#11/11 Gonzaga (8-1) vs. North Florida (2-6)
SUNDAY, DEC. 7 | 6 P.M. PT | SPOKANE | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
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THE OPENING TIP
- Gonzaga welcomes North Florida to the McCarthey Athletic Center Sunday at 6 p.m. It's the Zags' first home game since Nov. 17. It's the second-ever meeting between GU and the Ospreys.
- The Bulldogs cruised to a 104-63 win over North Florida in the 2022 season-opener for both teams.
- Gonzaga is coming off a 94-59 win over No. 18 Kentucky in Nashville, Tenn. It was the Zags' second-largest margin of victory over a ranked team in program history. Graham Ike and Braden Huff combined for 48 points, with Ike matching his high-point total as a Zag with 28. He added 10 rebounds. Huff went 9-for-11 from the field. Braeden Smith finished with 11 points, six rebounds, and six assists in 19 minutes. GU held the Wildcats to 26 percent shooting from the field, including 7-of-34 from behind-the-arc.
- Mark Few is one win shy of 750 in his career. A victory over North Florida would be his 750th in 904 games, the second-fastest to 750 wins in NCAA Div. 1 history behind Adolph Rupp's 902 games.
- GU is one of two teams in the nation with both its offense (6th) and defense (2nd) in KenPom's Top 10.
- Adam Miller is seven points from 1,300 his career, while Steele Venters is 16 points shy of 1,200.
- The Zags currently lead the West Coast Conference in scoring margin (25.0, 7th in NCAA), scoring offense (91.1, 18th in NCAA), rebounds (44.4, 9th in NCAA), rebound margin (11.6, 15th), defensive rebounds per game (30.78, 8th in NCAA), assists (19.8, 10th), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9, 10th), turnover margin (5.1, 18th in NCAA), field goal percentage defense (37.6, 20th), steals (8.9), and turnovers (10.3).
 
SCOUTING THE OSPREYS
- The Ospreys are 2-6 to start the season, with a pair of victories over non-NCAA Div. 1 opponents.
- UNF is coming off a 72-63 loss at home against SIU Edwardsville Tuesday. Kamrin Oriol and Trey Cady led the Ospreys with 16 points each. Cady made all three of his threes off the bench.
- Oriol averages a team-high 17.5 points per game, along with a team-best 4.4 assists per outing. He's made 22 three-pointers at 43.1 percent from behind-the-arc.
- Dalton Gayman is pulling down 4.5 rebounds per game, while adding 8.8 points.
- Kent Jackson scores 12.5 points per contest, while Cady chips in 10.2 points.
- UNF is replacing five double-digit scorers from last season's 15-win team, but brings back top returning scorer in Oriol (7.3 ppg).
 
SERIES INFO
- Gonzaga and North Florida meet for the second time.
- The Zags picked up a 104-63 win over North Florida in the McCarthey Athletic Center on Nov. 7, 2022. In the 2022 season-opener, No. 2 GU used an early 26-0 run to cruise to the victory. Drew Timme led all scorers with 22 points, Julian Strawther added 16 and six Zags finished in double figures. Anton Watson had 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals. The Bulldogs shot 63 percent from the field while holding the Ospreys to 36 percent.
- The Zags are 4-0 all-time against current members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The win over UNF was the latest meeting, along with two victories over North Alabama and Bellarmine.
 
UP NEXT
- The 11th all-time between Gonzaga and UCLA at the Seattle Hoops Showdown in Climate Pledge Arena Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
- The Zags have won seven of the previous 10 meetings.
- The programs have met in each of the last five seasons, with the Zags winning four of the five.
- Last season in the first college game inside the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, No. 22 UCLA edged No. 14 Gonzaga, 65-62. Graham Ike led the Bulldogs with 24 points and eight rebounds.
- The Zags have won the last three NCAA Tournament
matchups, with GU winning 93-90 in overtime in the national semifinal in Indianapolis in 2021. Jalen Suggs hit the game-winner as time expired from near half-court.
- In the 2023 NCAA West Region semifinal in Las Vegas, Gonzaga won 79-76 after Julian Strawther hit a 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds left to answer a three-pointer by UCLA's Amari Bailey.
- Gonzaga won the first all-time between the programs,
59-43, at UCLA on Dec. 11, 1999.
 
BOUNCE BACK ON BROADWAY
- GU's 94-59 win over No. 18 Kentucky in Nashville was the program's second-largest margin of victory over a ranked team in program history (Baylor, 39, 2024).
- Gonzaga became the first team in AP Poll history with a 30-point loss and 30-point win in back-to-back
AP-ranked matchups.
- It was Kentucky's second-largest defeat as a ranked team and its largest neutral site loss in program history.
- The Wildcats finished 16 of 60 from the field, 7 of 34 from the three-point line.