#9/9 Gonzaga (27-2, 15-1 WCC) vs. Portland (12-17, 5-11 WCC)
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25 | 6 P.M. PT | SPOKANE | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
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THE OPENING TIP
- In the final home game of the season, Gonzaga hosts Portland in the 179th meeting between the programs. The Zags will honor its seniors playing their last games in the McCarthey Athletic Center, and with a win, clinch at least a share of the program's 27th WCC regular season title for the first time since 2022-23.
- The Bulldogs are coming off a 71-62 win over Pacific in Spokane Saturday. Graham Ike had 20 points and three blocks, Davis Fogle scored 18 points and GU locked up byes to the WCC Tournament semifinals as a top-two seed. The Zags only had four turnovers, forced 15 turnovers and made seven blocks.
- GU is one win from clinching the top seed in the WCC Tournament for the first time since 2022. The Zags have been the top seed in the tournament 11 of the 17 times the event has been in Las Vegas since 2009.
- The Bulldogs are also one win from clinching the eighth undefeated home season in McCarthey Athletic Center history (since 2004-05), and the 13th in conference play, along with the first since 2021-22.
- Ike has scored at least 20 points in nine straight, which is the most by a Gonzaga player under Head Coach Mark Few (Adam Morrison, 8 games, 2006; Derek Raivio, 8 games, 2006; Ike, 7 games, 2024). Ike leads WCC with three 30-point games this season, all in the past nine games, matching the total from his first 131 career games. Ike is 16th in the nation, and first in the WCC, with 13 double-doubles this season.
- Ike is first in the nation among active scorers in NCAA Div. 1 with 2,456 points. His 1,106 rebounds also ranks second among active players. He is the only active player with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
- The Zags currently lead the WCC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.88, 6th in NCAA), assists (18.1, 15th), bench points (35.48, 4th), effective field goal percentage (.564, 28th), fast-break points (15.1, 24th), field goal percentage (51.4, 6th), field goal percentage defense (40.0, 20th), defensive rebounds per game (28.21, 12th), rebounds (40.59, 21st), scoring margin (20.0, 4th), scoring offense (86.8, 17th), turnover margin (5.1, 4th), and turnovers (9.7, 26th). GU tops the nation in points in the paint at 46.3 per game, and has outscored its opponents by 326 points inside-the-arc, which leads the country. The Bulldogs have also made 293 more shots from the field than their opponents. Gonzaga leads the nation in rebound and turnover combined margin (rebounds + turnovers forced minus opponents' total) at +409. (Florida 2nd at +375)
- The Bulldogs' 33 kill shots, which are 10-0 scoring runs, are the third-most in the country.
- Eight different Zags have led the team in scoring in a game this season. Seven GU players have scored at least 20 points in a game, and 11 have reached double-digit scoring.
- Head Coach Mark Few returns as a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Gonzaga has played six games against teams projected in the NCAA Tournament, going 5-1 in those games.
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SCOUTING THE PILOTS
- Portland enters the game on a three-game skid. It fell at Seattle Saturday, 71-59. Joel Foxwell led the Pilots with 20 points. three assists and three steals. James O'Donnell, starting in place of the injured Cameron Williams, added 14 points, while Jermaine Ballisager Webb and Garrett Nuckolls each had 10. The Pilots overcame a double digit deficit to pull within one three times in the second half but never got over the hump. The Pilots committed 19 turnovers in the contest which led to a 21-12 deficit in points off of turnovers. Portland limited Seattle U to 37.9 percent from the field, but only shot 37.5 percent. The Pilots were 4-of-14 from the field in the first half with 14 turnovers, trailing 29-20 at half.
- Foxwell is sixth in the nation with 196 assists, and tops the WCC averaging 6.8 per game. He also leads the league with 392 attempts from the field at 41 percent, which is 10th. The freshman is fifth in the conference scoring 16 points per game, playing 35 minutes per outing, which is second. In WCC play, he is fourth averaging 18.4 points per game.
- Williams (11.1) and O'Donnell (10.5) also average double-digit scoring.
- Williams pulls down a team-best 5 rebounds per game.
 
