1-seed Gonzaga (29-3) vs. 3-seed Santa Clara (26-7)
TUESDAY, MARCH 10 | 6 P.M. PT | LAS VEGAS | ORLEANS ARENA
TELEVISION: ESPN
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE RADIO | LIVE STATS
 
THE OPENING TIP
- Gonzaga faces third-seeded Santa Clara in the finals of the 2026 Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Championships in the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas Tuesday at 6 p.m. GU is 9-1 all-time versus Santa Clara in the WCC Tournament, with the lone loss coming in the 1993 semifinals. The programs last met in the 2017 semifinals, a 77-68 Zag victory. GU has won the tournament championships three times over the Broncos, with the latest in 2007 in Portland, 77-68. The Bulldogs are 13-4 in WCC Finals in Las Vegas, 22-9 overall.
- The Bulldogs advanced their NCAA-record 29th straight appearance in the tournament finals after beating fourth-seeded Oregon State in Monday's semifinal. GU held the Beavers to 33 percent shooting from the field, including 6-of-25 from behind-the-arc. Graham Ike led all scorers with 24 points while grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds. The Zags led by as many as 18 points in the second half, after jumping out to a 21-6 lead early.
- Gonzaga is the top seed in the WCC Tournament for the first time since 2022. Including this year, the Zags have been the top seed 12 of the 18 times the tournament has been in Las Vegas since 2009.
- GU is one win from the 30-win plateau for the ninth time in program history, and first since 2022-23. The Bulldogs have reached 30 wins in a season eight times, all coming in the last 14 years; 32-3 in 2012-13, 35-3 in 2014-15, 37-2 in 2016-17, 32-5 in 2017-18, 33-4 in 2018-19, 31-2 in 2019-20, 31-1 in 2021-22.
- Ike became the 86th player in NCAA Div. 1 history to score 2,500 points in a career.
- Ike is first in the nation among active scorers in NCAA Div. 1 with 2,516 points. His 1,129 rebounds also ranks second among active players. He is the only active player with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
- Ike is 16th in the nation, and first in the WCC, with 14 double-doubles.
- The Zags currently lead the WCC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.87, 5th in NCAA), assists (18.2, 12th), bench points (34.72, 5th), effective field goal percentage (.561), fast-break points (14.88, 23rd), field goal percentage (51.0, 8th), field goal percentage defense (39.5, 11th), defensive rebounds per game (28.09, 11th), scoring margin (19.4, 3rd), scoring offense (85.3, 19th), turnover margin (4.9, 5th), and turnovers (9.7, 27th). GU tops the nation in points in the paint at 45.0 per game, and has outscored its opponents by 351 points inside-the-arc, which leads the country. The Bulldogs have also made 314 more shots from the field than their opponents. Gonzaga is second the nation in rebound and turnover combined margin at +418. (Florida +430)
- The Bulldogs' 36 kill shots, which are 10-0 scoring runs, are the fourth-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. Six Bulldogs are 1,000-point scorers.
- Head Coach Mark Few returns as a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
­­­­
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
- The Broncos advanced to their first WCC Tournament Final after upsetting second-seeded, and No. 21, Saint Mary's in Monday semifinals, 76-71. In a game that featured 14 lead changes and six ties, Sash Gavalyugov (23) and Elijah Mahi (19) combined for 42 points to lead the charge for the 3-seed Broncos. Gavalyugov also dished out six assists. Santa Clara logged its 21st game with 10 or more, making 11 of 25.
- The victory inches SCU to its first NCAA Tournament in 30 years. The Broncos are projected into the field.
- The win was the Broncos' 26th of the season, tying for the second-most in program history.
- It was also a milestone victory for head coach Herb Sendek as the 600th of his 32-year career.
- Santa Clara will be playing in the championship game of the WCC Tournament for the eighth time and for the first time since 2007. The Broncos are looking to pick up their third championship title (1987 and 1993).
- With a 24-7 record, Santa Clara posted the second-most regular-season victories in program history, just two behind the program record of 26 set in 1968-69 when the Broncos reached No. 3 in the AP Poll in route to a 26-1 regular season before falling to Lew Alcindor and the UCLA Bruins in the NCAA Tournament.
- Christian Hammond averages a team-best 15.6 points per game. Mahi adds 14.1 points per outing. Allen Graves leads SCU with 6.4 rebounds, while adding 11.6 points and is second in the WCC with 65 steals.
- Santa Clara leads the conference in three-pointers per game (10.2) and three-point attempts (29.1). The Broncos also top the league grabbing 12.88 offensive rebounds per outing, and steals per game (9.0).
 
