San Francisco @ Gonzaga preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 1, 2020 ) Gonzaga 83, San Francisco 79

Second-ranked Gonzaga doesn't face many close games but Thursday's West Coast Conference rematch against visiting San Francisco will certainly prompt reminders of the first contest this season. The Dons moved ahead by a point with 1:55 left in the Feb. 1 matchup before the Bulldogs closed with an 8-3 push to escape with an 83-79 road victory.

Gonzaga is looking to extend its winning streak to 19 games while also looking to knock off the Dons for the 18th consecutive occasion. The Bulldogs were pushed by host Pepperdine in their last contest on Saturday before notching an 89-77 win for their 39th consecutive WCC regular-season victory. The availability of senior forward Killian Tillie (ankle) remains in question after he sat out against the Waves - his ninth absence of the season due to knee or ankle issues. The Dons halted a three-game slide with a 70-61 road victory over Santa Clara on Feb. 13 and are three wins away from their fourth consecutive 20-win campaign.

TIME: 11 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO (17-10, 6-6 WCC): Senior center Jimbo Lull recorded 16 points and a season-best 14 rebounds to raise his season averages to 12 points and a team-leading 7.6 rebounds. Lull has four double-doubles on the season - two coming over the past three games - and Dons coach Todd Golden simply states "for us to play our best basketball, he needs to perform." Junior guard Charles Minlend averages a team-best 14.3 points while junior guard Jamaree Bouyea (13.1) and reserve sophomore guard Khalil Shabazz (10.3) also average in double digits.

ABOUT GONZAGA (26-1, 12-0): Sophomore forward Filip Petrusev leads the Bulldogs with averages of 17.6 points and eight rebounds and he has stepped up his play with three double-doubles over the past four games. Petrusev is averaging 24 points and 9.8 rebounds over the past five games and is the clear favorite to win WCC Player of the Year honors. Junior forward Corey Kispert averages 14 points and has made a team-best 67 3-pointers while Tillie (13 per game) and senior guard Admon Gilder (11) also score at least 11 points per game for the nation's top offensive team (88.6).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. San Francisco has lost 30 straight road games in the series, last prevailing at Gonzaga with a 67-64 win on Feb. 10, 1989.

2. Petrusev had 23 points and 11 rebounds in the first meeting while Lull played just 13 minutes due to foul trouble and had six points and three rebounds.

3. The Bulldogs have won 36 consecutive home games, the third longest streak in program history.

PREDICTION: Gonzaga 83, San Francisco 67