Gonzaga (0-0) vs. Northwest (0-0)
SUNDAY, OCT. 19 | 2 P.M. | SPOKANE | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
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THE OPENING TIP
- Gonzaga opens its 2025-26 season with an exhibition against Northwest University in the McCarthey Athletic Center Sunday at 2 p.m. Northwest is in Kirkland and is a member of the NAIA.
- The Zags are ranked No. 21 in the preseason Associated Press poll. GU received 387 points in the preseason ranking. It marks the 25th straight season Gonzaga has been ranked in the AP poll. It's the 16th consecutive year the Bulldogs have appeared in the preseason poll.
- Gonzaga joins Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina as the only programs that have appeared in each of the last 16 preseason AP Polls.
- The Zags have a history of cruising in their home exhibitions. Gonzaga has an average margin of victory of 44 points in its home exhibition wins over the past 15 games.
- In last season's home exhibition, the Bulldogs eased to a 109-52 victory over Warner Pacific. GU's Nolan Hickman led all scorers with 19 points. Graham Ike and Braden Huff combined for 25 points, both shooting 5-of-8 from the field. Ike grabbed eight rebounds and had three steals. The Zags held Warner Pacific, a conference opponent of Northwest, to 30 percent shooting from the field and forced 23  Knight turnovers.
- Last season, the Bulldogs advanced to their 26th straight NCAA Tournament, the third-longest active streak in the nation, and finished with a 26-9 record. Gonzaga finished No. 23 in the final AP Poll.
- The Zags extended its NCAA Div. 1 record to 18 straight seasons of at least 25 wins. GU's 28-straight 20-win seasons ranks second for the longest active run in the country.
- While the Bulldogs only return 36 percent of their scoring from last season, along with 34 percent of their rebounding, the current roster features three 1,000-point career scorers and two more at 842 and 713. Seven Zags have played at least 65 games in their careers, with six averaging at least 20 minutes per game.
- Gonzaga's 2025-26 roster features the 2022-23 Mountain West Conference Preseason Player of the Year, the 2022-23 Big Sky Conference Player of the Year, and the 2023-24 Patriot League Player of the Year.
- Graham Ike is 41 points from 2,000 in his career. He has started in 108 of his 115 career appearances. Last season led the WCC in field goal percentage (59.8), was third in scoring (17.3), and fifth in rebounding (7.3). He is coming off back-to-back First Team All-Conference selections.
- Braden Huff started the last three games last season. He averaged 11 points on 57.7 percent shooting from the field in 2024-25. The redshirt junior added 3.4 rebounds per outing.
- Adam Miller was listed as one ESPN's top transfers after totaling 1,206 points in 117 games at Arizona State, Louisiana State, and Illinois. He started all 30 games for ASU last season.
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
- Northwest University is a private Christian school in Kirkland, Wash., and was founded in 1934. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 695 (fall 2024), and the campus size is 56 acres.
- The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) since the 1997–98 academic year.
- Northwest was the former home of the Seattle Seahawks' training facility for 22 years, from 1984 to 2006, before the team moved to its current location.
- In 2024-25, Northwest's men's basketball went 5-23 overall and 4-18 in conference play.
- The Eagles were picked eighth out of 11 in the league's preseason poll this year.
- Senior Trent Williams is the team's leading returning scorer after averaging 8.7 points per game last season.
- Ethan Martin returns for his junior year after making a team-high 39 threes last season at 41.1 percent, which ranked sixth in the conference.
- As a team, Northwest ranked second in the conference in blocks per game (3.3) last season. Senior Rashid Potter ranked 13th in the league at 0.5 blocks per game.
 