SERIES INFO
- This is the 107th meeting between Gonzaga and Santa Clara. The Bulldogs own a 74-32 edge in the series.
- GU has won 53 of the last 57 against the Broncos.
- Gonzaga is 9-1 all-time versus Santa Clara in the WCC Tournament, with the lone loss coming in the 1993 semifinals. The programs last met in the 2017 semifinals, a 77-68 Zag victory. GU has won the tournament championships three times over the Broncos, with the latest in 2007 in Portland, 77-68.
- The Zags are 53-6 against SCU under Mark Few.
- In the latest matchup on Feb. 14 in Santa Clara, Graham Ike had 21 points and a season-high 15 rebounds as No. 12 Gonzaga held off Santa Clara 94-86. Ike shot 7 of 12 and had four assists. Adam Miller also scored 21 points, Tyon Grant-Foster added 20, and Emmanuel Innocenti had 16 points and six rebounds.
- In the first meeting this season in Spokane, the Bulldogs beat the Broncos, 89-77 on Jan. 8. Graham Ike finished one point off his career-high with 34 points. He made 13 of 17 field goal attempts and went 7 for 8 on free throws. Emmanuel Innocenti added 13 points for the Zags, who shot 58% from the floor to 43% for Santa Clara. GU led 80-57 with 5:44 left in the game.
- Gonzaga is 28-24 all-time at Santa Clara, but have won 24 of their last 26 at SCU.
- Gonzaga is 37-7 all-time in Spokane in the series.
- Santa Clara won the first all-time meeting between the programs, 67-62, in Santa Clara on Feb. 3, 1959.
 
UP NEXT
- Gonzaga awaits its next opponent and postseason fate with Selection Sunday coming up. The NCAA Tournament selection show is Sunday at 3 p.m.
- Gonzaga has 26 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, with 27 overall. The 26 straight berths to the field is the third-longest current streak in the nation (Kansas and Michigan State).
 
VIVA LAS ZAGAS
- Gonzaga is 69-17 all-time in the West Coast Conference Tournament with 22 titles and 32 finals appearances, including each of the last 29 seasons.
- The Zags are 55-6 under Mark Few in the WCC Tournament with title-game appearances in all 27 seasons.
- The Zags are 36-4 in the WCC Tournament since 2009, when the event moved to Las Vegas.
- GU's four losses in the event in Las Vegas have all been to Saint Mary's, the 2010, 2012, 2019 and 2024 championship games.
- The Bulldogs were 34-13 in the conference tournament prior to it coming to Vegas.
- The Zags have never lost an opening game of the tournament in Las Vegas, winning all 18.
- Gonzaga has won the opening game of tournament the past 29 years, dating back to a loss in 64-59 in the 1997 quarterfinals to fourth-seeded San Diego as a fifth-seed.
- The Bulldogs are 34-6 in opening games at the event, including 14-6 in the quarterfinals (nine straight wins).
- Gonzaga has won in the WCC tournament semifinals in each of the past 29 years. The Zags last loss in the WCC semifinals was 1994, 83-75, to San Diego in Santa Clara.
- The Bulldogs are 32-2 in semifinal games at the tournament, winning all 18 in Las Vegas.
- Gonzaga is 13-4 in the WCC Tournament finals played in Las Vegas.
- The Bulldogs are 22-9 in championship games at the tournament.
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
- Gonzaga is eyeing its 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 28th overall.
- The Bulldogs also auto-qualified for the 2020 NCAA Tournament that was cancelled. GU was No. 2 in the NET with a 31-2 record.
- The 26 straight berths to the field are the third-longest current streak in the nation (Kansas and Michigan State), and the fourth-longest in NCAA Div. 1 history.
- The Zags are 47-27 all-time in their 26 NCAA Tournament appearances with 14 trips to the Sweet 16, six trips to the Elite Eight, two Final Fours and two appearances in the national championship game.
- GU is 44-25 in the NCAA Tournament under Few with a berth in all 26 seasons of his head coaching career. Few's 45 NCAA Tournament wins ranks fourth among active coaches Calipari, Self, and Izzo.
- GU is the only program to win its opening-round NCAA Tournament game each of the last 17 tournaments.
- The Zags are 38-21 all-time as a single-digit seed, with a 18-2 record in first round games.
 