SERIES INFO
- This is the 179th all-time meeting between GU and Portland. The Zags have a 111-67 edge in the series.
- Gonzaga is 47-3 against Portland under Mark Few.
- The Pilots last win in the series came on Jan. 9, 2014, 82-73, at Portland.
- In the first matchup this season in Portland on Feb. 4, the Pilots upset No. 6 Gonzaga, 87-80. Graham Ike had 24 points and 10 rebounds for GU. Mario Saint-Supery added 12 points and Davis Fogle scored 10.
- Gonzaga is 43-6 at home in the series, and has won 19 in-a-row over Portland at home, dating back to a 72-68 loss on Feb. 19, 2003.
- In last season's meeting in Spokane, Gonzaga cruised to an 81-50 victory in the 2025 Community Cancer Fund Classic in the Spokane Arena on Jan. 2. Nolan Hickman had 13 points, and Ryan Nembhard added 10 points and nine assists for the Bulldogs. Braden Huff had 10 points.
- GU is 39-23 at Portland in the series. The Zags have won 26 of the last 28 in the Chiles Center.
- Portland edged GU, 70-66, in the first-ever NCAA meeting on Jan. 18, 1959, inside the Spokane Coliseum.
 
UP NEXT
- The 121st all-time meeting between Gonzaga and Saint Mary's. The Bulldogs lead the series 84-37, winning 28 of the last 37 meetings.
- The Zags and Gaels have played more times than any other two teams in the nation over the last 10 years, meeting 30 times with GU winning 20 of the matchups.
- Gonzaga is 59-17 against SMC under Mark Few.
- In the first meeting this season in Spokane, Graham Ike scored 30 points and the Zags pulled away with a 73-65 win. Jalen Warley had 10 points and seven rebounds. Emmanuel Innocenti also scored 10, all during a three-minute stretch in the second half.
- The Bulldogs are 27-21 all-time at Saint Mary's.
- Saint Mary's won last season's matchup in Moraga, 62-58, on Feb. 1. Ike led the Bulldogs with 24 points and eight rebounds. The game featured six ties and six lead changes, GU had the lead with 6:15 remaining in regulation, and the score was tied at 58 with 50 seconds left.
- The Zags are 19-4 against SMC in the WCC Tournament, winning nine of the last 11 meetings in the event.
- Since the tournament moved to Las Vegas in 2009, only Gonzaga and Saint Mary's have won the title (GU 13 of 17). The programs have played every year in Las Vegas with two exceptions in 2015 and 2018. Prior to the event moving to Las Vegas, SMC and GU met only eight times in the tournament.
- The teams have faced off in the tournament 14 of the past 16 years, and in the finals in each of the past four years (GU 3-1), six of the last seven (4-2), and eight of the last 10 (6-2). The Gaels and Zags have met 15 times in the WCC Tournament finals, all since 2004, with GU winning 11.
- The Bulldogs won the first all-time meeting between the programs, 94-77, in Spokane in 1955.
 
THE BEST IN THE WEST ... COAST CONFERENCE
- Gonzaga and Saint Mary's have finished in the top two of the West Coast Conference standings in 13 of the past 14 seasons, and 16 of the last 20 seasons. (SMC: second in 2021-22 and 2022-23, fourth in 2013-14 and third in 2006-07)
- The last 25 regular season titles have been won or shared by Gonzaga or Saint Mary's. The Zags have won or shared 22, while SMC has won or shared four.
- The last 14 WCC Tournament titles have been won by either Gonzaga or SMC. GU has 11 of those 14 titles.
 
STRIVING FOR NUMBER 27
- With a win, Gonzaga would clinch at least a share of its 27th West Coast Conference regular season title.
- Gonzaga has 26 WCC regular season titles, Coach Few has led the Bulldogs to 22 of those first place finishes.
- Since 1997-98, the Bulldogs have either won or shared 24 of the 28 regular season titles, sharing only four (2022-24 with Saint Mary's, 2015-16 with Saint Mary's, 2010-11 with Saint Mary's, 2001-02 with Pepperdine). SMC won the last two regular season titles, along with 2011-12, and Pepperdine took the 1999-2000 title, with Gonzaga second in all those years.
- The Zags shared the title with Santa Clara in 1995-96, and won it outright in 1993-94, 1997-98, and 1998-99.
 
GOING FOR TOP SEED IN VEGAS
- Gonzaga is one win away from clinching the top seed in the West Coast Conference Championships at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
- The top two seeds in the postseason event earn four byes to the semifinals on March 9.
- Gonzaga has been the top seed in the WCC Tournament in 11 of the 16 years that the event has been in Las Vegas since 2009. The other five years, GU has been the second seed.
 
IKE NAMED TO NAISMITH LATE SEASON LIST
- Graham Ike has been named to the Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Late-Season Team, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced.
- Ike is one of 30 players recognized as being considered for the award, presented to the nation's top player.
- The Naismith Player of the Year honor will be presented during the NCAA Tournament Final Four in Indianapolis in early April. The 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy will be announced in mid-March.
- The big man was the lone selection from the WCC.
 