UP NEXT
- Gonzaga hosts Western Oregon in an exhibition and final tune-up for the regular season Oct. 27 at 6 p.m.
- The Wolves are a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in NCAA Div. 2.
- WOU went 5-23 last season, including 2-16 in conference play.
- Western Oregon made a coaching change during the offseason, welcoming in former Alaska Anchorage assistant Ryan Orton to take charge in 2025-26.
- The Wolves were picked 10th in the conference's preseason poll.
- WOU has an exhibition game at Oregon State Oct. 25.
 
ZAGS OPEN SEASON RANKED NO. 21 IN AP POLL
- Gonzaga was ranked No. 21 in the preseason Associated Press poll. The Bulldogs received 387 points in the preseason rankings.
- This marks the 25th straight season GU has been ranked in the AP Poll and the 16th consecutive year the Zags have appeared in the preseason poll.
- Gonzaga joins Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina as the only programs to appear in each of the last 16 preseason AP Polls.
 
STEADY IN THE POLLS
- The Bulldogs have appeared in 161 of the last 175 AP Polls (92 percent) since the start of the 2016 season, ranking only behind Kansas's 169 appearances.
- Gonzaga has averaged a No. 7.1 ranking in the AP Polls since 2017, second only to Kansas (6.3).
 
THE SLATE
- No. 5 St. John's and No. 3 Houston are potential opponents for Gonzaga on the final day of the Players Era Championship. The Bulldogs open the event against No. 15 Alabama on Nov. 24.
- The Zags host No. 23 Creighton on Nov. 11. No. 9 Kentucky and GU meet in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 5, before Gonzaga faces No. 12 UCLA in the Seattle Hoops Showdown on Dec. 13.
- The Bulldogs close their nonconference schedule in the Northwest Elite Showdown versus Oregon in Portland on Dec. 21. The Ducks are two spots outside the Top 25, receiving 98 votes.
- Gonzaga welcomes Oklahoma to Spokane on Nov. 8; the Sooners received one vote in the poll.
- West Coast Conference foe Saint Mary's (Jan. 31 and Feb. 28) received two votes in the preseason rankings.
- The 18-team Players Era Championship features 13 programs ranked or receiving votes in the preseason AP Poll: No. 2 Houston, No. 5 St. John's, No. 7 Michigan, No. 15 Alabama, No. 16 Iowa State, No. 18 Tennessee, No. 19 Kansas, No. 20 Auburn, No. 21 Gonzaga, No. 23 Creighton, Oregon (98 votes), San Diego State (74 votes), and Baylor (one vote).
- During their non-conference slate, the Zags could face up to eight teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season.
- Seven non-conference opponents won 20 or more games in 2024-25 and finished inside the Top 75 in last year's NET rankings.
- Gonzaga plays teams from eight different conferences, including the Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, and SEC.
- The Bulldogs are a participant in this year's Players Era Festival and three more neutral site games.
 
ANOTHER HIGH KENPOM RANKING
- Gonzaga came in at No. 8 overall and No. 9 in the metrics' offensive efficiency scale in KenPom's preseason metric rankings.
- Houston sits atop the ratings, with Florida, Purdue, Kentucky, and UConn in the Top 5. Illinois, Duke, Tennessee, and UCLA round out the Top 10.
- On top of having the No. 2 offense, the Zags are No. 20 in adjusted defensive efficiency. GU's defense ranked 45th in last year's preseason rankings.
- Referred to as KenPom, the advanced analytics website ranks all 365 Division-I men's college basketball teams based on numerous factors. It considers aspects such as a team's offensive and defensive efficiencies, tempo, luck and strength of schedule.
 
EXPERIENCE IS KEY
- While the Bulldogs only return 36 percent of their scoring from last season, along with 34 percent of their rebounding, the current roster features three 1,000-point career scorers and two more at 842 and 713.
- Seven Zags have played at least 65 games in their careers, with six averaging at least 20 minutes per game.
- GU's 2025-26 roster features the 2022-23 Mountain West Conference Preseason Player of the Year, the 2022-23 Big Sky Conference Player of the Year, and the 2023-24 Patriot League Player of the Year.