IKE ON WOODEN BALLOT
- Graham Ike was named to the 2026 Men's National
Ballot for the John R. Wooden Award the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced.
- Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory
Board, the National Ballot consists of 15 student-athletes who are candidates for the Wooden Award All
American Team and Wooden Award Trophy as the most
outstanding college basketball player.
- Voting will take place from March 16 to March 28,
and voters take into consideration a player's entire season of play, as well as the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The finalists for the 2026 Wooden Award will be announced on April 4.
 
MAKE THAT NUMBER 27
- Gonzaga has clinched at least a share of its 27th West Coast Conference regular season title.
- Gonzaga has 27 WCC regular season titles, Coach Few has led the Bulldogs to 23 of those first place finishes.
- Since 1997-98, the Bulldogs have either won or shared 25 of the 29 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.
 
BACK AS THE TOP SEED IN VEGAS
- Gonzaga has clinched the top seed in the West Coast Conference Championships in Las Vegas.
- The top two seeds in the postseason event earn four byes to the semifinals on March 9.
- Including this season, Gonzaga has been the top seed in the WCC Tournament in 12 of the 17 years that the event has been in Las Vegas since 2009. The other five years, GU has been the second seed.
 
IKE NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Gonzaga's Graham Ike was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year.
- The Colorado native becomes the 21st Bulldog to earn the honor, but the first since 2023.
- The Zags' Davis Fogle and Mario Saint-Supéry were both selected to the conference's All-Freshman Team.
- All six major individual awards – along with the All-West Coast Conference Teams and the All-Freshman Team – were voted on solely by the WCC head coaches.
 
HUFF AND INNOCENTI ACADEMIC ALL-WCC
- Braden Huff and Emmanuel Innocenti were named to the West Coast Conference Academic Team. Braeden Smith and Steele Venters were honorable mention.
- Huff, who received the honor for the second straight season, boasts a 3.37 grade point average as a Business Administration major, with a concentration in marketing. Innocenti has 3.40 GPA as a Sport Management major.
- Smith is a Philosophy major with a 3.56 GPA, and Venters is a Sport and Athletic Administration graduate student with a 3.20 GPA.
 
HOLLYWOOD BULLDOGS
- The sports documentary GONZAGA: THE SLIPPER STILL FITS on Tubi, Fox Corporation's free ad-supported streaming service, as part of its exclusive partnership with Teton Ridge Entertainment, is out now.
- Fans can stream the documentary live for free exclusively on Tubi.
- The Tubi Original documentary features a close look at one of college basketball's most impressive programs, focusing on the perennial Cinderella team that has become a powerhouse.
- The feature-length film is fueled by GU head coach Mark Few's relentless intensity and showcases how the Gonzaga Bulldogs turn their underdog players into NBA stars. The feature-length documentary also traces the history of Gonzaga basketball and the university's commitment to hard work, loyalty and humility growing from a small college program to a national powerhouse.
- GONZAGA: THE SLIPPER STILL FITS includes interviews with notable Gonzaga alumni active in the NBA, including 2025 NBA Champion Chet Holmgren (OKC), Andrew Nembhard (IND), Jalen Suggs (ORL) and Domantas Sabonis (SAC). Additional featured talent includes: Few, former professional basketball player and current Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, former professional basketball player Adam Morrison and former professional basketball player John Stockton.
 
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.
 
