No. 8/9 Gonzaga (7-2) vs. No. 18/20 UConn (6-3)
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14 | 5 P.M. PT | MADISON SQUARE GARDEN | NEW YORK CITY
TELEVISION: FOX
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THE OPENING TIP
- Gonzaga travels across the country for a Top-20 matchup with two-time defending national champion UConn in Madison Square Garden in New York City Saturday at 5 p.m. Pacific. The game is part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Series.
- The Zags return to Madison Square Garden for the seventh time where they are 3-5 all-time. In its last trip to New York City and MSG, Gonzaga fell to No. 7 Villanova, 88-72, in the 2017
Jimmy V Classic.
- Gonzaga is coming off a 90-89 overtime loss to No. 4 Kentucky last Saturday in the Battle in Seattle. The Bulldogs led by 18 early in the second half, before the No. 4 Wildcats rallied for the win. Graham Ike led all scorers with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Ryan Nembhard had 13 points and 10 assists.
- Ryan Nembhard's 96 assists top the nation through nine games. Nembhard's 10.7 assists per game also lead the country. The senior has 15 turnovers. His 6.40 assist-to-turnover ratio is second in the country.
- As a team, GU is first in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.17). The Zags are seventh averaging 19.6 assists per game.
- Six Zags are currently averaging double-digit scoring. Five Bulldogs are 1,000-point career scorers.
- The Bulldogs are eighth in the country shooting 81 percent from the free throw line. GU averages 18 made free throws per game, which leads the West Coast Conference.
- Khalif Battle leads the nation from the line at 30-for-30 to start the season, which is the most makes without a miss. He is currently second in program history with 45 consecutive makes from the free-throw line (Derek Raivio, 56, in 2007)
 
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
- UConn starts the season 7-3 through its first 10 games. The two-time defending national champion opened the year at No. 3 in the AP preseason poll, and is now No. 18.
- The Huskies are coming off a dominant 76-65 win at Texas Sunday. Alex Karaban returned from an injury with a team-high 21 points for UConn, with a game-high 11 rebounds. Solo Ball made four threes and added 16 points, and Hassan Diarra dished out a game-high 11 assists.
- Before visiting Texas, the Huskies beat Baylor in Storrs, 76-72, the only common opponent with Gonzaga.
- UConn leads the country averaging 7.1 blocks per game, with Karaban and Samson Johnson combining for 3.9.
- The Huskies are third in the nation with 20.2 assists per outing, and fifth with a 1.94 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Karaban averages a team-high 16.5 points per game, while Ball chips in 12.9 points. Liam McNeeley and Tarris Reed Jr. average 12.4 and 11 points. Reed grabs a team-best 8.2 rebounds per game, and Diarra leads with 5.6 assists.
 
SERIES INFO
- This will be the eighth all-time meeting between Gonzaga and UConn. The Huskies have won five of the seven games.
- The seven previous meetings were on a neutral court.
- The No. 5 Huskies picked up a 76-63 victory over No. 10 Gonzaga in last year's Continental Tire Seattle Tip-Off in Climate Pledge Arena. Ryan Nembhard had 15 points.
- In the 2023 NCAA Tournament West Region Final, UConn cruised to an 82-54 win in Las Vegas.
- Prior to 2023, five of the previous meetings were decided by five points or less and a combined 18 points. Three of the matchups have been decided by one possession.
- UCONN won the first all-time meeting, 67-62, in the 1999 NCAA Tournament West Region Final in Phoenix on March 20, 1999.
- Since 2014-15, the Zags are 7-3 against Big East foes.
 
BACK IN THE GARDEN
- GU returns to Madison Square Garden for the seventh time.
- The Zags have won three of their eight games in MSG.
- In its last trip to New York City and Madison Square Garden, Gonzaga fell to No. 7 Villanova, 88-72, in the 2017 Jimmy V Classic. The Wildcats would go on to win the national title that season.
- The Bulldogs won the 2014 Preseason NIT, defeating Georgia and St. John's on Nov. 26 and 28.
- Gonzaga made its MSG debut with a 73-66 setback to St. Joseph's in the 2003 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. It was the Zags' season-opener and Adam Morrison's first game in a Bulldog uniform.
11/14/03             L             #17 St. Josephs (66-73)   Coaches vs. Cancer
11/22/06             W           #2 North Carolina (82-74)             NIT Tip-Off
11/24/06             L             Butler (71-79)     NIT Tip-Off
12/21/06             L             #6 Duke (54-61) Aeropostale Classic
12/1/09               L             #7 Duke (41-76) Aeropostale Classic
11/26/14             W           Georgia (88-76) NIT Tip-Off
11/28/14             W           St. John's (73-66)              NIT Tip-Off
12/5/17               L             #4 Villanova (72-88)        Jimmy V Classic
 
UP NEXT
- After nearly a month away from home, Gonzaga returns to the McCarthey Athletic Center for a matchup with Nicholls (Thibodaux, La.) on Dec. 18 at 6 p.m.
- It will be the first-ever meeting between the programs.
- The Colonels won 20 games last season, going 13-5 in the Southland Conference, before falling to McNeese State in the league's tournament championship game.
- Jamal West Jr. is back for his senior season after being named Second Team All-Conference.
- Nicholls is off to a 7-4 start to the season and is coming off a home win over Southern University at New Orleans.
 
SHARING IS CARING
- Ryan Nembhard's 10.7 assists per game is first in the nation, after dishing out 96 assists (1st in the country) to just 15 turnovers through the first seven games.
- His 6.40 assist-to-turnover ratio is second in the country.
- Nembhard finished with a career-high and single game tournament record 14 assists against Davidson in the Battle 4 Atlantis. He totaled 39 assists in the three-game event, setting a new tournament record, to just eight turnovers.
- Gonzaga is first in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.17. The Zags' 19.6 assists per game tops the West Coast Conference, and is seventh in the country.
 
TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
- The Bulldogs' are only turning the ball over nine times per game, which ranks fifth in the country.
- Gonzaga had four turnovers in the win over Long Beach State. The second fewest by the Zags in the past six seasons. (three turnovers, San Francisco on 3/11/24)
- The Bulldogs are fourth in the nation with a 12.4 turnover percentage. Ole Miss is first at 11.5 percent.
 
BENEFITTING FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
- Gonzaga is eighth in the nation making 81 percent from the free-throw line.
- The program record is 79 percent set in 1988-89. The best free-throw shooting team under Mark Few was in 2005-06, when the Zags made 78.2 percent.
- Over the three games at the Battle 4 Atlantis, GU made 54 of its 59 free throws (91.5 percent). The Bulldogs were 21-of-22 in the win over Indiana. Ben Gregg was 16-of-17 from the line in the tournament.
- Khalif Battle leads the nation from the line at 30-for-30 to start the season, which is the most makes without a miss.
- Ryan Nembhard is sixth in the conference at 85.7 percent (30-of-35) from the free-throw line, while Gregg is eighth at 82.4 percent (28-of-34).
- The Bulldogs went 27-of-31 from the free-throw line in the win at San Diego State. The last time Gonzaga shot 85 percent with 30 or more free throw attempts was versus Santa Clara on Jan. 16, 2020. The last time GU did it on the road was at Santa Clara on Jan. 5, 2013.