FEW NAMED FINALIST FOR HALL OF FAME
- For the second straight season, Mark Few is a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
- The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the selection of Finalists for its Class of 2026 from the following committees: North American, Women's, Men's Veterans, Women's Veterans, International, and Contributors.
- The finalists will then be put forward to the Honors Committee to be considered for election as members of the Class of 2026. The new class will be announced on April 4.
- There are 20 finalists, with 11 from the North American Committee, including coaches Gary McKnight, Dick Motta, Doc Rivers, Kelvin Sampson, and Jerry Welsh.
 
BALANCED BULLDOGS
- Eight different Zags have led the team in scoring in a game this season. Seven GU players have scored at least 20 points in a game, and 11 have double-digits.
- Seven different Bulldogs have led in rebounds in a game. Six have grabbed at least eight boards.
- Seven Zags average at least seven points per game.
- Eight GU players are playing at least 17.9 minutes.
- Five Bulldogs have reached the 1,000-point mark in their careers, and Braeden Smith is eight points away.
 
SCORING BREAKDOWN
- Gonzaga tops the nation averaging 33.1 made field goals per game, and in second half scoring margin (10.2). The Bulldogs are first in extra scoring chances per game (8.8), and second in percentage of points from two-pointers (61.3).
- GU has outscored its opponents by 326 points inside-the-arc, which leads the country. (Arizona, 2nd, 226)
- The Bulldogs have also made 293 more shots from the field than their opponents, that also leads NCAA Div. 1, with St. Louis second at 222.
- The Zags' 33 kill shots, which are 10-0 scoring runs, are the third-most in the country. During the WCC games, GU has long runs of 21-0 (LMU), 18-0 (at Pepperdine), 17-0 (Santa Clara), 15-0 (Washington State), 12-0 (USF), 10-0 (San Diego, Pepperdine, and at OSU), 9-0 (at Washington State, at Seattle, Saint Mary's, and at San Francisco), 8-0 (Seattle, at Portland, and at Santa Clara).
- All but seven of GU's wins have been by double-digits.
 
GOLDEN GRAHAM
- Graham Ike is first in the nation among active players with 2,456 career points. His 1,106 rebounds rank second. No other player has 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Tucker DeVries of Indiana is second in points with 2,356 points. Notre Dame's Carson Towt's 1,332 rebounds are the most for an active player.
- Ike also leads the country with 944 field goals made in his career, and is fourth with 528 made free-throws.
- His 44 career double-doubles rank third.
- Ike has scored at least 20 points in nine straight, which is the most by a Gonzaga player under Head Coach Mark Few (Adam Morrison, 8 games, 2006; Derek Raivio, 8 games, 2006; Ike, 7 games, 2024).
- Ike leads WCC with three 30-point games this season, all in the past nine games, matching the total from his first 131 career games.
- His 13 double-doubles this season ranks 13th in the nation. He had two games with nine rebounds with double-digit scoring. He's reached double-digit scoring in all but one game.
- Ike recorded his WCC-leading 13th double-double of season in the win at Santa Clara, passing Drew Timme for the most games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds (16) by a Gonzaga player in the last 30 seasons.
- Ike ranks first in the WCC in scoring (19.9), second in rebounding (8.4), and first in field goal percentage (.567). In WCC play, he is first in scoring (22.5), in field goal percentage (.626), and second in rebounds (8.5).
- Ike is close to being just the 17th Bulldog, and first since 2015-16, to end a season averaging 20 points.
- Ike's 1,678 points in his three seasons at Gonzaga ranks 10th in program history. He is five points from passing Matt Bouldin for ninth.
- Ike has the best player efficiency rating (30.5), true shooting percentage (.644), usage percentage (29.7), and win shares per 40 minutes (.274) all-time at GU
- Ike has 724 rebounds in his three seasons at Gonzaga, just 33 away from the program's Top-10.
- His 59.3 field goal percentage ranks ninth currently all-time at Gonzaga.
- In the 10 games this season against Oklahoma (19 pts), Creighton (20), Arizona State (20), Alabama (21), Maryland (13), Kentucky (28), UCLA (25), Oregon (17), Santa Clara (34), and Saint Mary's (30); Ike has averaged 22.7 points on 55.9 percent shooting from the field. He's added 8.8 rebounds, 25 assists, five blocks, and five steals. He made 11-of-23 from three (47.8) and 54-of-65 from the free-throw line (83.1). He has six double-doubles over that 10-game span.
- Ike was named preseason All-American by CBS Sports and ESPN. During his career he was named First Team All-Mountain West Conference, First Team All-WCC twice, All-District twice, Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Top 10 three times, Associated Press honorable mention All-American.