NEARING THE THIRTY-WIN CLUB
- Gonzaga is one win from the 30-win plateau for the ninth time in program history, and first since 2022-23.
- GU has reached 30 wins in a season eight times, all coming in the last 14 years; 32-3 in 2012-13, 35-3
in 2014-15, 37-2 in 2016-17, 32-5 in 2017-18, 33-4 in 2018-19, 31-2 in 2019-20, 31-1 in 2021-22.
- Gonzaga is the only program in NCAA Div. 1 history to reach post five consecutive 30-win seasons, accomplishing the feat from 2016-17 to 2021-22.
- GU has finished with 29 wins three previous times.
 
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 18 minutes.
- Six Bulldogs have reached the 1,000-point mark in their careers.
 
SCORING BREAKDOWN
- Gonzaga tops the nation averaging 32.5 made field goals per game, and is second in second half scoring margin (9.3). The Bulldogs are second in extra scoring chances per game (7.9), and second in percentage of points from two-pointers (60.7).
- GU has outscored its opponents by 351 points inside-the-arc, which leads the country. (Arizona, 2nd, 245)
- The Bulldogs have also made 314 more shots from the field than their opponents, that also leads NCAA Div. 1, with Houston second at 218.
- The Zags' 36 kill shots, which are 10-0 scoring runs, are the fourth-most in the country. During the WCC games, GU has long runs of 21-0 (LMU), 18-0 (at Pepperdine), 17-0 (Santa Clara), 16-0 (Portland), 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 eight of GU's wins have been by double-digits.
 
GOLDEN GRAHAM
- Graham Ike is first in the nation among active players with 2,516 career points. His 1,129 rebounds rank second. No other player has 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Tucker DeVries of Indiana is second in points with 2,417 points. Notre Dame's Carson Towt's 1,357 rebounds are the most for an active player.
- Ike also leads the country with 968 field goals made in his career, and is fifth with 535 made free-throws.
- His 45 career double-doubles rank third.
- His 14 double-doubles this season ranks 17th 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 scored at least 20 points in nine straight, before finishing with 19 points against Portland, which is the longest streak 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 12 games, matching the total from his first 131 career games.
- 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 (.565). In WCC play, he was first in scoring (21.9), in field goal pct. (.613), and second in rebounds (8.2).
- Ike is close to being just the 17th Bulldog, and first since 2015-16, to end a season averaging 20 points.
- Ike's 1,738 points in his three seasons at Gonzaga ranks eighth in program history. He is 72 points from passing Matt Santangelo for seventh.
- Ike has 747 rebounds in his three seasons at Gonzaga, just 10 away from the program's Top-10.
- Ike has the best player efficiency rating (30.3), true shooting percentage (.644), and usage percentage (29.7) all-time at Gonzaga.
- His 59.1 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.
 
BULLDOG BLOCKADE
- Gonzaga's defense has held seven opponents to their season-lows in scoring this season.
- Against Portland in Spokane on Feb. 25, the Zags held the Pilots to a season-low 48 points, and forced Portland into a season-high 22 turnovers.
- In back-to-back games, against Washington State in Spokane, the Cougars were limited to season-lows of 53 points and 21 rebounds. In Corvallis, Oregon State also grabbed a season-low 21 rebounds. The Beavers were limited to a season-low 43 attempts from the field, which matched the second-fewest by a GU opponent since 2004. WSU's 46 field goal attempts were its second-lowest output of the season.
- Seattle also committed a season-high 18 turnovers against the Bulldogs on Jan. 17.
- Campbell had a season-high 20 turnovers.
- Kentucky was held to a season-low 26.7 percent shooting from the field, with a season-low 16 made shots from the field.
- Southern Utah was held to a season-low 50 points on a season-low 29.5 percent from the field, 16 percent from three (4/25), grabbed a season-low 26 rebounds, and committed a season-high 23 turnovers.
- Arizona State was held to a season-low 36.2 percent shooting from the field with a season-low 21 makes.
- Oklahoma committed a season-high 16 turnovers.
- Texas Southern was held to a season-low 43 points, with season-lows of 15 makes from the field and 25.4 percent shooting, including 14 percent from 3 (3/21).