Gonzaga @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 5, 2018 ) Washington 79, Gonzaga 81

Ninth-ranked Gonzaga has the second longest true road win streak in the nation with nine straight victories. That mark will be put to the test over the next six days with a pair of top-25 opponents on the schedule, beginning Sunday night at No. 23 Washington.

The Bulldogs, whose lone loss was to No. 5 Michigan, 82-64, in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, also travel to No. 11 Arizona next Saturday before returning for a home date four nights later with No. 7 North Carolina. "It's going to be one of the best stretches we've ever had in the program," senior forward Killian Tillie told the Spokane Spokesman-Review. "We're really excited for these games." First up is a Washington squad that has won five in a row and is 37-5 at home under head coach Mike Hopkins. "We have UW on Sunday and we have kind of a whole week off (until Arizona), so that's the main point, to make sure we're all ready to go," senior guard Admon Gilder said. "I think that's a perfect stretch for us to get back rolling to how we were playing at the beginning of the year and go show guys what we're made of."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT GONZAGA (9-1): The Zags are coming in off a 101-62 win over Texas Southern on Wednesday, a contest that saw seven players score in double figures led by junior forward Corey Kispert's 17 points. Filip Petrusev, a 6-11 sophomore forward from Serbia, leads the team in scoring (15.7 points per game) and rebounding (8.4) and was selected to the Battle 4 Atlantis all-tourney team after averaging 15.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in the event. Kispert (13.6 pointsd), Tillie (13.4), 6-10 freshman forward Drew Timme (11.0) and Gilder (10.3) are also averaging double digits.

ABOUT WASHINGTON (7-1): The Huskies, whose only loss was to No. 20 Tennessee (75-62) in the Naismith Hall of Fame Classic in Toronto, come in off a 90-80 win over Eastern Washington on Wednesday. Point guard Quade Green, a transfer from Kentucky, had 20 points and eight assists off the bench and was one of six Huskies to score in double digits. Isaiah Stewart, a 6-9, 240-pound freshman and projected NBA lottery pick, leads the team in scoring (16.5) and rebounding (7.6). Jaden McDaniels, a explosive 6-9 freshman and former McDonald's All-American, is second in scoring (15.0) with junior forward Nahziah Carter also is scoring in double figures (14.6) and shooting 48 percent (12-of-25) from 3-point range.

TIP-INS

1. Washington leads the series, 29-18, but the Zags have won 12 of the last 13 meetings including a 81-79 victory last season in Spokane.

2. Gonzaga is 37-18 against Pac-12 opponents under Mark Few and has won the last seven in a row.

3. The Huskies, who led the nation in blocks last season, are 11th so far this season with an average of 6.3 swats per game.

PREDICTION: Gonzaga 82, Washington 78