on the career three-pointers list, sixth on the career assists chart and 16th in career scoring with 1,125 points.